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 |  | Travel Reviews : St Petersburg |
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| | | | Not so silent nights in St Petersburg
For the Christmas Holidays I went to St. Petersburg, together with a friend, writes Teletext Holidays viewer Cornelia Dean, of Leek, Staffordshire.
We travelled with Saga holidays. We started out from Manchester Airport with a delay of about an hour, which in turn led us to miss our connection flight in Frankfurt. No matter, the ground staff in Frankfurt showed us into a very comfortable lounge and plied us with coffee, tea and other beverages until the time came for us to board our flight to St Petersburg.
We arrived very late, around 12.30 am local time. Nevertheless, the hotel restaurant staff served us a special prepared meal fit for a king. Our rooms were large, beautifully furnished and clean. I noticed all kind of goodies, laid out on a small table and every night when the staff came to turn down the bed, a chocolate sat on the bedside table. Such a lovely little gesture.
Our visit to the Hermitage (previously the Winter Palace) was a revelation, full of richness and beauty. Beautiful paintings adorned all the ceilings, doors and walls. Most floors had inlaid wood of many colours. I was mesmerised at the beauty and artwork of the Faberge eggs.
The amber room, too, is something to remember forever. Different colour amber pieces cover the walls from floor to ceiling.
Our visit to the St Peter and St Paul Cathedral is engraved into my memory.
The sun shone on Christmas day and a visit to Catherine's Palace and Park for a sleigh ride was on the agenda. Everywhere looked fresh and glistening in the sunshine. However, even with only a little wind, it was bitterly cold.
With three horses in front of every sleigh, we were soon on our way, through the woods. Just like in the film Dr Zhivago with all the trees covered in snow, it truly was a treat not to miss.
On our return, a large table set out baring a giant steaming urn with coffee, very hot pies, (delicious), and for every one a tot of the vodka.
An enticing Prospekt
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| | | | The likely Ladas
Our next treat was a visit to the ballet where we saw Don Quixote. To our amazement, most people walked out as soon as the curtain fell after the first act. All returned when the bell rang and sat in different seats. After two more intervals - each time with different neighbours - suddenly more people entered, standing all against the walls. Presumably, they came in free of charge. However, the performance was outstanding.
You have to visit St Petersburg to believe the traffic chaos. With five million people in one city and most now owning a car, often old or very old Ladas, the traffic is slow, to say the least. Others, without a car, use the Metro. Thousands of people stream on daily basis down the stairs of the Metro, on their way to work.
Many people still live in the tenements, sharing a kitchen with five or six families. Those buildings look cheerless and drab.
One old woman, sweeping snow, held up three fingers and said, "roubles", she then offered me the shovel to clear my path. I declined, but offered her the roubles.
All the people working in the palaces and musea seem very proud of their heritage. Each offered help and advice.
Distrust still lives on in the older people, but the younger generation live with a lighter heart. The children I met in various palaces, where they were on school visits, are very well behaved and polite, dressed nicely and warm.
St Petersburg is truly a city of contrasts. The impression it made on me will last a lifetime.
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| | Destination Guide : St Petersburg |
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| | | Russia's most attractive city? |  | Why go on holiday to St Petersburg?
Arguably Russia's most attractive city, St Petersburg is often dubbed the Venice of the north. Visitors can admire the palace-lined waterways and grandiose architectural relics of the tsarist era.
How much does it cost?
Direct flights with British Airways, taking three hours and 15 minutes from London Heathrow, start from £300, or even less on Russian airline Aeroflot. Bargains can be found if you choose connecting flights via other European cities. Hotel prices range from £250 per night for a double room in the 300-year-old Eliseev Palace Hotel, to £170 per night for a double room in the historic city centre five-star Radisson SAS, to £16 for a small room in the family-run Hotel Vilma.
When should I go?
St Petersburg is a year-round destination with long days in summer and long nights in winter. Its climate can be milder than its northerly latitude would suggest. January temperatures average -8°C (17°F) but temperatures can plummet as low as -15°C (5°F) and it can get extremely blustery so pack some thermal underwear and a warm hat and coat. Summer is pleasant but seldom baking hot and snowfall isn't uncommon in late April. Between June and August temperatures reach 20°C (68°F) but if it's a suntan you're after, you've come to the wrong place.
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| | | Dance the night away |  | What should I do when I'm there?
Soak up the culture. First stop should be the city's Champs Elysees, the famous Nevsky Prospekt; essentially a boulevard of Russia's rich and famous through the ages with former residents including Gogol, Tchaikovsky, Turgenev and Dostoevsky. A morning's stroll will take in the statue of Catherine the Great, Stroganov Palace, the Communist Party's former district headquarters the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace and the statuesque Gostiny Dvor department store.
What museums are must-sees?
Apart from the unmissable Hermitage Museum — see below — the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts is a treasure trove of breathtaking artefacts from medieval handcrafted furniture to rare Russian tiled stoves. And don't miss the Kremlin-style Terem Room.
What's the heart of the city?
Palace Square, for 200 years the centre of the Russian Empire. Lined with elegantly colourful edifices and dotted with monuments celebrating Russia's victory over Napoleon, it witnessed Bloody Sunday in 1905, the Bolsheviks' grab for power in 1917 and all-night vigils for democracy in 1991. At the heart of the square is the white and gold rococo fantasy of the Winter Palace, the largest part of the world famous State Hermitage Museum and home to a formidable collection of jewels and art treasures.
What else should I see?
