St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is hot right now. And I totally get why. With its beautiful canal palaces, fine museums, splendid theaters and concert halls and interesting history, this city has so much to offer. Compared to Moscow, the city is less Russian and feels much more western. However, I was flabbergasted by the amount of Russian culture displayed here. Here are a few of my favorite places and restaurants in St. Petersburg. 

Museums

Hermitage Museum

A visit to St. Petersburg is not complete without a visit to the Hermitage Museum. In this former palace of the Tsars (you can still visit the rooms where the last Tsar, Nicolas II, and his family lived) you'll find a grand collection of Russian art. They also have some great Rembrandts on display. Look for the impressionist paintings, which are tucked away on the highest floor of the museum.

Another fine museum in St. Petersburg is the Russian Museum. Also housed in a former palace, this museum has the finest collection of 18th-20th century Russian art. You'll find lots of beautiful works by Repin, Levitan and Kandinsky.

At the Yusupov Palace you'll get a glimpse of the life of Prince Felix Yusupov at the end of the 19th century (including him plotting the murder of Rasputin!) Each room of this palace is more beautiful than the other and there is even a gorgeous little theatre. If you want to know more about the interesting story how Yusupov and his allies tried to kill Rasputin, take the Murder of Rasputin tour! 

The Theatre of Yusupov Palace

If you are a fond lover of the theatre, a visit to the Mariinsky Theater is certainly not to be missed. Here all the classic ballets, like Swan Lake, La Bayadere and Giselle are performed by one of the best ballet companies in the world: the Mariinsky Ballet (formerly known as the Kirov Ballet). 

La Bayadere at the Mariinsky Theater

Pushinskaya 10 is one of the few museums of contemporary art. Perhaps more like an art gallery/studio than a museum, Pushinskaya 10 may feel like a fresh breeze after you've visited the Hermitage and the Russian Museum. 

The fountains at Peterhof Palace

Also a big fan of Russian literature? St. Petersburg was the home of many famous writers, like Dostoevsky, Pushkin ans Nabokov. Most of their houses are now museums, such as the Dostoevsky Museum. 


If have time, visit: the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral and Petrodvorets or Peterhof Palace (one of Peter the Great's palaces nearby St. Petersburg).

Restaurants
If you like rich & heavy food, you'll probably like the Russian kitchen. As I already said in my post on Moscow, it's fish (haring), meat, bread and potatoes that dominate the Russian menus. Also very Russian: blinis (thin pancakes, which you eat with e.g. caviar, salmon or chees). My favorites: pelmeni (dumplings with meat), kulebyaka (fish or meat pie) and vareniki (vegetarian pelmeni). Very hot right now is sushi, so you'll find a lot of sushi places scattered around the city. 

Restaurant Sadko 

At this pleasant restaurant the food is good and so is the atmosphere. Located nearby the Mariinsky Theater, it's a great pre- or post-theater venue. And with the waiters singing opera from time to time, you don't even have to go to the theater to get some entertainment. Reservation recommended.

Restaurant Sadko
2, Ulitsa Glinki
www.sadko-rst.ru
+7 (812) 920-82-28

Blini Domik

Blini Heaven! Very Russian: ask for a "sto gramm" wodka to complement your blinis. 

Blini Domik

8, Kolokolnaya Ul. 

Teplo Bar & Restaurant 

This cute restaurant is located next to the birthplace of writer Nabokov. It has several rooms, which have been decorated as if you are visiting old friends. The food is okay, but the real draw is the atmosphere. Reservation recommended. 

Teplo Bar & Restaurant
45, Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa (nearby St. Isaac's Cathedral)
www.v-teple.ru (in Russian only)
+7 (812) 570-19-74


Stolle

Kulebyakas

For kulebyakas you have to go to Stolle. Luckily, there are several branches to be found in the city. 

Stolle
11, Nevsky Prospekt (metro: Admiralteyskaya or Gostiny Dvor)
1/6, Konyushenny Pereulok (metro: Nevsky Prospekt)
33, Dekabristov Street (nearby Mariinsky Theater)


Café Singer
For tea with cake visit Café Singer, at the second floor of the popular bookshop Dom Knigi. It's housed in the former Singer company, on the Nevsky Prospekt. 

Café Singer
28, Nevsky Prospekt (2nd floor)

Dve Palochki
This hip place serves Asian food, especially sushi. They also have great cocktails!

Dve Palochki
22, Nevsky Prospekt
6, Itliyanskai
http://dvepalochki.ru/en/