Tourist information on Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia (after Moscow), with a population of 4.7 million. An important seaport, it lies on the Neva River, at the eastern tip of the Baltic Sea. Once the centre of Imperial Russia, it is now a thriving industrial and financial centre, and an important hub of culture of tourism. After the Revolution, the city was renamed Petrograd and then Leningrad, but regained its former name after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. With its wealth of historic architecture, museums and cultural activities, Saint Petersburg has much to offer the tourist.

Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great) in 1703 and became the country's capital in 1712 (relegating the previous capital Moscow to the status of a province). Home to the Tsars, Saint Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire for over two centuries, until the Russian Revolution. After the city had been ravaged by fire in 1736, it was rebuilt along neoclassical lines, with three radial streets (including the famous Nevsky Prospekt) meeting at the Admiralty. In the 19th century, with the city prospering as a centre of international trade and culture, its architecture veered more towards the Romanesque style as increasingly extravagant state buildings were erected. The city underwent a period of rapid expansion during the industrial revolution, with a large influx of peasants swelling the poor neighbourhoods on its outskirts. The 1905 Revolution began in Saint Petersburg and rapidly spread to the provinces, like ripples on a pond. After the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917, the October Revolution brought a decisive end to the Russian Empire, and the centre of government moved back to Moscow, the country's new capital. The city was christened Petrograd in 1918 but renamed Leningrad in 1924 after the death of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union. During the Second World War, Leningrad was subjected to one of the longest and cruellest sieges in history, from Nazi Germany, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city was renamed Saint Petersburg and, through its many diverse industries, rapidly became one of the most prosperous and cosmopolitan cities in the newly created Russian Federation

It is not hard to see why Saint Petersburg is one of the most visited places in Russia. With its long stately boulevards, richly endowed with grand imperial buildings, it has a majesty and beauty that is the envy of the world. The plethora of canals and rivers, spanned by hundreds of bridges, give the city a unique character and have earned it the nickname the Venice of the North. The grandest of Saint Petersburg's buildings are its palaces, of which there are many. The oldest of these is the Summer Palace, a comparatively modest structure built for Peter I in 1710. Far more imposing is the Winter Palace, a huge baroque edifice built half a century later - this is now part of the Hermitage Museum. Other palaces of note are Menshikov Palace and Kikin Hall.

There are approximately two hundred museums in Saint Petersburg, with a diverse range of collections. Most of these are accomodated in historic buildings which are themselves some of the city's most important landmarks. The best known of these is the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's greatest art collections, housed in six historic buildings along the embankment, including the Winter Palace. Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, it has over three million exhibits, although only a small fraction is on display to the public. There are major works by such masters as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Reubens, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Matisse, as well as a substantial collection of Egyptian artefacts. The city's other principal art museum is the Russian Museum, which contains the largest collection of Russian art in the world, located within four huge palaces in the city centre. Its main building is Mikhailovskiy Palace, the striking neoclassical residence of the Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich. The rest of the collection is housed at Stroganov Palace, the Marble Palace and Mikhailovskiy Castle. The museum was created in 1895 by Tsar Nicholas II as a tribute to his father, Alexander III.

The Russian Museum of Ethnography houses a collection of about half a million items relating to the ethnography of the Russian people. Created in 1902, its first exhibits were gifts received by the Tsars from the peoples of Imperial Russia, but it rapidly expanded so that today it gives a remarkably broad representation of Russian culture. Near to the Hermitage, at the western end of Nevsky Prospekt, is another of Saint Petersburg's great landmarks, the Main Admiralty building. Once the headquarters of the Admiralty Board, this is a splendid example of classical Empire architecture, with a gilded steeple surmounted by a golden weather-vane in the shape of a ship.

The Artillery Museum displays an impressive collection of military equipment, uniforms and decorations. It is housed in the old arsenal of the Peter and Paul Fortress, on the right bank of the Neva near Alexander Park. Its exhibits include various tanks, canons, hand weapons, medals and gifts received by the Tsars. The Central Naval Museum is one of the largest of its kind in the world and presents the history of the Russian navy with an impressive exhibition of weaponry and models. The centrepiece is its WWII display. This is housed in the city's former stock exchange, a large neoclassical building built in 1816.

Constructed by Peter the Great in 1703, the Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg. This is situated on the small Hare Island, near the north bank of the Neva River, and was intended to protect the Neva lands which had been taken from the Swedes in the Northern War. It has since been used as a prison, primarily for political prisoners. Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a monastery founded by Peter the Great in 1710 to house the relics of the legendary 13th century Russian leader Alexander Nevsky. It is situated at the eastern end of Nevsky Prospekt, between Alexander Nevsky Square and the Obvodny Canal. The monastery consists of two baroque churches, a grand neoclassical cathedral and several smaller structures. This is also the location of the Lazarev and Tikhvin cemeteries, which contain the tombs of such famous Russians as Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Dostoevsky.

One of St Petersburg's most familiar landmarks is the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, a cathedral which owes its name to the fact that it was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Its onion domes and richly decorated neoclassical façade make it one of the most recognisable sacred buildings in the city, although its interior is just as striking, with its 7500 square metres of mosaics. Just as breathtaking is Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral, a cathedral temple of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt. Built in the early 1800s, its exterior is a superb example of neoclassical design, modelled on St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Its richly decorated interior is adorned with columns, sculptures and icons.

Saint Petersburg is proud of its long association with the performing arts and there are numerous theatres and concert halls that offer the best in drama, music and dance, all year round. These include: the Mariinsky Theatre (previously known as the Kirov), world-renowned for its ballet and opera; the St Petersburg Opera, a much smaller theatre; the St Petersburg Philharmonic Grand Hall, home to a world-class orchestra; the Conservatory Theatre, used by students of the conservatory; and the Jazz Philharmonic Hall, for jazz recitals.

The city has an abundance of green open spaces in which you can unwind and catch your breath between museum visits or intensive bouts of shopping. The Summer Garden is among the city's older gardens, created not long after the city was founded by Peter the Great. Sosnovka Park is the largest park within the city limits, occupying an area of over 300 hectares with large areas of woodland. Other parks that are worth visiting are: the Maritime Victory Park on Krestovsky Island; the Moscow Victory Park in the south; the Central Park of Culture and Leisure on Yelagin Island and Tauride Garden.

Saint Petersburg is one of the easiest of Russian cities to get to and has an excellent transport infrastructure. The city is served by Pulkovo International Airport (located 17 kilometres south of the centre), which offers connections to many international and domestic destinations. A cheaper alternative is Lappeenranta Airport in Finland, near to the border with Russia - this is used by many low cost carriers. The city has five main train stations, the most important being Moscovskii Station, which connects to Moscow and the Ukraine. The quickest way to travel between Saint Petersburg and Moscow is via the Sapsan high-speed trains - the journey time is around 4 to 5 hours. Long distance buses run to Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Finland, the Baltic states and Scandinavia, whilst ferry services operate to Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia). The city's metro is Russia's second largest underground rail system, second only to that of Moscow, and is the easiest way to get around. Buses and trolleybuses provide a cheap alternative.