Snowy Sightseeing in St. Petersburg

After ringing in 2010 here in Moscow, we headed by overnight train for a winter getaway in St Petersburg. On the journey to St Petersburg we took the ‘Grand Express’ train, which included all the amenities – towel, toothbrush and TV. On our return journey however we took the ‘Smena’ train, whose service was rather sparse. Remember, for any would-be-Russian train riders, not all trains are created equal. A general rule is the higher the number of the train the better the service.

Up arrival in St Petersburg, we had an Irony of Fate moment in the train station. Where we felt like we hadn’t left Moscow because the train stations were identical in design and looked exactly the same as in the 1975 movie.

Day one in St Petersburg began with the long (and cold) walk down Nevsky Prospekt. This the main street in the centre of the city. All the other arterial roads    seem quite insignificant and empty compared the hustle and bustle of Nevsky Prospekt. One of the first things you notice the well-organised layout of the center and the conformity of the architecture. It makes a beautiful first impression.

After walking around for a bit, we visited the Naval museum – in part out of interest and in part to warm up! While there was almost no information in English, the low cost was worth seeing all of Russia’s naval history from the 17th century to the present. It had many models, paintings and displays that can be of interest even to the non-Russian speaking tourist.

In the evening we visited one of the many churches in St. Petersburg, St Isaac’s Cathedral. This church also has a colonnade, from which you can see the skyline of St Petersburg. Each has separate entrance fees, but paying the extra to see the view is worth it.

However, a word on prices at many St Petersburg attractions, there are often two prices one for foreigners and one for Russian citizens. While on the one hand, this is understandable given the disparity between earnings of your average Russian citizen and tourists from Europe or North America. On the other hand, foreigners are paying more for less. At many attractions, very little information is available in English or any other foreign language.

Day two began at Peter and Paul Fortress on the north side of the Neva River. Here you can pay to see yet another church and various other buildings with exhibits. Instead we opted to walk around the grounds (free) and pay a separate fee to see the view from the wall of the fortress. After this we had fun playing in the snow drifts, walking on the ice of the Neva River and watching men ice-fishing.

Then we headed to St. Basil Cathedral’s twin – Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. The exterior was very similar and was created after St Basil’s as an imitation. However the entry fee here is about three times as much as St Basil’s. After wandering through the adjacent Mikhailovsky Gardens for a while, we succumbed to the humid and penetrating cold of St Petersburg and headed back to our hostel for a late lunch.

We set-off on an evening adventure to find the Vodka museum, but our search was fruitless. Since the publication of my guidebook the museum has moved. Apparently now it is located inside a restaurant, but on the exterior of the restaurant it made no mention of the museum.

Part two of my St. Petersburg trip, featuring the Hermitage, Russian art and more churches, coming soon!