What to see in St. Petersburg: the Hermitage and the cathedrals

Imposing churches, endless avenues, palaces, works of art and vodka. Wanting to synthesize what to see in St. Petersburg it is very difficult. But these are (only) some of the things you will find. And that is why this is one of the most beautiful cities in the Russia. Here is a small list of unmissable experiences. There vodka we left it at the bottom. Because afterwards it might be difficult to find the way to the museum.

The St. Petersburg metro

One of the first experiences is that of subway. And given the beauty of the stations, the journey itself is almost more important than the destination. Each station is lavishly decorated with real hosts artwork. That is why it is probably one of the most beautiful subways in the world. Not just art though. Traffic in St. Petersburg is complex and getting around by metro is much easier and cheaper: the ride costs around one euro. One detail though: this is also one of the deeper subways of the world to allow the transit of the tracks under the Neva river so get ready to face long escalators.

The deepest station is that of Admiralteyskaja, 86 meters underground. In total there are five lines and the network exceeds 114 km for about seventy stations. A curiosity: the stations are quite far from each other; the minimum distance is one kilometer but it can also be over two kilometers

The cathedral with the golden dome

There St. Isaac’s Cathedral it is the fourth largest cathedral in the world, has an eventful history behind it and is certainly on the list of what to see in St. Petersburg. During the Soviet era, has been stripped of all signs that have a religious value and has been transformed into a museum, but the building has remained remarkably intact. The interior is a triumph of marble and granite, and its dome – measuring 100 meters high – is covered with pure gold leaf. During the Second World War, however, it was painted gray to avoid attracting the bombardments of the enemy air forces.

Once again of great and ancient architectural works the Hermitage museum it is one of the largest and oldest in the world having been founded in 1764. This museum occupies several buildings – including the Winter Palace – which are a real heritage of history. The building that houses it was inserted in the palace that for two centuries housed the families of the tsars until the Revolution of 1917. The museum contains the extraordinary number of about three million works, but the exhibition spaces, however enormous, allow the contemporary exhibition of about sixty thousand pieces. The development of the collection is largely due to the passion of Catherine the Great that moved by his passion for art acquired many works even if other sovereigns enriched the collection with donations and purchases.

What to see in St. Petersburg: boulevards and canals

After so much art, a break is needed. So here’s the idea: take a boat trip on the Neva river. This is a great way to discover the main attractions of the city, without having to get up from your seat. Tours cost very little, less than 5 euros and are worth it, especially if you have a couple of hours ahead of time. This can also be a good way to get the best views of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, one of the most bizarre constructions on our guide of what to see in St. Petersburg. Modeled on the shape of the St. Basil’s Cathedral to Flythis church was built on the site where the socialist radicals assassinated the emperor Alexander II March 1, 1881. It is crowned with tiled onion domes and has an amazingly restored interior of polished marble and glistening mosaics.

A mythical street: Nevsky Prospekt

After the river the boulevards: a guide of what to see in St. Petersburg certainly cannot overlook the Nevsky Prospect. With its long line of shops, buildings and churches Nevsky Prospect is one of the most popular streets busy of St. Petersburg. It is also the nerve center of St. Petersburg and therefore you will end up running into it at regular intervals, whether you like it or not. Do not miss the Cathedral of the Holy Savior, an Orthodox church that is also called by different names So depending on who you talk to you will probably hear them called by a different name each time. It is recognized by the large golden dome between the blue domes. Inside, then, is a triumph of refined mosaics.

In the guide of what to see in St. Petersburg, the museum housed in the beautiful deserves a place Shuvalovsky Palace which houses the exhibition dedicated to the great jeweler Carl Fabergé, famous for its precious eggs decorated with precious stones. This museum collects the largest collection in the world of pieces made by the jeweler with more than 4,000 works. Visits must be booked at least five days in advance. The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology dedicated to Peter the Great. It is the oldest state museum in Russia and is based on the collection of objects and curiosities put together by Peter the Great during his Grand tour of Europe.

From Peter the Great’s cottage to vodka

These are often curious and tacky pieces suitable for strong stomachs but which reveal much of what appeared to be science at the time. Then another chapter of the guide on what to see at St.Pietroburgo leads to a small house. In fact, the first building built in the city was not a large palace, but a decidedly modest wooden house from which Peter the Great supervised the construction of his large imperial city. It is now enclosed in a protective brick casing and furnished with period furniture: its spartan simplicity forms a strange contrast to the great cathedrals and buildings around it.

Finally the vodka: here you will find that you have always drunk it the wrong way. Vodka should be drunk smooth while sipping it slowly without mixing it with cola or orange juice. To have a definitive lesson visit the Vodka museum and you will discover every secret even that there are over 200 types. Be warned though: keep in mind that most of the museum is not translated into English – unless you have a translator, following the visit will probably be a bit difficult. You will feel like you are drunk.