Russia

July 2018: This was our last stop on our Baltics tour. We figured out how to dip our toes into Russia without having to sort out a visa beforehand. Turns out, if you arrive by ferry or cruise from Helsinki, you can stay in St. Petersburg visa-free for up to 72 hours. This is the only way to do it if you’re from North America, or most other countries in the world (they have a very short list of countries whose citizens can enter visa-free for longer). For more details on this, visit our blog page, as I wrote a detailed post on how to go about this. We stayed at The Library hotel, just off St. Isaac’s Square, which was a great location, as that’s where the bus from the ferry drops you off. St. Petersburg is incredible, and having spent a few days in Russia, we definitely want to go back for longer and explore some more areas.

highlights

. Hermitage . Nevsky Prospekt . Church of the Spilled Blood . New Holland . St. Isaac’s . Food Options . Vodka .

lowlights

. Boat Tour . Arrival by Boat . Disorganization/Lack of Info. .

st. petersburg

Two days was definitely not enough here. St. Petersburg is a big, amazing city with giant, historic buildings right beside beautiful canals and the Neva River splitting the city in half. There are some incredible looking churches, famous museums, great food, and tons of tourists. However, like any city, there are always going to be some frustrations. For example, we had arrived via overnight ferry, and it took 2+ hours to get off the ship and through customs, then probably another hour to get to St. Isaac’s Square and to our hotel. After eating a delicious lunch at the hotel restaurant/bar (they have great food), we wanted to finally get out and explore. We had booked a City Sightseeing boat tour through the canals online. In a big city on the river, obviously there was going to be a ton of boat tours and companies. We were looking for Pier 2, and for some reason, there were no signs along the river. So we asked other tour guides along the river for a bit of help….and no one would help us. They were pointing in all different directions, we were walking back and forth. So that was super frustrating. After awhile we eventually found the pier (or at least they told us we had…I wasn’t convinced and was waiting to get denied when we tried to get on the boat), and the tour started. We got a pair of headphones and plugged in. But guess what? Yep…not working. None of them worked. So we were just cruising through the canals, listening to Russian on the loud speaker, wondering what all these interesting buildings were, and wishing we understood Russian. The canals were cool, but if you’ve seen them before (Amsterdam, Brugges), you really want to go on these to get a little bit of information on the city you’re in. So it was a bit of a waste of time, but we managed to laugh it off while saying, “well…this is Russia,” as if this is what we expected. We picked a legitimate, Europe-wide boat tour company, so I hope our boat was the only ugly duckling. Now having said all that, we also went on a city bus tour (same company), and the headsets worked great! So I would recommend a bus tour to take you around both sides of the river. Lots of great, interesting info, and impressive buildings you may want to get out and see.

*One of the beautiful hallways in the Hermitage.*

*The Peacock Clock. Yep…this is a clock.*

*One of the rooms in the Hermitage. So many intricate details.*

the hermitage museum (winter palace)

This is one of the first buildings we saw from the river in St. Petersburg. It is huge and beautiful from the outside, and the inside is even better. The Hermitage Museum is second only to the Louvre (but don’t tell the Russians that), and has incredible, spacious rooms, as well as historical and beautiful works of art, including Rembrandt and Da Vinci. I’m sure if you’re an art enthusiast, you will know what’s in here! Like any famous museum in Europe, the lines are enormous, so we booked an English tour ahead of time, and met our guide in the square outside (Palace Square). The tour was excellent, and the only thing that could ruin it were snobby tourists saying they couldn’t understand our guide (this is inaccurate…our guide was awesome, and spoke multiple languages), and an odd couple taking up one of the hallways, posing for an Instagram photo-op. No shame. Anyways, the Hermitage Museum is incredible and a must-see when visiting St. Petersburg!

nevsky prospekt

Across the Palace Square, opposite the Hermitage, there is a beautiful archway. This leads to Nevsky Prospekt, which is the main road that runs through the historical center of St. Petersburg. It is a busy road, but there are restaurants, shops, and street performers all down this road. We happened to be here on the day of their annual military parade, and all of Nevsky Prospekt was closed to traffic, and the road was filled with people. It was insane, but very cool.

*The inside of the cathedral. Impossible to capture on camera!*

*The outside of the cathedral, in St. Isaac’s Square.*

st. isaac’s cathedral

This massive cathedral with beautiful pillars and dome roof sits in the scenic St. Isaac’s Square. It is incredible both from the outside and inside, and is worth a visit. We bought our ticket from a machine outside, although I believe you can purchase them online as well, and of course, at a ticket booth. The ticket line was long, so I suggest one of the other options. You can also climb the 200 steps up the colonnade for some great 360 degree views of the city.

*The very intricate exterior of the church.*

*Interior of the church. Everything you see on the pillars, walls, roof, is mosaic tiles.*

the church of the savior on spilled blood

This is another gorgeous looking church, both from the inside and outside. It was built in memory of Alexander the 2nd, who was killed in the spot where the church stands. To get here, we jumped off our hop-on, hop-off bus tour (somewhere far down Nevsky Prospekt). We had to wait in line, but it didn’t take too long to get in. The inside is filled top to bottom with mosaics, and is definitely a must-see in St. Petersburg.

new holland

This was a random, very interesting find in St. Petersburg. We went for a long walk one evening, and came upon New Holland. It is a small, man-made island in the middle of St. Petersburg that started out as a military base. Now, it is a cool, cultural, hipster little area with well-groomed, grassy areas and deck chairs for lounging and picnicking. In the large rotunda building (original barracks?) there are small cafes, food options, shops, and gyms. When we were there it was still being developed. This is a cultural hub, and host to concerts, film festivals, and more. It is definitely worth a look, we wished we had found out about it earlier so we could spend more time here.

*One of the outdoor spaces in New Holland.*

food

There are lots of great food options in St. Petersburg. On our first night, we went to a restaurant called “Russian Fun.” They had lots of different kinds of dumplings to choose from. The next night, we tried a Georgian and Uzbek restaurant, which was delicious! You can try some local St. Petersburg dishes, like Koryushka, which are battered and fried smelt fish. Not too bad! Trevor really liked them. We also tried some Russian shawarma, which is very different from Middle Eastern shawarma, if you’ve had that. But the Russian version is also very good, and most bars and restaurants have them on their menu. We also heard about these “soviet” donuts. We sought out the shop called Pyshechnaya. It is a tiny shop with a very Russian, no-nonsense lady serving donuts and sweet coffee, old country style. I don’t think anything has changed since the ‘50’s, so it’s a pretty cool experience. When we were there, the line was huge and the room hotter than Kuwait on a summer day, but it was worth it. We got a plate of fried donuts topped with powdered sugar and 2 coffees. The donuts are warm and delicious, and I don’t think the prices have changed since it opened. HIGHLY recommended. Oh, and of course, while in Russia, the vodka. Everyone makes their own. Try some!