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Any good travel guide will include a chapter on St Petersburg Russia. In fact there are books that are entirely dedicated to St Petersburg Russia travel. That is because there is so much to see and do in this city on the River Neva. Travel books on this city will be loaded with ideas for sightseeing as well as lists of entertainment, shopping, restaurants and St Petersburg hotel. Before we get into the city’s main attractions, let us take a brief look at some of its history.

In the year 1704, St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great to be the capital of the Russian Empire. It remained the capital until 1917 after the Russian Revolution. At that time the communists selected Moscow to be the nation’s capital city. St. Petersburg’s name was changed in 1918 to Leningrad, after Vladimir Lenin, the man behind the revolution. The name St. Petersburg was given back to the city in 1991.

One of the first things you will want to see is the Hermitage, at the Winter Palace. Its official name is the State Hermitage Museum and is home to some of the finest pieces of art in the world. The gallery was originally completed in 1770. Today, people can spend an entire day looking at three floors of works from artists like Rembrandt, Matisse and Leonardo.

The Winter Palace (home of the Hermitage) has more than 1000 rooms and was once the home of tsars like Catherine the Great and the final tsar, Nicolas the Second. The public does not have access to the whole palace. But the Hermitage and those rooms that are free to enter are stunning in their magnificence and will give guests a sense of all the grandeur of the time.

One of only four monasteries in all of Russia is the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Those looking to uncover sites deeply steeped in Russian religious tradition will not be disappointed. It is named after the Grand Prince, Alexander Nevsky who defeated Swedish invaders during the Thirteenth century. It was commissioned by the Tsar Peter the Great in 1710.

There are lots of free things to see in this city too. A stroll toward the west by the River Neva on the Admiralteyskaya Nab will provide views of many grand statues, spectacular looks at the city and interesting people watching. A walk to the east will bring you to Summer Gardens where other sights are prevalent.

St. Petersburg is a truly a “must see” in Russia. Any visitor will find something compelling whether historical sites or just the simple beauty of the city.

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