I was once sharing my experiences from this trip to one of my friends while having tea at a road-side tea stall in my hometown, Kolkata. Suddenly the 60+ aged shop owner asked "Are you discussing about Leningrad? Have you been there?!". On acknowledging, he said it has been his lifelong dream to be there one day.. because "Lenin's city" it is! Even if we keep aside the communists of Bengal who are super excited about everything Russian, for every traveler this second largest city of Russia is a dream destination. Situated on the Neva river and being one of the busiest ports of Baltic sea and a UNESCO World Heritage site, this city whispers in your ears stories from the past as you pass by its numerous canals, bridges, markets and age-old buildings.
Our itinerary
We started from Helsinki on 25th of December. We took the St. Peter Line cruise, "Princess Anastasia", from Helsinki port which would take us to our destination, St. Petersburg, on the morning of 26th December. We would stay there from 26th to 28th visa free (less than 72 hours) before returning to Helsinki by the same cruise. This plan did not work out well for us as 26th was extremely windy and the ship, although reached the destination port, could not dock due to the turbulent sea. We had to spend the entire day on board and could only check out in the evening. Nevertheless, the onboard entertainment was good and we spent the afternoon watching a movie at a theatre.
Where did we stay?
We stayed at Hotel Club Chao Mama which we booked through booking.com [link]. The hotel had a 9+/10 rating at the time of our booking. The hosts were nice and the rooms were very well maintained. There was even a very well equipped kitchen which we heavily used. It was very conveniently located ~800 metres away from the St. Isaac's Cathedral. We checked-in on 26th December evening.
Places we visited
St. Isaac's Cathedral
On 27th December, we started early in the morning. We first visited St. Isaac's Cathedral which was very near to our hotel. It was a very chilly yet sunny day and we could see the 100 metres high dome, plated with pure gold, shine in the early morning sun rays.
According to Wikipedia, It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. We were equally fascinated by the neo-classical exterior and the painted sculptured interior. The interior walls are decorated with numerous priceless paintings which attract tourists from all over the world.
According to Wikipedia, It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. We were equally fascinated by the neo-classical exterior and the painted sculptured interior. The interior walls are decorated with numerous priceless paintings which attract tourists from all over the world.
Kazan Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, also known as Kazan Cathedral, is named after the holiest icon within the Russian Orthodox Church who represents Virgin Mary and is believed to be the protector of the city. It is located on Nevsky Prospekt, the busiest street of the city, and can be readily identified by its huge structure and extending colonnades. The interior is palatial and hosts numerous sculptures and paintings by some of the most prominent Russian artists.
We took a bus from St. Isaac's Cathedral and it took us 10 minutes to reach the place. Kazan Cathedral was the most crowded cathedral we visited in the city and we spent around half an hour seeing the site and the displayed works of art. Then we crossed the Nevsky Prospekt and walked along the bank of Griboyedov canal for 8 minutes to reach our next destination, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Nevsky Prospekt
After visiting the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, we had lunch at a restaurant, along the bank of Griboyedov canal, serving local delicacies. The food was delectable as well as cheap. We then decided to have a walk along the Nevsky Prospekt before we headed towards the Palace Square and Hermitage.
Nevsky Prospekt, which runs from the Admirality to the Moscow Railway Station, was planned by Peter the Great. While walking along the street, we found tens of churches, 18th century shopping malls, national library and tons of shops. We did not see a single building which did not appear majestic. Simply by walking on this street, one understands how much effort it takes to build a city like this - St. Petersburg was not built in a day!
Palace Square
Palace square is the central city square of St. Petersburg and the former Russian empire. It was envisaged by the emperor Alexander I to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon. On one side of the square stands the bow-shaped Empire-style Building of the General Staff designed by the famous architect Carlo Rossi. On the other side stands the Hermitage, the second largest museum in the world. The neoclassical architecture of the former complements the baroque architecture of the latter. In the center of the square stands the tallest red granite column in the world - Alexander column. The square has seen various significant historical events including the Bloody Sunday Massacre and the October Revolution of 1917 which led to the rise of the socialist state and the execution of the Tsar in 1918.
It was crowded when we reached the square late in the afternoon. People gathered near the huge Christmas tree to take photos and selfies. Various nicely decorated horse carts were lined up near the Hermitage for the tourists.
State Hermitage Museum
The museum comprises of 6 majestic buildings including the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre which are open to public. It consists of more than 3 million items and the largest collection of paintings in the world. It was founded by Empress Catherine the Great in 1764. It is the second largest museum in the world while The Louvre in France is the largest.
The pomp and grandeur of the numerous majestic rooms displaying some of the finest examples of art kept us in awe. I would strongly suggest to spend at least a whole day in this museum if you are a connoisseur of art. Below is the collection of snaps that I took, but believe me, it is just the tip of the iceberg.
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| This picture was painted by Tintoretto. Reminded me of Satyajit Ray's "Tintoretto-r Jishu" |
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| Madonna and Child (The Benois Madonna) by Leonardo da Vinci |
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| Death of Adonis by Mazzuola |
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| The Three Graces by Antonio Canova |
As we came out of the Hermitage at six in the evening, we were welcomed by a spectacular light and sound show at Palace Square held annually during Christmas. The walls of the bow-shaped General Staff building were used as the screen. Thousands of spectators gathered around the square to watch the magical show. More information can be found here.
The next morning we went for shopping before leaving for Helsinki in the afternoon by St. Peter Line cruise.
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