With its lavish palaces, grand cathedrals and beautiful gardens, St Petersburg showcases a landscape of mesmerising architecture. The imperial city sits on the Baltic Sea and is celebrated as the country's cultural capital, thanks to world-class museums, award-winning restaurants and revered art galleries.

Things to do

St Petersburg is known as the “Venice of the North”, due to its elegant canals and lofty bridges. A canal cruise is a fantastic way to admire the city from a different angle, with unrivalled views of St Petersburg's Italianate mansions along the way.

Dotted with world-class galleries and museums, St Petersburg is an artistic powerhouse. The enormous State Hermitage Museum steals the spotlight with its 360 elegant rooms. Inside you'll find a treasure trove of ancient Egyptian mummies, Picasso masterpieces and post-Impressionist paintings.

For a taste of St Petersburg's cultural scene, why not score tickets to the ballet, opera or a classical music concert? The city is dotted with grand performance halls, including the iconic Mariinsky Theatre. The magnificent green-and-white building hosts some of Europe's most prestigious performances.

With its gilded fountains, elegant statues and picturesque canals, Lower Park is a beautiful place to take a stroll. Grand Cascade is the park's stately centrepiece, made up of 140 fountains that splash down into a gleaming canal.

Getting around

St Petersburg is serviced by an efficient network of metro trains, buses and trolleys that run throughout the city. While St Petersburg is a big city, most major sights and attractions are within walking distance of the historic centre.