Advantages: so much to see and do, fabulous architecture, the Hermitage, boat tours round the city Disadvantages: need to purify your water - apart from that, NONE!
...Senate Square
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Between St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Neva lies Senate square, (formerly Decembrists' Square – yes, yet another name change!), and this is where the famous bronze horseman statue is to be found. The statue was commissioned by Catherine the Great in honour of Peter the Great, and apparently, the piece of granite upon which the statue rests was a favourite of Peter the Great (though how anyone can a favourite piece ... ...to have called this piece of granite ‘thunder’ and used it as a platform to observe his surroundings. This monument was also a main character in Pushkin's mini-epic about this city, The Bronze Horseman. Extra advice for when visiting the museums:
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Any bag larger than a ladies' handbag must be checked at the cloakroom – they are incredibly strict about this rule. So don’t leave anything valuable ...
weebagpuss 29.04.2001 (04.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of St. Petersburg (Russia)
...Lycee), Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church of the Spilt Blood, Nevsky Prospect (worth walking down and checking out some of the shops – slowly being taken over by Western big names… and Macdonald’s). There are hundreds of museums, as well as theatres and lovely little cafes, especially away from the tourist centres - buy yourself a city guide, and try some of the little restaurants (e.g. "U tyoscha na blinah" on Zagorodni Prospect), ... ...e.g. Propaganda on Fontanka). Some of the smaller cafes on Nevsky stay open until the early hours of the morning.
TRAVEL
Well, the metro, as I mentioned before, then there are loads of trams and buses which go almost everywhere – get a map and have a look! From the train stations you can get almost anywhere in the local countryside. Travel to Novgorod and have a look at the river and hundreds of churches… or don’t.
GENERAL
General advice: don't ...
Cheesefather 23.12.2000 (18.06.2003)
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My first point to stress would be to NOT, and I repeat NOT, enter the country by train. I made this mistake coming from Estonia. The border guards took about one and a half hours to thoroughly search the train at 3am, and I was, not to put too fine a point on it, terrified.
Either cruise or fly in.
But once you're there, it's a fantastic city. The beauty is unsurpassed. It reminds you that there are some things in the world that hold the power ... ...I must have spent, perhaps, 2 full days wandering around this art collection from heaven. Every hour or so, I would think that I had exhausted that floor, or wing, and then I would round a corner to discover a whole room full of Picassos, for example - completely hidden. It was a treasure hunt paradise. All this, in an astonishingly huge and ornate building.
The Winter Palace is located on the Nevsky Prospekt, essentially the high street of St Petersburg. ...
seizer 13.11.2000
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This is my favourite city. This city has many faces - it can be smiling, angry, friendly or just tired of life. It's mysterious and cast a spell over people who visit it. This city is full of culture: there is lots of museums, theatres, exibitions and galleries. The architecture is great, you can walk around the streets for hours and just enjoy the nice views, beautiful buildings and palaces. Inhabitants of this city are friendly and open. The night ...
anatu2001 04.11.2000
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Advantages: A different and unforgettable break Disadvantages: Only missing the comforts of home
...The main street in St. Petersburg - Nevskii Prospect - hosts a number of american outlets, and there is at least one McDonalds in the city. As far as travel goes, the cheapest options are the trams, buses and underground. Beware, however, that the former tend to be very ovrcrowded and I have known buses in particular to break down. The underground is perhaps the easiest - and most possibly cheapest and fastet - mode of transport. Finally as far as ...
rachelja 30.08.2000
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