Escorted Rail Tours to St Petersburg
The stylish former capital of Russia
Located at the head of the Gulf of Finland, the vast metropolis
of St Petersburg is one of Russia's largest and best-loved cities.
Surprisingly for such a large city, St Petersburg was only
developed about 300 years ago. The area was uninhabited until the
early 18th century, when Peter the Great ordered the construction
of a defensive garrison to reduce the threat of Swedish attack.
On the completion of the St Peter and St Paul fortress, the Tsar
decided to relocate the capital here. Built with an almost
unlimited supply of money, the glorious new city was completed by
1712. The latter half of the 18th century saw Catherine the Great
come to the throne, and the city only flourished even further
during her reign. She financed some splendid architecture and the
arts - Pushkin and Dostoyevsky's work came to the fore in this
time. Catherine's successors then ruled over a wealthy empire from
a young, vibrant city.
However, this was in great contrast to much of the rest of
Russia, and after the successful 1917 Revolution Lenin moved the
capital back to Moscow. St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad, and
the city was largely neglected. Ironically, this did much to
preserve it; the city generally missed out on Soviet buildings and
street planning.
When communism fell in 1991, St Petersburg regained its name,
and its wonderful historic centre was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Today this magnificent city, with its grand
boulevards and open squares, is a delight to explore - boasting a
wealth of historic monuments and celebrated cultural
attractions.
Peterhof Palace
Sometimes referred to as a 'Russian Versailles', the
opulent Peterhof Palace is truly breathtaking. Flanked by
magnificent gardens, the palace features a range of impressive
styles from all over the world, and is a joy to discover.
Hermitage
Housed in the grandest rooms of the former Winter Palace,
the world-famous Hermitage features one of the world's largest
collections of fine art. There are also amazing displays of all
sorts of objects dating back to the Stone Age, and priceless finds
from the ancient world; the collection now has more than three
million artefacts.