December 31, 2013/ altair / European Vacations

Saint Petersburg is often described as the most Western city of Russia. Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is also home to The Hermitage, the largest art museum in the entire world. A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and other businesses are located in Saint Petersburg.

Personal note: Saint Petersburg is absolutely awesome!

Experience Sparkling Palaces and Historic Cities!

• The Hermitage Museum/The Winter Palace is Saint Petersburg’s prime attraction, a massive palace-cum-museum showing the highlights of a collection of over 3,000,000 pieces spanning the globe. The Hermitage is truly one of the world’s great museums, with an imposing setting displaying priceless works by Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Michealangelo, Reubens and more. It is recommended, though not required!, to get a tour guide. They can charge as much as $100 but they can tell you more about the building and the items and take you directly to the items you want to see. Ticketing is complex, but the Hermitage itself is 100 rubles for Russians and 350 rubles for foreigners. Students of all nationalities get in for free, but don’t forget your student card with photo! Entrance is free on the first Thursday of every month. Bags aren’t allowed in the museum (and while technically neither are cameras without the appropriate ticket, they never check the photo-permission tickets so it’s not worth buying them), so stash them in the busy cloakroom.
• Russian Museum: The main building, the Mikhailovskiy Palace houses the main exhibits, and the Russian Museum also oversees the permanent and temporary exhibits at the Stroganov Palace, Marble Palace and Mikhailovskiy Castle. Tickets to each can be purchased separately or as a universal pass.
• Peter and Paul Fortress. You can go in for free, but to enter the church and exhibitions you need tickets. You can get a combo ticket for everything, or you can just enter the church. Other than the church, which is where the all of the Romanov Czars of Russia from Peter the Great (bar two or three) are buried, the other things on the island aren’t terribly impressive, so it might be worth it to just see the church. Note that if you buy a combo ticket for everything, you still need to have a ‘special ticket’ for a lot of exhibitions within the fortress!
• The Admiralty, next to the Hermitage. Not open to visitors, but worth seeing from the outside.
• The bridges on the Neva. Open 2 times per night to allow boats to pass.
• Museum of Artillery, Combat Engineers and Signal Troops: Housed in old Arsenal fortress-like building near the Peter and Paul Fortress and surrounded by moat. HUGE collection of weapons from the beginning of history until the present, including an extensive collection of Soviet weaponry from WW2 and the Cold War. Tanks, ballistic missiles, Katuscha trucks, countless Kalashnikovs.
• Alexander Nevskiy Monastery. The site also has the Tikhvin Cemetery which houses the tombs of some of the world’s most famous composers; Tschaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky and Borodin, and also the author Fyodor Dostoevsky, along with many other famous Russian figures.
• Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood: A traditional style Russian church built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. The interior is elaborately decorated with over 6000sqm of mosaics. It is just fantastic!
• Our-Lady-of-Kazan Cathedral: Impressive neoclassical exterior, richly decorated interior. Includes the tomb of Gen. Kutuzov, hero of the war of 1812. Free entry.
• Saint Isaac’s Cathedral: It was built in 1818 and is a major attraction in the city. It is the third highest cupola cathedral in the world. There are night time visits, too, and the view from the observation deck (separate fee) is one of the best views of the city, for those who are willing to climb 400 steps.
• Andreyevsky Cathedral, perhaps the most beautiful religious building on the Vasilievsky island, built in 1780. The main cupola is framed by three narrow towers, and is topped by a two-tiered bell tower. The gilt, three-layered iconostasis inside is an impressive 17m tall.
• Exchange Building (Naval Museum) houses the Naval Museum, is the centerpiece of the Strelka ensemble. It was built in 1816 in the Neoclassical style. The Naval Museum, one of the largest in the world, contains historical displays of the Russian navy from its founding to the present day, including weaponry, models of ships, and even some original mastheads.
• Kunstkamera (Room of Curiosities), is a museum is primarily famous for its one-room freak show collection of 300 year-old deformed fetuses in formaldehyde (of which you are not allowed to take pictures).
• Menshikov Palace displays some art and an exhibition on life in the early 18th century, in a palace built for the first governor of St. Petersburg, and before him Peter the Great. The Baroque palace was built in 1721, and was one of the first grand stone constructions of the city. Look especially for the grand staircase, and the Walnut, Naval, and Chinese rooms.
• Rostral Columns. The first monuments you’ll immediately notice on the Strelka, the Rostral Columns are yet another symbol of the city. Constructed in 1810, the columns are each adorned with six rostra (traditionally, the prows of captured ships), symbolizing the might of the Russian Baltic Fleet. At the base of the columns you’ll see sculptures representing the great rivers of European Russia, the Volga, Dnieper, Neva, and Volkhov. In addition to their decorative purpose, the columns also served as lighthouses, and to this day the gas flames are lit on holidays.

For reservation and information please contact Altair Travel: 416-633-9404

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