St Petersburg Travel Guide

Introduction

Straddled alongside the Neva river, which empties out into a vast waterfront at the south-eastern edge of the Gulf of Finland, St Petersburg is a city that is encircled by water, hence its moniker ‘Venice of the north’. However, this UNESCO-listed city stands alone in Europe when it comes to attractions.

Aside from the exquisite Hermitage, the city boasts a long list of heritage buildings that would define any other city in their own right – the Church of the Saviour on Spilt Blood, the Narva Triumphal Gate, the Kazan Cathedral, even the St Petersburg metro is a work of art.

In winter, however, darkness lasts 18 hours a day at the end of December and early January when temperatures plunge to an average of around -7°C to 10°C. Record lows at this time have reached a staggering -35°C.

The capital of Russia during the great years of expansion of the empire at the beginning of the 18th century, St Petersburg has always been at the heart of Russia’s fortunes. Between 1712 and 1918, the city lost its capital status for just four years, between 1728 and 1732.