Russia’s most stunning city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, who wanted to be the envy of Europe. The Tsar spared no expense on the construction of lavish palaces on the banks of the countless channels cutting through the city.

St. Petersburg was greatly damaged during WWII and many of its treasures were lost. Nonetheless, it is still a testament to the glory of times gone by. 

Hermitage

The world’s second largest museum houses such a vast art collection that only fifteen percent of it can be shown at any given time. It was built in 1754 by commission of Empress Elizabeth and then remodeled and extended by Catherine the Great, who used the buildings primarily to house her husband’s ever-growing art collection.

The Hermitage consists of five interconnected lavish palaces displaying everything from Russian Prehistoric artifacts to Van Goghs and Renoirs, gilt-incrusted furnished ballrooms, and Peter the Great’s throne.

The thousands of rooms (Winter Palace alone has 1057 rooms) offer such a mesmerizing sight that you run the risk of being absorbed by one display and then running out of time to see the rest. Rooms are numbered but not necessarily organized in any logical fashion and it’s easy to get confused and wander off. If you do, make sure that you enjoy your surroundings as you’re looking for the exit –The buildings themselves are true works of art, with over 200 white marble staircases and windows overlooking the Neva River.

There also special collections that you can only view if you join a tour, such as the fabulous Scythian gold and jewel display. These private exhibitions are usually well-worth the extra time and money.

Peter & Paul Fortress

The fortress itself is an impressive clay and brick construction from the early part of the 18th century that sits on a small island opposite the Hermitage museum. It was built by Peter the Great to protect the city against enemy attack that never happened, and it later became a political prison and a campaign center during the 1917 revolution.

The fortress embraces a set of buildings inside its perimeter:The Peter and Paul Cathedral, where Catherine the Great and most Tsars are buried; a Mausoleum; a printing house; a laboratory highlighting Soviet achievements in rocket and missile design; and the working building where Russian coins and medals are still minted.

A wooden pathway allows visitors to access the southern walls of the fortress for magnificent views of the city, the Hermitage, and the famous Trotsky Bridge across the Neva River.

Petrodvorets (The Peterhof State-Museum Reserve)

Situated 18 miles outside of St. Petersburg, this palace and park complex is easily accessible by hydrofoil taxi boats from the Heritage Museum esplanade. 176 fountains that operate without water pumps, plus four cascades, gilded marble statues, and exuberant palaces, cottages, and farm houses make this a place better enjoyed in summer, when all water features are fully functional. 

Made famous by innumerable motion pictures, Petrodvorets is a fairy-tale sight with a touch of whimsy. Peter the Great was a buffoon, an action confirmed by several trick fountains around the state –Sit on the wrong bench or step on an innocent-looking stone and you’ll get a cold spray from the nearest fountain. You can’t help but smile at the royal humor.

Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

The wonderful exhibitions of world culture and history are enough to guarantee a visit to this museum, but, truth be told, most tourists come here for something else. The museum is home to Peter the Great’s morbid collection of human deformities, which includes newborn skeletons, deformed fetuses, and severed body parts. Definitively not for the squeamish.

Artillery Museum

Considered one of the best military museums in the world, the display starts right outside, in the courtyard, where heavy artillery such as tanks, missile launchers, and 18th century military vehicles “welcome” the visitor.

Step in and you’ll be transported back at least 500 years. From the early battles that employed stone and lead cannons to the weaponry and ammunition that got the soldiers through the 1812 War and the four years of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany, this museum has it all.  

Large displays of military trophies, uniforms and art fill the museum thirteen halls.

The Summer Palace of Emperor Peter the Great

The palace is a modest two-storey, 14-room building on the bank of the Fontanka River, built between 1710 and 1712 as a summer residence for the Emperor and his family. Peter lived in the first floor, and Catherine and their children occupied the second. Rooms have been restored to their former glory, with walls covered in oak panels and filled with period furniture, tapestries, period paintings, and china.  The kitchens (one on each floor) are the only rooms that have been kept almost intact since their early construction.

The gardens surrounding the palace are filled with marble statues, fountains, and a pond. Destroyed over and over again by floods, wars, and plain recklessness, the gardens lack the luxury that made them legendary, but it’s still a sight worth seeing.

Church of Savior on the Spilled Blood

Closed in the early 1920 for obvious political reasons, it underwent a 27-year long restoration and it’s now again open to the public as a museum. Foreigners are charged a fee to access it. A magnificent interior pattern of marble and unpolished mosaics reflects sunlight and transforms the walls into a mouth-dropping work of art.

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

Seventeen of the oldest churches in the city stood on the property at one point, of which only five are left today, a sad reminder of the looting and destruction that tore this place apart during the Revolution years. The Holy Trinity Cathedral, located in front of the cemetery grounds, holds the remains of Alexander Nevsky, a saint to the Russian Orthodox Church.

It’s the cemetery grounds that attract the most visitors. Some of Russia’s most celebrated artists are buried here, including Dostoevsky, Rubinshteyn, and Tchaikovsky.

Cruiser Aurora

The restored cruiser is one of the few survivors of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904. During the 1917 revolution, it was the Aurora that fired the blank shot to signal the attack on Winter Palace. Sunken during WWII, it has now been restored to its full glory and it houses a branch of the Naval Military Museum. 

Note

There is a dual-pricing system in effect in Russia that infuriates many tourists. While Russians are charged barely pennies for entrance to museums and exhibitions, tourists have to pay outrageous fees. If you want to attempt getting a Russian-priced ticket, nobody can stop you (it’s certainly not illegal to try). In a particular busy summer afternoon, when lines are long and tellers are selling hundreds of tickets by the hour, you may get away with it. Just say bilet, pazhalsta, and pray that your accent is not too obvious. If all else fails, just pay the tourist price.

Getting There

The worst part about visiting St. Petersburg (or any Russian city, for that matter) is the hassle of obtaining a visa. Unless you book a tour, you are stuck with the process yourself, which can be time consuming to say the least. In any case, plan a waiting time of at least three weeks to obtain the invitation needed to then solicit a visa at your local embassy.

Some international airlines offer non-stop flights to St. Petersburg, but most will require a stopover in Moscow. You can also fly into Sweden and take a luxurious (but surprisingly affordable) cruise to St. Petersbursg. From Helsinki, Finland, there are also daily bus and train connections available.

St. Petersburg can be enjoyed year-around. In summer, when the sun never sets, hundreds of tourists take to the streets at midnight to enjoy the glow of the famous “white nights.” Starting late November, the city becomes a winter wonderland, the shimmering of the city lights reflecting on the frozen Neva River.