15 things to see, do, eat, and drink in St Petersburg, the world's best city for culture in 2016
Visit the palatial Kazan Cathedral — the city's "mother cathedral" built 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.
Take in a play at the Alexandrinsky. The building is part the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Even the city's most unassuming properties have fascinating stories behind them. This apartment block was once home to "Lolita" author Vladimir Nabokov, and is now a literary museum.
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.
Take a stroll through the perfectly manicured Field of Mars, a nine-hectare green space in the city centre.
Buy (and eat) salmon caviar from the food hall at the Eliseyev Emporium, built in 1903.
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.
Learn all about Russia's military history at this museum inside the Aurora — a military ship built in 1900 sitting on the river Neva.
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.
Popular Right Now
Advertisement