Destination: St Petersburg - a cultural feast

St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great inand the Classical yellow and white former General
1703. The designated capital of Imperial Russia fromStaff buildings of the Russian army on the other. The
1712 to 1914 and has remained the countrys culturalmain point of the square is the Alexander Column, a tall
capital. It is Russia's second largest city and themonolith of red granite topped by a cross and the
country's principal seaport.statue of an angel, dedicated to the Russian military
It is often referred to as the Venice of the North or thevictory in the Napoleonic wars. Palace Square has
Paris of the East. The city centre is set on the southbeen the site of numerous political protests, most
bank of the Neva river.notably the demonstrations of Bloody Sunday in 1905
Modern St Petersburg has no shortage of restaurants,that started the first Russian Revolution. Today the
and plenty of variety. Aside from traditional Russiansquare, with the views of the Admiralty's golden spire
restaurants, Chinese and Japanese cuisine is popular,and the dome of St Isaac's Cathedral from across the
with sushi a recent craze.vast stone paving, is filled with markets, outdoor cafes
St Petersburg has a vibrant, varied nightlife rangingand the sound of horse-drawn carriages.
from opera and ballet to nightclubs, rock concerts, jazzThe Bronze Horseman, on Senatskaia Ploschad
clubs, and acid house raves. How ever, the scene isSquare, facing the Neva River and surrounded by the
constantly changing with new venues opening and oldAdmiralty, St Isaac's Cathedral. The monument was
ones closing. Most of the decent night life is in the citybuilt by order of the Empress Catherine the Great as
centre.a tribute to her famous predecessor on the Russian
The local currency is the ruble. The market near thethrone, Peter the Great. According to a 19th century
Spilled Blood Cathedral offers every thing fromlegend, enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg
matrioshka dolls to hand-painted lacquer boxes in awhile the Bronze Horseman stands in the middle of the
wide range of quality and prices.city. During the Second World War the statue was not
The main square of St Petersburg is one of thetaken down, but was protected with sand bags and a
world's most magnificent plazas. Palace Squarewooden shelter.
contains the picturesque Baroque buildings of theYou can book a flight to St Petersburg with fly.co.
Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum on one side