Russia : St Petersburg – Woke and Awake Travel

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St Petersburg and its satellite towns form a horse shoe shaped loop around the head of the Gulf of Finland at the Eastern end of the Baltic Sea, closer to Helsinki than Moscow it was the Imperial Capital for two centuries, and is the second largest city in Russia, and whilst being a major economic port is a city full of rich history and culture. Definitely one of our favourite cities in the world long overdue a revisit !!

The city straddles over 42 islands contained within the River Neva delta and once prone to flooding, now a 30km dike built across the Gulf of Finland protects the city from the brunt of flooding many canals built around the city assist. The Neva feeds from Europe’s largest fresh water lake Ladoga, some 40 km inland.

Climate is not dissimilar to Ireland from April to October, but a distinct change occurs from November with a cold snap lasting to March. It is not unusual for the River Neva to freeze over during the coldest months with severe cold blasting in from the Gulf of Finland.

From Ireland no direct flights are available and you must opt for a European gateway, this we did by flying through Amsterdam with KLM.

It is now very easy to apply for a visa online for Saint Petersburg. You will need: A Valid Passport – Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day you enter Saint Petersburg. A Digital Photo – You will need to submit a passport photo along with your application.

We visited in 2004 and were fortunate that a friend had send a car to meet us at the airport. Foreign tourist travel wasn’t well advanced and the infrastructure limited, so we were sparred the public transfer options from the airport to our hotel. The hotel in question was the Astoria it sits directly across from St Isaac’s Cathedral, a short walk from leading attractions such as Nevsky Prospect, Palace Square and the Mariinsky Theatre. Since opening in 1912, it has been an illustrious landmark, its winter garden reputedly booked for Hitler’s victory celebrations, but as Leningrad held firm he never had the chance to fully appreciate its wonder.

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The hotel is truly superb, and in an excellent location in the Admiralty district, it helped that our host was the GM, so we were afforded an additionally warm welcome.

Awake Tip : Do not surrender your passport at any hotel reception, you will need it if stopped on the streets outside.

Day 1.

A cold November morning greeted us in St Petersburg as we headed out to the nearest landmark, St Isaac’s Cathedral, across from the hotel its shimmering gold leaf dome stands at over 100 m and a small outdoor wooden pedestrian bridge leads you up to the columned platform supporting it. From there you have tremendous views out across the River Neva. The Cathedral itself is the largest orthodox church and the fourth largest cathedral in the world, and highly ornate both inside and out.

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From the Cathedral we headed back across the square and crossed the River Moyka towards the Mariinsky palace completed in 1844, it was the former imperial residence & now the seat of the city parliament. Following along the river is one of the best palaces we have visited anywhere in the world. Yusupov palace in St Petersburg terms is quite and unassuming looking building from the outside and one of only a few surviving aristocratic mansions left in this city.

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The Palace went down in Russian history as the place where Grigory Rasputin, a Siberian peasant, mystical spiritual mentor and friend of the family of Emperor Nicholas II was assassinated. The tragedy unfolded on the night of December 17, 1916 in the Living quarters of the young Prince Felix Yusupov. Today these rooms house a display of historic pictures and documents, and are just part of the lavishly decorated interiors preserved and restored. One real surprise is the small home theatre which still welcomes art, and musical performances to the palace.

The November day is short so we re-treated to the calm and warmth of our hotel, before heading out to a Oh! Mumbai an Indian restaurant just over the Moyka a short 10 minute walk.

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Day 2.

We were treated to a visit to Catherine’s Palace, the summer home of the Tsars, escorted by our Russian friend Irene and her mother. The palace is about a 30km drive south of the City, and has been fully restored following the partial demolition by German troops retreating from the failed size of Leningrad in WWII.

It is a stunning summer home with expansive grounds–and if you go as a Russian the entry fee is cheaper than that of a foreign tourist.

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Day 3.

We set out to explore some of the local area and dominant is the Admiralty complex, HQ of the Russian Navy,

The grounds are expansive, and as you round Palace square the mighty River Neva is in front and the Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum on your right, founded by Catherine the Great this is truly magnificent collection of over 3 million paintings, sculptures and world artefacts, most notable for some fine Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt works, this is an all day journey into the huge awe inspiring museum.

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Day 4.

There is so much to do and see in this City that you have to prioritise if you are to maximise your time. One of the must do visits is to Peter and Paul Fortress which is situated on the site of the original city founded in 1703. In order to reach the site you need to first cross the Palace bridge across the Neva, put up with the Russian peasants mis-handling chained bears for photo opportunities–we didn’t linger, then across a second bridge Birzhevoy–more bears, before taking a small bridge across to the small Hare island site sat in the Neva. The Peter and Paul Cathedral is within the fortress and final resting place of almost all of the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Nicholas II and his family who were laid to rest in July 1998, only Peter II and Ivan VI rest elsewhere. Leaving Hare island the weather turned for the worse and a memorable dash back to the hotel, crossing the Neva bridges with the full force of the wind channelled up the Gulf of Finland is not something you should consider–although it clears the bears and their handlers.

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Day 5.

Our final day took us to the famous Nevskiy Prospect shopping area, passing Kazan Cathedral on route and the more famous Saviour on the spilled blood across the street, next to the Russian Museum. As you walk down the street you will see plenty of shopping centres but the largest and most affordable is Galeria –don’t miss the changing rooms so you can leave you coats as the centres are all well heated.

Don’t miss the Eliseyev Emporium, on your way back and one of the oldest buildings on the street the Stroganov Palace.

That evening was one of culture no trip to St Petersburg would be complete without ballet, the Mariinsky theatre is not only booked out months in advance it also commands large entrance fees, so we went to its poorer cousin for the experience, the Mikhailovsky Theatre Established by Czar Nicholas I, a non profit renovated theatre presenting dance & opera performances, and then capped of with a meal afterward.

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We truly enjoyed our visit to St Petersburg, the culture, heritage & art are amazing not to mention spending time with family (Doug’s Dad has since deceased RIP)& friends. We have since visit Moscow which too was very interesting but it doesn’t beat St Petersburg! You can checkout our Moscow Blog here too!

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