5 Places To Visit In St Petersburg
St. Petersburg is the City of Tsars but I would personally call it the city of creativity as architecturally it’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. St Petersburg has all the ingredients for a memorable travel experience such as the exquisite art, lavish architecture and rich cultural traditions that have inspired and nurtured some of the modern world’s greatest literature, music and visual art.
Peter the Great founded this city in 1703. What is so wonderful about St Petersburg is that it combines Russian heritage with a European outlook. The city is Russia’s cultural hub.
If you explore the city with a travel guide or a local, you may hear different and interesting stories about the palaces, museums, broad avenues and winding canals. St Petersburg’s turbulent past has endowed the city with grand architectural and artistic treasures.
There are so many attractions in St. Petersburg the list will make your head spin. Here are five places to visit in St Petersburg:
1-Peter and Paul Fortress
The cathedral is where the Romanovs are buried. There’s a former prison and various exhibitions. This is a mandatory stop on any tour as it gives you great insights into Russian history.
2-St Isaac’s Cathedral
St Isaac’s Cathedral has a lavish interior and is actually a museum (services are held in the cathedral on major religious holidays). You probably won’t want to bother climbing the steps to the colonnade but if you do summon up enough energy the views are amazing. The cathedral was designed in 1818 and over 100kg of gold leaf was used to cover the dome.
3-State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace
This museum is absolutely huge and one of the best museums I’ve seen. Russsia’s Tsars once resided here. Now it has one of the world’s best art collections. Even if you are not an art connoisseur, you will be amazed at the creations on display.
4-Pushkin and Catharine Palace
The summer residence of the Russian Tsars conjures images of a grand era and a Russian Baroque wonder. Catherine Palace’s famous Amber Room is worth the trip. The palace was the residence of the Tsars in the 18th and 19th centuries.
5-Church on the Spilled Blood
Make sure you take a look at the five-domed Russian Orthodox church, which is decorated with a mosaic interior. The name came about in reference to the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II at this spot in 1881.
