Saint Petersburg
Cultural center of Imperial Russia
St. Petersburg founded 1703 by Peter the Great and soon became the most opulent of all cities. It was known as the “Venice of the North”. Temporarily the city's name was changed to Petrograd from 1914-1924 and to Leningrad from 1924-1991.
The second largest of the Russian cities with a population of over 5 million today has an almost unlimited list of attractions to visit. The three most visited sites are the Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace, Peter the Great’s Grand Palace in Peterhof and Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) with its Amber room.
Also do not miss a performance at the Mariinsky Theater named in honour of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II. The theatre was extended by Valery Gergiev with a Concert Hall in 2006 and the “Mariinsky 2”, the world’s most expensive (EUR 534 Million) theatre construction, opened by President Wladimir Putin in May 2013.
Best time to visit St. Petersburg is during the White Nights, the last 10 days of June. The city is very crowded then and lines in the museums and restaurants are long. November to March there are hardly any tourists and the city is beautiful covered with snow.
Remark
St. Petersburg with its excellent hotels, restaurant and nightlife ranks among the top cities of the world.