Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. Once the capital of Russia, it still remains a major city that attracts millions of tourists yearly. Besides being the home to Russia’s Imperial families, it was and still is a center of art and culture; known for its world renowned ballets and classical concerts. This historic city feels like it has been frozen in time with its baroque and neoclassical palaces lining its canals. I was in Saint Petersburg for only four days, and it was definitely not enough time to fully explore the city but I tried to cram in as much as I could. I have narrowed down my top three must-sees in this post.
1. The Winter Palace
The Winter Palace is not to be missed, it is a part of The State Hermitage Museum along with the Small Hermitage, Great Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre. It houses the grandest collection of Russian art in the world. Katherine the Great started the collection and Nicolas I opened it to the public for the first time. The Winter Palace is massive, it contains over 3 million items, most of which are not on display.. only a portion are actually exhibited in its 360 rooms. Because the Palace is huge, it’s very easy to get lost (I ended up getting lost and wandering around in circles for an hour) I advise you guys to get a map. Also, if you are limited on time choose the exhibits you are the most interested in seeing. I made the mistake of thinking that I can see it all in a day which was impossible. An employee at the Palace actually told me that on average it takes 4 days to see everything in the building.
2. Fabergé Museum
This museum might not be the most popular in Saint Petersburg, but I think that it’s underrated. I found it to be beautiful and interesting. The museum has 4,000 exhibits and houses the largest collection of Fabergé eggs in the world. It consists of 12 rooms, my favorite was the first room which had the 9 imperial Easter eggs. The one hour audio tour is enough to see everything. I recommend this museum for those who are short on time but want to see some of Russia’s greatest treasures.
3. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
This church got its name because it was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded. It was built in the late 1800’s and was funded by the Imperial family. The Cathedral is majestic both inside and out. It is covered in 7500 square meters of mosaics, more than any other church in the world. The five multi colored onion domes can be seen from the Nevsky Prospekt. It lies right on the Griboedov Canal. I suggest going there as soon as it opens (10:30 a.m.) to avoid the crowds.
