St Petersburg is Russia’s first city in terms of beauty.

After some major restoration work in 2003, St Petersburg’s main thoroughfares and shopping districts are thriving. From its dramatic birth in the early years of the 18th century, St Petersburg has suffered turbulent years of revolution, death, starvation, grim purges and the end of the Communist era in the 1990s.

Situated on the Baltic Sea, St Petersburg‘s magnificent architecture is astounding. With prodigious energy, Peter the Great oversaw the rise of St Petersburg from the islands and swamps around the River Neva. In the century that followed, his successors built ever more magnificent palaces, from the simple Italianate styles to grandiose Baroque constructions and the restrained neo-classical designs preferred by Catherine the Great.

Adding to the beauty of the buildings are the canals and rivers, which cross Nevsky prospekt. Like Venice, to which it is often compared, the winding waterways leading to the broad River Neva, are the real heart of St Petersburg.

St Petersburg is Russia’s first city in terms of beauty. It is also the prime centre for classical culture, from opera to ballet to music, with historic venues, such as the Mariinsky Theatre.

When to travel to St Petersburg

The city’s northern latitude means long days in summer and long nights in winter - but in winter, hotels and tourist attractions are less crowded and there’s a real magic to the night sky. The rivers and canals freeze in the depths of winter, while in midsummer all of St Petersburg stays outdoors to enjoy the White Nights of this northern latitude, when the light is never quite extinguished.