Page 7 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - St. Petersburg

Top 10 St Petersburg ❮❮ 5

Welcome to
St Petersburg

Packed with magnificent palaces, Russia’s second city
exudes the irresistible splendour of its imperial past. World-
class restaurants, a vibrant nightlife, cutting-edge modern
art galleries and some of the world’s most spectacular
museums are among its many attractions. With Eyewitness
Top 10 St Petersburg, it’s yours to explore.

Aptly known as the “Venice of the North”, St Petersburg is a city
of canals, bridges, plazas and narrow passageways. It is best
explored by boat or on foot, despite it having one of the deepest
metro systems in the world. The city centre’s fine Baroque and
Neo-Classical buildings are remarkably well preserved, and its
cathedrals and churches are stunning. Peter the Great’s splendid
summer residence at Peterhof is a short boat ride away and the
sumptuous Romanov palaces of Tsarskoe Selo and Pavlovsk lie
just beyond the city limits.

Though renowned for fine Russian restaurants serving traditional
dishes in palatial surroundings, you’ll find the city’s broad choice of
eateries includes raw vegan cafés, steakhouses and innovative
fusion cuisine. Exhibitions and performances are held throughout
the year, but St Petersburg’s cultural peak occurs during the brief
weeks of the White Nights, when the sun barely sets and thousands
of tourists join exuberant locals for back-to-back festivals and events.

Whether you’re coming for a weekend or a week, our Top 10 guide
describes the best of everything that St Petersburg has to offer,
from the Hermitage’s highlights, to the scattered palaces of the
Romanov dynasty. There are tips throughout, from seeking out the
best restaurants to finding out what’s free, plus eight easy-to-follow
itineraries designed to tie together a clutch of sights in a short
space of time. Add inspiring photography and detailed maps, and
you’ve got the essential pocket-sized travel companion. Enjoy the
book, and enjoy St Petersburg.

Clockwise from top: Church on Spilled Blood and the Russian Museum; Catherine Palace,
Tsarskoe Selo; columns of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan; the Main Staircase at the
Winter Palace; matryoshki (nesting dolls); a city canal; Cameron Gallery, Tsarskoe Selo

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