15 things to do in St Petersburg

Stroll along historic canals and discover some of European Russia's most diverse architecture in its cultural centre 
1/13

St. Petersburg in Russia was recently named the best cultural destination in the world by the World Travel Awards.

To determine the winners of a number of categories – like cultural intrigue – thousands of travellers and people working in the industry voted to find the best in the world.

The city is steeped in Russian history, but it's only 300 years old. It was originally a small town under the control of the Swedish Empire, before Peter the Great took the area by force and transformed it into Russia's capital city.

Moscow was reinstated as the country's capital during the Bolshevik Revolution, but St Petersburg is still one of the best travel destinations both in Europe and the world.

Its ornate palaces and churches, and the rich history behind them, make it an ideal destination for travellers.

Here are 15 things you can do, see, eat and drink to immerse yourself in the local culture.

1. Visit the palatial Kazan Cathedral

The city's "mother cathedral" built was at the turn of the 19th century. It was turned into a museum during Communist rule, but services began again in 1992. Today it is one of the most important buildings in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Flickr/Larry Koester

2. Take in a play at the Alexandrinsky

The building is part the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre.

Flickr/thisisbossi

3. Visit spectacular churches

St Petersburg's churches are as grand as its cathedrals. The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood — built on the exact spot where Russian Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 — is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions.

4. St Petersburg's Tikhvin Cemetery.

Russia is famous for its authors and composers, and creative giants like Vladimir Nabokov, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky all lived in the city. You can pay your respects to Dostoevsky and many others at St Petersburg's Tikhvin Cemetery.

Flickr/Pascal Terjan

5. The Kunstakamera

Visit Russia's oldest and grandest museum, the Kunstakamera, on Vasilevskiy Island. Also known as the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology, it was founded in 1714 by Peter the Great in an effort to bring modern science to the country, and is famous for its strange collection of preserved body parts, animals and "two-headed foetuses."

6. The Mariinsky

The Mariinsky is one of the country's most famous theatres. It was built in 1860, and is still one of the best places to see a classical concert in Europe.

Flickr/Timo

7. Mariinski Ballet company

It's also the best place to watch a performance by the Mariinski Ballet company. The troupe of dancers tour the world every year, but you can still catch a show in their home town.

(Flickr/ )
Flickr/

8. Palace Square

Try ice skating at the Palace Square. The square is home to two of St Petersburg's most iconic buildings; the Imperial Army building and the Winter Palace.

Flickr/Alexander Savin

9. Nabokov's home

Even the city's most unassuming properties have fascinating stories behind them. An apartment block that was once home to "Lolita" author Vladimir Nabokov is now a literary museum.

10. White Nights Festival

If you're travelling in the summer, don't miss the annual White Nights Festival. Due to its northern geographical location, throughout June the city is almost always in daylight, as the sun never sets low enough to allow the sky to grow dark. The White Nights is an annual arts festival celebrating the season with musical performances, fireworks, and carnivals from May to July.

Flickr/Alex Drop

11. Field of Mars

Take a stroll through the perfectly manicured Field of Mars, a nine-hectare green space in the city centre.

Flickr/Adrien Sifre

12. Eliseyev Emporium

Buy (and eat) salmon caviar from the food hall at the Eliseyev Emporium, built in 1903.

Flickr/Reina Luck

13. Peterhof Palace's gardens

Watch out for the fountains in the Peterhof Palace's gardens. There are 64 different fountains within the gardens, including some which spray passers-by when they accidently step on the wrong stone.

Flickr/Leon Yaakov

14. Aurora

Learn all about Russia's military history at this museum inside the Aurora — a military ship built in 1900 sitting on the river Neva.

Flickr/Dennis Jarvis

15. Visit the Caviar Bar in St Petersburg's Grand Hotel Europe

Finally, unwind with a drink at the Caviar Bar in St Petersburg's Grand Hotel Europe. There are more than 30 different kinds of vodka available at the bar, and it claims to be the home of Russia's only professional vodka sommelier.

Read more from Business Insider UK

Read the original article on Business Insider UK© 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in