Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg is Russia’s second largest city, with a population just under 5 million people and during its tumultuous history has been formerly known as both Petrograd and Leningrad. The city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great and was the former home of the ruling Tsars and was the focal point of Russian culture. The city was renamed Petrograd during the first World War then named Leningrad in 1924 in honour of the communist revolutionary, V.I. Lenin. Located near the Baltic sea, the city was severly damaged during the Second World War and its people starved from blockades. It then took a back seat to Moscow during the Soviet era but has since reclaimed its crown somewhat and for many, its is the more pleasurable city of the two to visit and is felt to be the most cosmopolitan.

The city has been home to such giant figures of Russian culture such as Gogol, Tchaikovsky and Dostoyevsky, it has also been at the centre of some of the country’s most significant historical events such as the end of Tsarist rule, the Bolshevik Uprising and the 1917 Revolution. The city is home to dozens of museums including the wondrous Hermitage Museum/Winter Palace which is very much the city’s premium attraction, which holds over 3 million pieces including works by Dan Vinci, Rembrandt and Reubens. Other architectural delights include the Kazan Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Fortress. A trip to Vasilievsky Island is a must, to see dozens more museums, galleries and parks. In a city famed for its Arts and Culture, you couldn’t miss out on a visit to the Ballet or Opera and the Mariinsky Theatre is perhaps the most well known.

For food, there are dozens of excellent Russian chains in the city offering quick cheap hot food such as blini’s (Russian crepes) and soups and there are plenty of restaurant options for food, including regional cuisine as well as international. The city is also home to some great pubs too and though The Dickens Pub or The Bristol Pub may sound like tourist-traps, plenty of locals drink here too and they are fun and comfortable. There are a plethora of stylish bars too and nightclubs to suit all tastes whilst the city is home to hundreds of hotels from comfortable 2-3 stars at £50 a night to 5 star opulence at several hundred pounds a night.