St Petersburg

St Petersburg is Russia’s second largest city behind Moscow, has a population approaching 5 million, and sits at the eastern tip of the Baltic Sea and the Neva River.  A city break to St Petersburg will see you soon admiring one of the most naturally beautiful places on the planet, a city bursting with ancient treasures and stunning buildings.

The city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, and rose in standing as the home of the tsars and the focus of imperial Russian culture.  It was rechristened Petrograd during the First World War, then Leningrad in 1924 in honour of the founder of the Soviet Union, Vladmir Lenin.  After suffering severe bombing during the Second World War, the seat of the Union moved to Moscow.  In 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this wondrous place regained its original name.

Flying into Pulkovo Airport is the best way to start your St Petersburg city break.  This is a thoroughly modern airport with excellent facilities located thirteen miles or so south of the city.  You can get to St Petersburg itself via bus or taxi.  St Petersburg is also a major hub of the Russian rail network, so travelling into the city by train is also an option, although your journey time is likely to be long.

The city is one further place that likes to proclaim itself the ‘Venice of the North’, and you should consider a boat trip along the city’s many rivers and canals whilst on your St Petersburg city break.

Wrap up well, though, as it can get very, very chilly.  It’s also a chance to explore the city’s majestic areas complete with broad avenues, well-kept gardens and picturesque squares.  Make sure you take a walk down the three miles of the Nevsky Prospekt, a beautiful avenue lined with shops, cafés, hotels and restaurants.

The best sites to view during your St Petersburg city break include the fabulous Winter Palace, which is the city’s premier attraction.  One of the world’s greatest museums, this expansive palace houses a staggering three million works of art, including pieces by Rembrandt, Michelangelo and Leonardo.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is free to enter but you will need to purchase a ticket to enter the church within, where all the Tsars from the Romanov era are buried.

The Admiralty building at the north end of the Nevsky Prospekt is also worth a perusal, although it is not open to visitors, so you’ll have to be content with an external view.

June and July are the best times of year to take a city break to St Petersburg.  Due to the city’s northern latitude the sun barely sets during this period, something you very rarely experience anywhere else.  This is the high season for culture, with concerts for ballet, opera and classical music being held daily.  Whilst Autumn and Spring are crisp, if you can take the cold, winter in St Petersburg is another unique experience, with its frozen canals and the city blanketed with snow.

A city break in St Petersburg is really the best way to get a taster of the modern Russia with its more bearable climate than that of frozen Moscow.  Book a St Petersburg city break for a truly unforgettable – if chilly – experience.