St Petersburg vacations
St. Petersburg is a fascinating mixture of old-style Russia and Gilded Age Europe. Tsar Peter decided to move the capital and founded a city in 1703 devoted to culture and science. Along the banks of the River Neva he started an effort that continued for two hundred years. For generations, artists and engineers from Italy, [...]
St Petersburg cruises
St. Petersburg lies at the shore of the Gulf of Finland that separates it from that Scandinavian country. A coastal city, it offers a number of cruises both short and long. Whichever choice a visitor makes can hardly be bad, since there are so many fine sights to see on any of them. The River [...]
St. Petersburg Shopping & Food
St. Petersburg is sometimes called the ‘Venice of the North’ because of its many canals. It could with equal justice be called the ‘New York of the North’ because of the shopping and eating options available.
St. Petersburg Bridges
St. Petersburg is sometimes called the ‘Venice of the North’ for all its canals. But canals would be a great inconvenience without bridges to walk across them. Luckily this city of 101 islands has over 500, and many are stunning.
Gardens and parks in St. Petersburg
Summer Garden (Letny Sad) The Letny Sad is one of St. Petersburg’s oldest and finest gardens. Designed to provide Peter the Great with a leisurely stroll, visitors can easily imagine themselves in his shoes. Built along classical lines, the grounds are laid out according to a strict geometric plan. Yet, there’s nothing rigid or tense [...]
St. Petersburg Zoo
First completed in 1865, the Leningrad Zoo has had its ups and downs over the past nearly century and a half. It isn’t the equal of the world class zoos such as those in San Diego and the Bronx. Still, it is a great sight to see in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg Alexander Nevsky Monastery
One of Russia’s premier religious sites, the monastery named for Prince Alexander of Novgorod is among the most popular tourist destinations in St. Petersburg. Like many attractions, the site isn’t visited so often solely because of its religious significance. For most visitors, it’s because it has so many architectural and artistic elements to view.