The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is also known as the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
Known as Venice of the North for its dozens of canals, it deserves a getaway of several days. Saint Petersburg has a lot of everything: with more than 300 bridges, more than 40 islands and more than 200 museums, the second most populous city in Russia is a jewel for the traveler.
Founded in 1703 by Emperor Peter the Great, with the aim of being "Russia's window to the Western world", today it is known for being the cultural capital of the largest country in the world. That's why it's easy to get overwhelmed when you're planning to visit Saint Petersburg and suffer from Stendhal's Syndrome once you get there. But we make it easy for you. Here is our express guide to 17 experiences you cannot miss:
1. admire the Palace Square (Dvortsovaya Ploshchad), where the majestic Winter Palace is located, one of the buildings that are part of the colossal State Hermitage Museum. You will not be able to stop looking at (or photographing) its decadent tricolor façade.
The Winter Palace, former residence of the tsars, is part of the Hermitage Museum.
two . Take a morning or afternoon to visit the Hermitage Museum, one of the largest and most visited art galleries in the world. Take it easy and don't make plans afterwards, because its fascinating collection will inevitably keep you hooked for several hours. Treasures more than three million objects, but only ten percent have ever been exposed. A tip: look up and let its ceilings also dazzle you.
3. Try some typical Russian dishes at Teremok , a national fast food chain that makes a splash with its prices. Choose your blinis, crepe-shaped; the pelmeni, a kind of stuffed ravioli, and their soups to warm you up, like Borsch, with beetroot and meat. If you are more of a sweet person, settle in on the terrace of Schastye (Malaya Morskaya Ulitsa, 24), order a tea and accompany it with Syrniki, which are made with cottage cheese and served with sour cream (smetana), fruit, honey or jam.
Hearty blini from the Russian fast food chain Teremok.
Four. Get ready to give yourself a Cathedral binge. Did you know that St. Petersburg has several? You will be surprised by Our Lady of Kazan, since it is not the type of cathedral you expect, the lavish Saint Isaac's Cathedral – it can hold 14,000 people and its golden dome is one of the largest in the world – and the * * San Pedro y San Pablo , the oldest in the city and where the pantheon of the tsars is located.** Another of our favorites is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity: its blue domes with golden stars are like a fairy tale.
5 . Do the same with its churches, starting with the essential Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, one of the symbols of the city, due to its peculiar polychrome exterior. Another that will leave you speechless is the Church of the Assumption. In addition, St. Petersburg also has Armenian, Lutheran, and other non-Orthodox churches: the Great Choral Synagogue, a mosque, and even Datsan Gunzechoinei, the northernmost Buddhist temple in Europe.
Vibrantly colored, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is an example of typical Russian architecture.
6. If you are lucky enough to go during the last days of June, you will be able to attend the famous White Nights, when the sun does not set and the Petersburgers are concentrated on the banks of the Neva River to witness the festive events that are organized.
7. Stop in front of any of its innumerable palaces: Anchikov, Menshikov, Yussupov... Special mention should be made of those in the Peterhof complex, on the outskirts of the city and with sumptuous gardens: known as the Russian Versailles, It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fountains of the Grand Cascade and canal of the Peterhof Palace.
8. If you visit the city in spring or summer, make a boat trip through its canals. It is the best way to see St. Petersburg from another point of view, from the Neva River, and to contemplate its bridges. In summer, they are also the protagonists of a massive night show, as they are raised to facilitate navigation.
9. go from shopping on Nevsky Prospect, the main commercial artery of the city and for its covered galleries, such as the Passage Shopping Arcade. If gourmet products are your thing, head to Eliseyev Emporium : a small but impeccable shopping center where you can buy any russian delicacy or have a tea surrounded by delicacies.
A boat ride on the canals of St. Petersburg is a must.
10. Buy tickets to see the ballet or the opera at the Mariinsky Theatre.
eleven. Stroll through its extensive and well-kept parks: the Summer Garden, the Champ de Mars, the Botanical Garden or any of the gardens that welcome the countless palaces of the city.
12. Cross to Vasilevsky Island and choose from its multitude of museums: the Naval, the Geology, the Anthropology and Ethnography, the Zoology... Here is also the aforementioned Church of the Assumption.
13 . Dedicate a couple of hours to the Russian Museum, the essential place to learn more about the culture of the largest country in the world.
Vasilyevsky Island is flanked by the Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva rivers and by the Gulf of Finland.
fifteen. go to a jazz concert in one of its clubs where there is daily live music. In addition, you can have dinner during the show.
16. Take a unique gastronomic journey in Cococo. For just over 50 euros per person they offer an 11-course tasting menu that is a tour of Soviet cuisine in a modern key. Everybody goes for his famous dessert My mother´s favorite flower (My mother's favorite flower), a faux broken pot on a tile that is an edible piece of art. It is advisable to reserve a table before going.
My mother's favorite flower, the star dessert at Cococo restaurant.
17. Stay in the best European hostel and the best small hostel in the world according to HostelWorld: Soul Kitchen.
After these 17 plans, to which you will surely have added some more, you will know why Russians love to put the visitor at a crossroads, making him choose between the amazing and cosmopolitan Moscow or the beautiful Saint Petersburg, which was not always the second country city. But we We will not go into the traditional comparisons, because the pretty girl from Russia does not need them.
The Soul Kitchen hostel is loaded with small and endearing kitsch details.