We finally made a trip to Saint Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia. My parents were in town and Saint Petersburg was part of the itinerary for them. The place is generally more tourist friendly as compared to Moscow. The signs were printed in English and most people could speak English too. This made moving around much easier.
We left Moscow on the Red Arrow, a Russian sleeper train that connects Moscow and Saint Petersburg. This is the most historic overnight train and is still one of the best. We took the Sapsan, the bullet train for our return trip. It takes only 4 hours.
We slept in a cabin of 4. Supper and breakfast are also provided.
The red arrow takes 8 hrs to arrive which is double the time of the bullet train. Due to the speed, one can sleep comfortably in the cabin without even feeling any movement of the train. As it is an overnight train, it departs Moscow at 11.55pm and arrives in Saint Petersburg at around 7am. The perfect timing for us to start a brand new day once we drop off our bags at the hotel.
Welcome to Saint Petersburg! I definitely had a good sleep on the train.
We started the day with the free walking tour at 1045am. The meeting point was at the Hermitage, facing the winter palace.
I think walking tours are the best way to know the main attractions in a city. The guide will point out the important things we got to see and also give us a brief background of them. With this rough guide, we headed back to places and sights we found interesting. A little history - Below is the statue of Catherine the Great - She was the most renowned and longest ruling female leader of Russia.
The city centre of Saint Petersburg can be covered easily on foot. Most of the main attractions are located near each other. The Hermitage Museum, The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, Kazan Cathedral, Saint Isaac's Cathedral etc are all within walking distance from each other. Only Peter and Paul Fortress required a little more walk than the others. Thus we took a bus there but we ended up walking back too. All attractions required an entrance fee. The main street in the city that connects almost everything is called Nevsky Prospekt. Just as long as you are on this street, it is pretty easy to find your bearings again.
The State Hermitage Museum. It comprises of 6 buildings but we only managed the main complex in this trip. The museum was founded by Catherine the Great in 1764 and today it boosts over 2.7million exhibits. We were told by the guide that experts said that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you can view them all.
The main entrance upon entering.
Some of the rooms that allowed photography.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.
The walls on the interior of the church was made up of little mosaic tiles instead of paint.
Kazan Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Peterhof palace is a series of palaces and gardens. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just like all the other palaces we have visited, the shear size of the place was already amazing to us. Even the sky looked exceptionally beautiful.
I am always captivated by neatly pruned trees.
Entrance to the garden of the palace cost 500rub per pax. Entrance to the various palaces come with different charges. However the 500rub that allowed us to enter the lower garden of the palace ground, is more than we could cover. We walked for more than half a day but yet unable to cover all grounds. The lower garden is a huge relaxing park with huge fountains everywhere. One can stroll all day. I can imagine the royalties strolling through the park in the past to pass time.
It is fall now so the leaves are all golden brown in colour.
We left Moscow on the Red Arrow, a Russian sleeper train that connects Moscow and Saint Petersburg. This is the most historic overnight train and is still one of the best. We took the Sapsan, the bullet train for our return trip. It takes only 4 hours.
Welcome to Saint Petersburg! I definitely had a good sleep on the train.
The State Hermitage Museum. It comprises of 6 buildings but we only managed the main complex in this trip. The museum was founded by Catherine the Great in 1764 and today it boosts over 2.7million exhibits. We were told by the guide that experts said that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you can view them all.
The main entrance upon entering.
Peter and Paul Fortress. It was a wet rainy day.
On a bridge heading towards the city centre after visiting Peter and Paul Fortress. It was a cold and gloomy day...
The only place that we visited that was off the city centre was Peterhof Palace. The easiest but most expensive way was to get there by hydrofoil. This will cost about 1200 rub per pax. We opted the cheaper option of taking a local train followed by a local bus. It is just a short journey of less than 1 hr and it cost less than 100 rub per pax! woohoo Taking the train was also hassle free to us.
Peterhof palace is a series of palaces and gardens. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just like all the other palaces we have visited, the shear size of the place was already amazing to us. Even the sky looked exceptionally beautiful.It is fall now so the leaves are all golden brown in colour.
There was a band playing through the park.
There were gold statues everywhere.
Oohhh I love fall!! Till we meet again next year!
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