Hotels in St Petersburg
What to see by foot: St Petersburg
 
St Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and is sometimes
referred to as the 'Venice of the north' or the 'Paris of the east'. The city
where Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote his famous novel The Brothers Karamazov offers
a vibrant cultural life, including top theatre and ballet productions and concerts.
A walk along one of the many charming canals or the wide Neva River is a romantic
way to spend time in the city. You can also take in a world-renowned ballet
at the Mariinsky Theatre for a touch of culture.
St Petersburg is blessed with hundreds of churches but is probably most renowned
for its unparalleled collection of Russian Orthodox cathedrals. The Alexander
Nevsky Monastery is a beautiful complex of churches and prestigious cemeteries
that shelter the graves of many Russian cultural giants including Tchaikovsky,
Dostoevsky and Glinka, among others.
The Cathedral of SS Peter & Paul (1712-33), with its landmark spire, magnificent
Baroque interior and burial site for most of the pre-Revolutionary Russian Tsars,
is at the historic centre of St Petersburg.
Alternatively, the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (or Saviour on
the Blood Church) was built as a memorial on the spot where Emperor Alexander
II was assassinated on March 1, 1881. Restorers say the church contains more
mosaics than any other church in the world.
Other cathedrals of interest include: Smolny Cathedral (1748-54); St Nicholas'
Naval Cathedral (1753-62); St Sampson Cathedral (1728-33); Transfiguration Cathedral
(1827-29); and Trinity Cathedral (1828-35).
St Petersburg is referred to by local residents as the 'gorod muzei' (city
museum), and with good reason, as the city is steeped in history, most of it
well preserved in the more than 50 museums.
Immerse yourself in the Hermitage Museum's more than 1,000 rooms which collectively
house one of the world's greatest collections of Western European art. Alternatively,
visit the widely acclaimed Russian Ethnographic Museum's truly rich exhibits
of the life and culture of the over 100 peoples of Russia.
Also of interest is the cruiser Aurora, famous for firing the first shot in
the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917; the cruiser has been turned into a floating
museum containing documents and photographs related to the Revolution.
The Dostoyevsky Memorial Museum opened in 1971 to celebrate the 150th anniversary
of the birth of the Russian novelist. The Russian Museum, founded in 1898, is
the largest and most complete museum of Russian art, including works by: Pavel
Fedotov, Isaac Levitan, Orest Kiprensky, Ilya Repin and many others.
Selection of hotels in this region:
Pulkovskaya Hotel | | Sovetskaya Hotel | | Hotel Astoria | | Angleterre Hotel | | Radisson SAS Royal Hotel St Petersburg | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
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