St Petersburg...
Discussion
I have to visit every January - snow is certainly guaranteed then! There's a fairly recent post about SPB if you care to search.
It's a beautiful city, lots to see and do - I strongly recommending getting a local guide. Luckily the girls at work are very keen to show us westerners around!
It's a huge city, fairly sprawled and low-rise. Traffic is an utter abomination.
You will need a visa (unless you arrive on a cruise ship).
It's a beautiful city, lots to see and do - I strongly recommending getting a local guide. Luckily the girls at work are very keen to show us westerners around!
It's a huge city, fairly sprawled and low-rise. Traffic is an utter abomination.
You will need a visa (unless you arrive on a cruise ship).
Edited by Puggit on Monday 19th November 20:36
i went a few years ago in march, from helsinki when i lived there.
stayed on nevsky prospect, nice hotel, it was great fun, worth getting the hotel to arrange a guide orobably (if you are unfamiliar with Russia) .
obviously the hermitage is ace,
weather when I went was cold (-20 ish) and sunny - brilliant but I was used to it from finland.
pavements were lethal (5cm thick layer of ice). icicles falling off buildings also lethal if you're under them.
spent 3 or 4 days there and mostly wandered up and down nevsky prospect and went round the museums/churches.
stayed on nevsky prospect, nice hotel, it was great fun, worth getting the hotel to arrange a guide orobably (if you are unfamiliar with Russia) .
obviously the hermitage is ace,
weather when I went was cold (-20 ish) and sunny - brilliant but I was used to it from finland.
pavements were lethal (5cm thick layer of ice). icicles falling off buildings also lethal if you're under them.
spent 3 or 4 days there and mostly wandered up and down nevsky prospect and went round the museums/churches.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 19th November 20:29
Despite it being my 3rd visit, I finally got around to some sightseeing last week. I'm a cultural desert, but the Hermitage was outstanding. And only 400 rubles (my guide got in for 200 rubles as she presented her Russian passport). Rooms full of each of your favourite artists - and many, many celebrating the various defeats of the French. Luckily my guide (a girl from the office) was so well educated that she could tell me an awful lot about the more interesting things. Having spent so much time with Katya, it's clear just how far the UK education system has fallen (and I went to a 'posh' school).
The Sunday we were touring was coincidently "Last German killed day" - I believe a reference to Stalingrad. There were bands, military and music and free food in the square below.
Square outside Hermitage, sorry it was too cold to get it right! Same square as RealSquirrel's pic above. Might give a small clue as to the sheer size...
Throne room:
Black Spot - Katya was VERY strict that this was a famous painting. Like I say, I'm a cultural desert.
Just because it amused me:
The Sunday we were touring was coincidently "Last German killed day" - I believe a reference to Stalingrad. There were bands, military and music and free food in the square below.
Square outside Hermitage, sorry it was too cold to get it right! Same square as RealSquirrel's pic above. Might give a small clue as to the sheer size...
Throne room:
Black Spot - Katya was VERY strict that this was a famous painting. Like I say, I'm a cultural desert.
Just because it amused me:
Edited by Puggit on Monday 4th February 16:06
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