Saint Petersburg is a beautiful city and I recommend to start getting to know it with a city tour. Itinerary depends on where you are staying in the city but in general description will be like this: We go to the Nevsky Prospect passing Gostiny Dvor (The oldest shopping mall in Russia – middle of 18th century), the Kazan Cathedral – the main cathedral of St. Petersburg, Singer headquarters (yes, exactly the famous sowing machine maker, he did not invent it but was a marketing genious!). Who does not know Beef Stroganoff? Famous dish – sliced beef with creamy sauce- we will see the family nest manor of the Stroganoff family.

Peter and Paul Fortress is the place where St. Petersburg begun its story. Peter the Great founded the city right on the Rabbit  island on the Neva river. That’s where the first cathedral was built, at that time it was made of wood. The island is called the Rabbit Island because according to folk stories only rabbits used to live there.  Rabbit statues are everywhere! There’s even a rabbit under the oldest bridge, he even has a name, Arseni. Everyone throws him coins and if one of them ends in between his hind legs it means that it will bring good luck!  Where one must definitely go for a visit is Peter and Paul Cathedral, burial place of the Romanov family. Everyone starting from Peter the Great and finishing with Nicholas II are buried there.

Peterhof is the first imperial residence of Peter the Great, the founder of St.Petersburg ( if we don’t consider Strelna town where it was too expensive to build fountains. That is why Versailles of the North has been moved further). Peterhof is famous for its fountains, there are around 150 of them and 4 cascades. Famous Peterhof parks are divided into the Upper Garden and the Lower Garden. In the Lower Park there’s a beautiful Grand Channel with a Grand Cascade – official entrance into the residence with favorite transport of Peter the Great, by sea.

Gatchina is the favorite residence of the emperor Alexander III. The place where brothers and sisters of future last Russian emperor Nicholas II spent their childhood. Alexander II’s death from hands of terrorists influenced moving of the imperial family to the country. The wonderful Gatchina palace was designed as a castle. Catherine the Great’s favorite Alexey Orlov was the owner.