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Cruise Guide > Europe > Russian Federation > St Petersburg | |
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St Petersburg Time Zone GMT + 3 (GMT + 4 from last Saturday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October). Currency Rouble (Rbl) = 100 kopeks. Language Russian. Sightseeing St Petersburg, like Venice, is a city of elegant palaces and elaborate churches on a network of waterways. On the Palace Embankment, the Hermitage, the statue of the Bronze Horseman and the Admiralty look out over the Neva to the Peter and Paul Fortress and the bridges to Vasilevsky Ostrov or Petrogradskaya. Behind the Bronze Horseman, the magnificent gold dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral towers over the classical terraces around it. Close by, the Nevsky prospekt runs all the way from the Admiralty through Gostiny dvor to the River Fontanka. From Nevsky prospekt, the Church on Spilled Blood, the Russian Museum and the Kazan Cathedral are all with easy walking distance along the Griboedova Canal, where Dostoevsky set Crime and Punishment. Shopping Vodka, caviar (although it is illegal to take it out of the country), lacquered wares, woollen shawls and semi-precious stones are the specialities, as well as the ubiquitous matrioshka dolls and Soviet memorabilia. Eating Out Borshch, (beetroot soup served hot with sour cream), beef stroganov (beef stewed in sour cream with fried potatoes), blini (small pancakes filled with caviar, fish, melted butter or sour cream), ikra or krasnaya ikra (black and red caviar). Popular desserts include Morozhenoye (ice cream), ponchiki (hot sugared doughnuts) and vareniki (dumplings containing fresh berries, cherries or jam). Vodka is often flavoured and coloured with herbs and spices. Posolskaya, Stolichnaya and Rossiskaya are popular brands. Country Russian Federation Region Europe and Mediterranean |