Take a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the oldest building in the city, constructed in 1703 under the watchful eye of Peter the Great, the founding visionary behind the city. Among the famous names incarcerated in its cells were Gorky, Trotsky and Lenin's older brother Alexander Ulyanov.
Other attractions to put on your itinerary include the Russian Museum, St Isaac's Cathedral, the Versailles-like Summer Garden and Vasilevsky Island in the mouth of the river Neva with its Sigmund Freud Museum of Dreams.
What are the main festivals?
Celebrations peak during the last 10 days of June when night never falls. Locals often stay out all night rejoicing in the White Nights Dance Festival with events from folk dancing to ballet. Also popular is the Winter Festival from December 25 to January 5 and the Goodbye Russian Winter Festival from late February to early March with troika (horse-drawn sleigh) rides, folk shows and performing bears. Other dates on the St Petersburg cultural calendar are the Music Spring in April or May and the November international jazz festival Osenie Ritmy.
What's off the beaten track?
To see how St Petersburg's elite escape the urban buzz, visit the beautifully sedate Kirovsky Islands. History buffs should head 9km south of the city to see the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad, a bronze homage to the pivotal Second World War blockade of Leningrad (as the city was known then). To experience Peter the Great's most ostentatious fantasies see the Petrodvorets gardened palaces 30km west of St Petersburg.
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| | | Soak up the culture | | Where's good for nightlife?
For a cultural night out, St Petersburg is impossible to beat in Russia. Top draw for drama is the Maly Theatre; for ballet and opera book early for the Mariinsky Theatre (home to the famous Kirov Ballet). The city has also got a thriving club and live music scene with dozens of jazz bars and smaller performance venues. Current hot spot is the laid-back Griboyedov.
What's the food like?
There's a decent choice of places to eat in St Petersburg from authentic Caucasian and Georgian restaurants to carefully designed Russian restaurants to trendy chill-out cafes and budget fast-food outlets. A Russian speciality is blini, tasty pancakes usually served with a home-made jam or cottage cheese filling. Expect to pay about £8 to £11 per person in a decent restaurant and just £2.75 to £5.50 in a budget place. Many restaurants also operate 24 hours a day.
What should I buy?
St Petersburg has a growing number of stores offering a variety of goods and services including everything from hand-made arts, crafts, and souvenirs to fresh fruit and vegetables. Shopping along the city's festive main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospekt, makes you feel more like a native Piterbyrzhets (Petersburger), and offers the best variety of stores in the city. Bolshoi Prospekt on Vasilyevsky Island also offers a comparatively good selection of stores.
What is there for children to do?
Kids probably won't want to sit though an adult ballet or opera but they'll love the vast choice of puppet shows available. The Bolshoi and the Demmeni Marionette are the leading two. Circus is also huge in St Petersburg with the St Petersburg State Circus is among the most celebrated in Russia.
Tourist office
There is no official tourist office in the UK. You should be able to get information from the Russian Travel Centre on 020 7224 4678.
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| | Fact File : St Petersburg |
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| | | St Petersburg | | Did you know?
The average Russian drinks more than 12 litres of pure alcohol a year. In the form of beer, wine or spirits — especially vodka — of course.
Language
Russian.
Visas
All visitors need visas. To get one you must first confirm accommodation for every night you are staying in Russia. You will need to hand over your passport and visa so it can be registered.
Getting there
St Petersburg airport. Once there, it's best to travel by rail, as domestic flights are unregulated and have the world's worst safety record.
Flying time from London
Three hours 15 minutes.
Getting around
Driving can be a bureaucratic nightmare. You need a certified Russian translation of your driving licence from the embassy in London. River transport is great, with main services between Moscow and St Petersburg, along the Volga.
Currency
Rouble.
Costs
Prices vary but as a guide: roll of camera film £1; 500ml bottle of beer 25p; moderate local restaurant meal £3; tourist restaurant £20; four-mile taxi ride £4; litre of petrol 20p.
Weather
July and August are the warmest months and the main holiday season, but the dampest. To avoid the crowds and the rain try May-June or September-October. Winter is bitter but there's always vodka to warm you up. Spring is slushy and muddy.
Time difference
Three hours ahead of the UK.
International dialling code from the UK
00 7.
Voltage
220v, 50Hz.
Opening hours
Most shops open Monday to Saturday, with food stores hours 8am-8pm with an early-afternoon break (pereryv) of an hour, other shops 10/11am-7/8pm with a 2-3pm break. Department stores open 8am-8pm, and cities have 24-hour kiosks. Banks open 9am-noon Monday to Friday, and 1-6pm in major cities.
Health — before you go
Make sure you are immunised against tetanus and diphtheria, and take out travel insurance.
Health — when you are there
In certain cities, like St Petersburg, the water is definitely not safe to drink. Use bottled water if you are at all unsure. Avoid cheap vodka, and if you are eating street food make sure it is hot and well cooked.
Warnings
Street crime against foreigners is a problem in Russia's major cities. Muggers favour underground metro areas, overnight trains, stations, airports, markets and tourist attractions, and have been known to break into locked and occupied hotel rooms.
Emergency
Police, Tel 02. British Embassy, Sofiyskaya Naberezhnaya 14, Moscow, Tel 956 7400.
Customs
If you are invited into a Russian home it's seen as rude if you turn down any food offered.
Pets
Not advisable as quarantine rules apply.
Tipping
Very few places in Russia expect you to tip. Top hotels add between five and 15% on bills.
Tourist office
There is no official tourist office in the UK. You should be able to get information from the Russian Travel Centre on 020 7224 4678.
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