ST PETERSBURG, July 30 — For a few weeks a year in Russia’s north, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the sun shines almost 19 hours a day with only a lingering twilight in between. These are the famed White Nights of a St Petersburg summer.
When Peter the Great founded the city in 1703, he sought a major seaport to bolster Russian trade. The resulting city became Russia’s Imperial capital for two centuries and the royal home of the Tsars. Later, the Soviets renamed it Leningrad where it languished under Moscow’s shadow for decades. But since the early 1990s, St Petersburg is a rising star once more.
With the recently devalued rouble, there’s no better time to explore Russia’s second city — especially on long, glorious summer nights.
Venice of the North
Visitors to St Petersburg are immediately struck by the grandeur of the architecture — the ornate buildings, the immense squares, parks and palaces. One street, designed by Italian architect Carlo Rossi, is known as Perfect Street because of its mathematically precise dimensions: 22m wide, 22m high, and 220m long.
The best way to see the city is from the water. Interlaced with canals, you can view St Petersburg’s splendid layout and hear its stories by cruising along the Griboedov canal and into the Neva river, especially late on a summer’s evening when the building’s shadows and contours are most vivid.
Pass the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated. Drift beneath the yellow and white corner apartment where Russia’s poet laureate, Aleksandr Pushkin, penned some of his greatest works.
Be awed by the immense size of the Winter Palace where Catherine the Great entertained her many lovers. If you’re lucky, you might catch the sun setting over the spires of the Peter and Paul Fortress — it’s a sight that will linger in your memory long after.
Calling all history buffs
As Russia’s second largest city and one of Europe’s cultural capitals, there is much to see in St Petersburg. Top of the list for visitors is the State Hermitage that houses one of Europe’s biggest art collections.
Even a whole day is not enough to see all the exhibits, so either plan your route carefully (there’s an app for that) or wander at leisure through a labyrinth of plush rooms and sometimes quirky displays. Entrance queues can be daunting, so one solution is to purchase your tickets online from the museum shop, which fast-tracks your entry upon arrival.
It wouldn’t be St Petersburg without a stroll along Nevsky Prospekt — the city’s main street. This was the most celebrated boulevard in Europe in the 1900s, and even today, its countless bars, cafes, shops and restaurants are clearly the nucleus of the city’s social life. Late evening is particularly magical.
Another distinctive feature of the city is its churches. The gold dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks, while the colourful onion domes and Gaudi-like mosaics of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood are unforgettable. Or, if it’s quietude you are seeking, then parks like the Summer Garden or Mikhaylovsky Garden make for the perfect green respite.
As evening draws on, cultural pursuits such as watching the ballet are encouraged. The city’s Mariinsky theatre is among the world’s celebrated, but there are plenty of smaller theatres to choose from. Watching a romantic ballet such as Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in the plush interior of a 19th century theatre is a treat for culture vultures.
There is much to see and do in Russia’s richly historic northern city. As Pushkin once wrote: “A magic moment I remember ... a fleeting vision, the quintessence of all that’s beautiful and rare.” — TODAY
