If you’re trying to keep costs down when you visit this northern capital of Russia, the best time to visit is the summer. Although the city is equally as charming covered in the snow, the best way to maximize your time without maxing out your credit cards is to walk around. This is not ideal at zero degrees in a stiff breeze. This walk will take the best part of a day and takes in some of the key monuments and landmarks in St. Petersburg. Start at the southeast of the center at the Alexander Nevsky …More

The Mikhailovsky Theatre is one of the oldest theatres in Russia and it’s about to become a lot more famous: two of the Bolshoi Theatre’s top principal dancers have recently decided to leave the company to explore more opportunities at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St Petersburg. Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev are one of the best dancers in the world. On the bright side, this means tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the pair are far more likely to have luck getting tickets at the Mikhailovsky than …More

Home to more than 100 different museums, Saint Petersburg is one the world’s greatest repositories of art and artifacts. From breathtaking palaces packed with international masterpieces of painting and sculpture to private houses that interpret the lives of famous residents to the cabinet of curiosities known as the Kunstkamera, no city is so rich in collections and no visit is complete without taking in the treasures on this list. The Hermitage is Saint Petersburg’s absolute, must see museum rivaled …More

Ballet is to Russia what red buses are to London. The art in Russia was developed and refined in St Petersburg and then in Moscow. Two of the greatest ballet companies in the world are Russian: the St Petersburg based Mariinsky (Kirov) ballet company and the Bolshoi ballet company in Moscow. The dancers at these companies are almost exclusively Russian and are drawn from the world’s premier dance schools in Moscow (State Moscow Academy of Choreography), St Petersburg (Vaganova Academy) and Perm (Perm State …More

It is no secret Russians take their vodka very seriously. Since the 15th century when Russians learned how to distill alcohol, they have been known to perfect their technique. Today, they drink to celebrate everything from babies being born, getting a job, marriage, and even to cure a minor cold. So when you visit the country, make sure to have some of the vodka and learn the proper way to drink it like a Russian. Since it is usually accompanied with a toast, vodka is always taken as a shot, and it is important …More

Despite the chilly climate, when it comes to romance the magic of Saint Petersburg can warm even the coldest heart. Nothing will put you and your partner more in the mood for love than strolling along its scenic canals, floating in a pleasure boat past its dazzling monuments as you sip flutes of fine champagne or dining on oysters and caviar like Russian Royalty in a former Imperial Palace. To achieve maximum romantic ambiance schedule your visit during “White Nights,” the period of 80 days …More

Set at the mouth of the Neva River which feeds its 66 engineered canals presided over by stunning Baroque palaces and grand neo-Classic public buildings, exploring the sights of Saint Petersburg by boat is one of the city’s most distinct and renowned pleasures. Lined with massive granite embankments and crisscrossed by hundreds of elegant bridges, many of which are important landmarks in their own right, its flowing waterways and magnificent architectural achievements make city truly live up to its …More

Prospects for dining kosher in Saint Petersburg have improved markedly in recent years as growing numbers within the city’s Jewish community have returned to their roots and embraced religious dietary laws. Several restaurants have opened that cater to kosher eaters by preparing gourmet style cuisine and serving it in settings of elegance, comfort and refinement befitting Saint Petersburg’s reputation as the cultural capital of Russia and one of the great cities of Europe. For a kosher fine dining …More

St. Petersburg is one of the best equipped cities for a tourist to visit in Russia: there is a vast amount of accommodation ranging from the luxurious to the cheap and cheerful so there is something to cater to everyone. For those interested in deluxe travel, the Astoria next to St Isaac’s Cathedral is the place to be. Legend has it that, during the Second World War, Adolf Hitler planned to hold a party here after the city had surrendered and that he already had had invitations printed and sent out to his …More

For almost 125 years the Grand Choral Synagogue of Saint Petersburg has served not only as the main house of worship for local Jews but also as the heart and soul of the community, providing hope through all its travails. Despite the restrictions placed on the practice of Judaism from the era of the Tsars when it was built until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, like the Jewish citizenry, it suffered but survived. In recent years, the synagogue has prospered. Finally completed in 1888 after eight years …More

Moscow, if truth be told, is not necessarily the only city in Russia for those interested in dancing the night away. While the vodka flows in as generous measures as in other Russian cities, the prices in the capital are much higher than those in the second city and clubbers also have to contend with ‘face-control.’ For the uninitiated, face-control is exactly that—if they don’t like the look of you, you don’t get in. Often the decision on whether you make it past the door into the …More

St Petersburg easily has enough to do to keep any tourist entertained for several days. If, however, you have exhausted the magnificent Hermitage gallery and museum, visited the Church on the Spilled Blood (the blood in question belonging to Tsar Alexander II) and been to the summer palaces, it’s probably time that you stepped off the tourist trail to visit some other gems that are a little more hidden. A little treasure in St Petersburg is the museum of Anna Akhmatova at the Fountain House, located in a …More