10 of the best things to do in St Petersburg
It is 100 years since the Russian Revolution started in St Petersburg. St Petersburg explores the city’s fascinating history as well as its contemporary youth culture. Name of the city was changed thrice in the history. Petrograd and Leningrad were its old name. St Petersburg is famous for its grand streets, fine culture and the Hermitage. While there are endless educational and cultural exhibits, there are plenty of fun things to do in St Peterburg, too. St. Petersburg one of the Beautiful cities in the World. Below are some best things about this heaven and city of Peter the great.
1. The Peterhof fountains
The Peterhof fountains one are among the few in the world
that still operate through gravity rather than electric pumps. Hundreds of
fountains operate from May to October. The most famous is the Grand Cascade,
which is made up of 64 separate fountains and beautiful bronze sculptures,
including one of Samson wrestling a lion. Adults and children alike can spend hours
playing games with the trick fountains, as well as enduring the occasional
soaking! You can get to Peterhof by going to the Avtovo metro station and
jumping on the marshrutka, or shuttle bus, for a fare of around 40 rubles.
However, a private tour will get you there more quickly and in considerably
more comfort than with public transport, and your guide can arrange tickets
that allow you to jump the queue
2. Night cruises of St Petersburg
Night cruises are an
amazing way to see the city, which is sometimes called the “Venice of the
North” because of its elaborate network of rivers and canals. During the
summer, a system of 22 drawbridges open and close at precise times to allow
ships access to the Baltic Sea. As well as seeing the bridges, your night
cruise can include drinks, dinner, folk music and a commentary about the city.
3. The Aquapark “Piterland”
The Aquapark is
ideal if you’re wondering what to do in St Petersburg and have a family – it’s
the biggest aquapark in Russia, and one of the biggest in Europe. Launched in
January 2012, it has become massively popular and can accommodate 2000 visitors
at a time. It’s a year-round attraction and protected from the elements by an
enormous dome, which the owners are planning to register with the Guinness Book
of Records as the largest of its type in the world. Piterland has slides, a
diving pool, a wave pool, a pool for kids, an array of saunas and steam rooms,
and plenty of cafes, bars, and restaurants.
4. The St Petersburg
Metro
The St Petersburg Metro is as ornate as the palaces of the
Tsars – deliberately so, as it was built during the 1950s as a celebration of
Soviet achievement. Avtovo station has a marble façade and a mosaic dedicated
to the siege of St Petersburg during the Second World War.
5. The Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from
1732 to 1917, The palace was constructed on a monumental scale that was
intended to reflect the might and power of Imperial Russia. It was designed by
many architects, most notably Bartolomeo Rastrelli, in what came to be known as
the Elizabethan Baroque style.
6.The Peter and Paul Fortress
The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St.
Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico
Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740. Today it has been adopted as the central
and most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History. The
museum has gradually become virtually the sole owner of the fortress building,
except the structure occupied by the Saint Petersburg Mint.
7. Palace Square
Palace Square connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge
leading to Vasilievsky Island is the central city square of St Petersburg and
of the former Russian Empire. Many significant events took place there,
including the Bloody Sunday massacre and parts of the October Revolution of
1917.
8. The State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum formerly the Russian Museum of His
Imperial Majesty Alexander III is the largest depository of Russian fine art in
Saint Petersburg. It is also one of the largest museums in the country. Its
original collection was composed of artworks taken from the Hermitage Museum,
Alexander Palace, and the Imperial Academy of Arts. The main building of the
museum is the Mikhailovsky Palace, a splendid Neoclassical residence of Grand
Duke Michael Pavlovich.
9. The Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre
is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened
in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of the late 19th century
Russia. Through most of the Soviet era, it was known as the Kirov Theatre.
Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera
and Mariinsky Orchestra.
10. Grand Market Rossiya
Grand Market Rossiya is a private museum in Saint
Petersburg, Russia. It is a model layout designed on a scale of 1:87 and covers
an area of 800 m2 (8,600 sq ft). The creator of the project is a Saint
Petersburg businessman Sergey Morozov. It is the largest model layout in Russia
and the second largest in the world The model is located in a two-story
building built in 1953, in the style of Stalin's empire.
St. Petersburg has a true wealth of attractions and
experiences to offer visitors, from spectacular Imperial palaces to quirky and
absorbing museums, from boat trips along the city's majestic rivers and canals
to walks in the footsteps of St. Petersburg's literary and artistic greats. A
must place to visit in 2017!