St Petersburg Санкт-Петербург
The sky was so bright and starry that when you looked at it the first question that came into your head was whether it was really possible that all sorts of bad-tempered and unstable people could live under such a glorious sky. - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Introducing St Petersburg
It seemed like a lark. When Peter the Great built this city on a swamp, his subjects humoured the Emperor. When he declared it to be the new capital, they were less amused. But history has shown that the forward-thinking, westward-looking tsar was acting on inspiration. Gradually, St Petersburg transitioned from a swampy backwater to a modern European city, Russia's `window to the west'. Read more...
Best of St Petersburg
Best bar The Other Side
Best book Crime & Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Best band Leningrad (Shnur)
Best symphony Leningrad (Shostakovich)
Best Saturday Pushkinskaya 10
Ice Khaus
The mood of the crowd on the banks of the Neva River was jovial, despite the freezing temperatures. Reminiscent of previous times, St. Petersburg residents had donned their furry hats and heavy coats to stand in line – but this time, they waited not for bread, but for art. Frozen art. Read more...
Mara Vorhees is a writer and photographer who blogs about food, music and adventure around the world.She has written guidebooks about Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Morocco, New England and Russia for Lonely Planet. Click here to read more about Mara.
Tri Training
Physical fitness is not exactly a priority in Russia, where beer is considered a breakfast drink and a pint of sour cream sits atop every entrée. Exercise is exclusively reserved for sportsmen and soldiers. Not women. Somebody running on the street is invariably trying to catch a bus. Read more...
