St. Petersburg, Russia
St. Petersburg has many similarities to other cities around the world, Venice comes to mind with both cities having canals, but it is quite unique as well. First, you must recognize the lengthy rule of Tsars in this city, despite the fact that no ruling is going on in this city at this time. While the canals are picturesque, the art and cultural scene may intrigue you even more.
The most popular attraction within St. Petersburg is the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, which happens to be in the exact location where Tsar Alexander II was killed back in 1881. This church is now a museum and when you are finished exploring it, you might want to head over to the Hermitage Museum. The Fabergé Museum is a must as well, if not for anything other than seeing the infamous Imperial Easter Eggs. Taking a tour of the canals will allow you to see this city from a different perspective and you never know what you will see as you are floating along.
The weather in St. Petersburg is extremely cold in the winter with temperatures in the teens and a chance that it will dip down into the negative numbers on occasion. It does warm up for the summer months, but the temperatures only get out of the seventies a few times each year. Due to the extreme cold during the winter, there is a chance of snow, but most of the time it is a mixed precipitation that covers the city streets. The rest of the year, rain will be common, and you will always know who is a local, because they will always have an umbrella with them.
Summer is peak travel season in St. Petersburg, which is why many people choose to go in the spring or the fall when there are not as many people. While you can travel there during the winter, please remember that it can be difficult to make plans when the weather is so cold and unpredictable.
Unique and Interesting Facts About St. Petersburg, Russia
· This city used to be the capital of Russia until that designation returned to Moscow once again.
· After World War II, there was such an infestation of rats that the city brought in five thousand cats to solve the problem.
· For three weeks, starting in the middle of June, there is daylight twenty-four hours each day.
· The State Hermitage Museum has approximately four hundred with three million artifacts between them all. According to a person who did the math, if you were to look at each piece for just one minute, and spent eight hours each day inside the museum, it would take you twenty-five years to see it all.
St. Petersburg is quite the city and if you need to choose just one in this country, this would probably be the one that catches your attention the most. You will be amazed with everything that you see, and you may wonder why you haven’t been there before.
