Travel bucket list idea:
St Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
|St. Petersburg’s history is also that of the Romanovs, the dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917. For two centuries these lavish and colourful rulers left their indelible imprint on the city and its environs, beginning in 1613 with Peter the Great. His yearning for access to the Baltic Sea determined the city’s strategic location at the mouth of the Neva River, and it was his fascination with Western Europe which gave the city its look and feel.
Peter’s daughter Elizabeth took a city made of stone and gilded it with gold. This expansive empress, famous for her 5,000 dresses, many lovers, and frequent bouts of religious guilt, commissioned Italian Bartolomeo Rastrelli to design some city’s most iconic Baroque buildings, including the Hermitage, Smolny Cathedral, Peterhof, and the Catherine Palace.
Catherine, Elizabeth’s successor, and those that came after her, maintained the city’s place at the forefront of trade, creating a glittering social scene and cultural hub, until the downfall of Nicolas II at the hands of the Russian revolution in 1917.
St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia
Celebrating the city’s founder, Tsar Peter the Great, this impressive equestrian statue is one of the city’s most loved, and was opened to the public in 1782.
Best for ages 13+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
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One of the city’s only traditional Russian churches, built on the spot of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II 1881, it is also the most beautiful, with jaw-dropping gold-leaf interiors.
Adult price: £5
Best for ages 14+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
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A summer palace that’s a showcase for the grandeur of Imperial Russia, and a fascinating insight into the gilded lives of the Tsars.
Adult price: £10
Best for ages 13+
St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia
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Discover the art of Peter Carl Faberge, creator of the Imperial Easter Eggs, in the museum dedicated to his craft.
Adult price: £5
Best for ages 8+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
Part of the Russian Museum complex, the museum features a monumental statue to Alexander III and has a permanent exhibition of works by foreign artists who visited Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Best for ages 18+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
This museum dedicated to Russia’s political history is housed in the exquisite art nouveau mansion gifted by Nicholas II to his mistress, a prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre.
Adult price: £6
Best for ages 18+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
The stunning neoclassical palace, surrounded by pristine English gardens, was built for Tsar Paul I by his mother, Catherine the Great. The newest of the Tsar’s palaces, it was built in the late 18th century.
Adult price: £6
Best for ages 18+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
The burial place of Russia’s Romanov tsars from Peter the Great to Nicholas II, the Cathedral was the first landmark to be built in the city, and is thus the oldest – dating back to 1733.
Adult price: £7
Best for ages 18+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
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Revel in the expansive grandeur of Imperial Russia at Peterhof, a staggering complex of palaces, gardens and follies, half an hour from central St. Petersburg.
Adult price: £6
Best for ages 13+
St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia
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An exquisite Baroque cathedral designed by St. Petersburg’s favourite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
Adult price: £3
Best for ages 18+
St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia
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Vast complex housing a jaw-dropping collection of Egyptian antiquities, European Renaissance Art, treasure galleries and Russian military history. Second largest art museum in the world.
Adult price: £5
Best for ages 13+
St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia
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The extraordinary summer retreat of the Russian tsars, home to exquisitely restored Baroque palaces and formal gardens, including the Catherine Palace.
Adult price: £6
Best for ages 18+
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Northwestern Region, Russia
On the shores of the Baltic, Russia’s dazzling cultural capital – and former home of its lavish Tsars – is a treasure trove of art, music, literature, and history. Home to one of the world’s greatest museums, the State Hermitage.
