|
St. Petersburg Holidays, Hotels & Travel Guide
Travel guide to hotels & holidays in St. Petersburg
- St. Petersburg Holiday Package Deals
|
!
Search & Compare Discount on St. Petersburg Hotels or Holidays
|
St. Petersburg Holidays Overview
A guide to holidays in St. Petersburg - Situated on the Gulf of Finland and spread over
numerous islands in the Neva Delta, St Petersburg is a city of
arched bridges, winding canals, wide boulevards, elegant palaces,
impressive squares and ornate churches, and as such is often
referred to as the 'Venice of the North'. It has an elegance also
reminiscent of cities like Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, but is at
the same time too Russian to be European, and beguiles with a charm
of its own.
It is the country's most beloved and
beautiful city, founded by Peter the Great in 1703. It became the
original capital of Tsarist Russia, and the greatest artists,
sculptors and architects worked together to create the city's
unique look. Rich aristocratic palaces and government buildings
line the streets, along with majestic cathedrals and elaborate
churches, from the golden spires of St Peter and Paul Cathedral,
the magnificent gleaming dome and grand colonnaded façade of St
Isaac's, to the colourful multi-domed Church of the
Resurrection. Although the Russian capital moved
to Moscow after the Revolution, the city remains the principal
artistic and cultural centre of the country. St Petersburg is the
birthplace of Russian ballet and performances by the Kirov Ballet,
rivalling the Bolshoi ballet in Moscow, are shown in the historic
Mariinsky Theatre. The magnificent green and white Winter Palace
forms part of the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's greatest art
galleries, and the city's foremost attraction.
With its romantic waterways and decorative tsarist
architecture, St Petersburg is also the perfect setting for the
famous 'White Nights', and the summer months of June and July are
crowded with visitors who come to experience the dreamy twilight
that takes the place of night, an occurrence due to its northerly
latitude when the sun never dips far enough below the horizon to
create total darkness, along with music festivals and cultural
events.
Advertisment: Search for a Holiday deal.
There are options for all St. Petersburg holidays, hotels,
St. Petersburg Flights and other deals with the
multi-search
booking engine.
St. Petersburg
holidays - Top Places To Go
1. The Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum
Dvortsovaya Square
www.hermitagemuseum.org |
What is it? The magnificent green, white and gold Winter
Palace is superbly situated on the banks of the Neva River, a 656
ft-long (200m) Russian Baroque building that is the biggest and
most lavishly decorated palace in the city. The palace was the
official residence of the tsars, and Catherine the Great later
added the Small and Large Hermitages onto the palace as a sanctuary
for herself and her private art collection. The Hermitage Museum
comprises a stately complex of buildings strung along the
embankment, with the Winter Palace at its heart. The Hermitage
Museum is one of the world's greatest art museums that has grown
from a small collection of paintings started by Catherine the Great
in 1764, to a massive display of over three million exhibits,
housed within the sumptuous splendour of one of the most luxurious
palaces worldwide. The three floors cover a full range of world art
from ancient times, to Russian works and 20th century Europe, and a
fabulous collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist
paintings, set against the rich interior of white marble
staircases, golden ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and elaborate
mosaics. Of the highlights, the lavish State Rooms, the Golden
Rooms, containing a spectacular collection of royal jewels, gold
and silver, and the modern European art section are the most
popular.
Hours of Operation: Daily except Mondays from 10.30am to
6pm
Phone:(812) 710 9625 |
2. Palace Square
Dvortsovaya Ploshchad (Palace Square)
|
What is it? The main square of St Petersburg and one of
the world's most magnificent plazas, Palace Square contains the
picturesque Baroque buildings of the Winter Palace and Hermitage
Museum on one side and the Classical yellow and white former
General Staff buildings of the Russian army on the other. The focal
point of the square is the Alexander Column, a tall monolith of red
granite topped by the statue of an angel and a cross, dedicated to
Russian military victory in the Napoleonic wars. Palace Square has
been the site of numerous political protests, most notably the
demonstrations of Bloody Sunday in 1905 that started the first
Russian Revolution. Today the square, with its beautiful views of
the Admiralty's golden spire and the dome of St Isaac's Cathedral
from across the vast stone paving, is filled with markets, outdoor
cafes and the sound of horse-drawn
carriages.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
3. Nevsky Prospekt
www.nevsky-prospekt.com |
What is it? Almost three miles (five km) long, Nevsky
Prospekt is one of the best-known streets in Russia and is the main
thoroughfare of St Petersburg, starting at the Admiralty whose
gilded spire is a famous city landmark, to the Moscow Railway
Station and then to the Alexandr Nevsky Monastery where some of the
country's most celebrated artistic figures are buried. It has been
the hub of the city for centuries, cutting through the most
historical part, and home to the most important sights in the city.
Intersected by rivers and canals, the most beautiful part of the
avenue surrounds the Griboedova Canal. Here the impressive
colonnade of the grand Kazan Cathedral catches the eye, curving
around a small grassy square, and opposite the view along the canal
towards the multi-coloured onion domes of the Church of Our Saviour
on the Spilled Blood (officially called the Resurrection of Christ
Church) is breathtaking. Modelled on St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow
and adorned with exquisite mosaic panels the church is one of St
Petersburg's most striking landmarks, built on the site of the
assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1881. As well as many
churches the street boasts St Petersburg's finest shops and
restaurants, old manors and impressive buildings, and a beautiful
mixture of architectural styles from the different periods of its
history.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
St. Petersburg
holidays - Top Events
1. Stars of the White Nights Festival
From 2007-05-01
To 2007-05-31
|
What is it? This festival of performing arts is the
essence of the Mariinsky theatre's artistic achievements, home of
the celebrated Kirov Opera and Ballet, and is a must for ballet,
opera and classical music lovers. The annual White Nights Festival
derives its name from the short summer season when the sun never
sets, and the beauty of these white nights contributes to the
festival's special atmosphere and its world-class programme of
concerts, as audiences exit the historic theatre at midnight into
daylight to stroll home through the theatrical setting of St
Petersburg. The festival presents the company's most exceptional
productions with performances by leading Russian and international
artists, and combines famous historical productions along with new
premieres and contemporary pieces.
Where is it? Mariinsky Theatre and Philharmonic Hall |
|
