St. Petersburg, Russia

There are not many cities in the world that can match the grace of St. Petersburg. When Peter the Great founded the city in 1703, he hired Europe's best architects, craftsmen and artists to build and decorate it. Spread over 100 islands linked by over 600 brides, it is often referred to as "Venice of the North". There is so much to see and do when traveling to St. Petersburg, here are a couple musts:


Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
The collection of the State Hermitage includes more than three million works of art and artefacts of the world culture. Among them are paintings, graphic works, sculptures and works of applied art, archaeological finds and numismatic material.

Peterhof Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia
The Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These Palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles". The palace-ensemble along with the city centre is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Folklore Performance
Folklore performances in St. Petersburg, Russia are celebrated the world-over. Catching one is  a must-do.

Catherine's Palace
The Catherine Palace is a Rococo palace located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), 25 km south-east of St. Petersburg, Russia. It was the summer residence of the Russian tsars. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I of Russia engaged the German architect Johann-Friedrich Braunstein to construct a summer palace for her pleasure.

Shopping
St. Petersburg has a growing number of stores offering a variety of goods and services including everything from hand-made arts, crafts, and souvenirs to fresh fruits and vegetables. Shopping along the city's festive main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospekt makes you feel more like a native Piterbyrzhets (Petersburger), and offers the best variety of stores in the city. Bolshoi Prospekt on Vasilyevsky Island also offers a comparatively good selection of stores.


There are many things to see and do while visiting St. Petersburg, Russia. Travel to Russia with Celtic Tours World Vacations