Venice Of The North

If you are not already “in the know” the Venice of the north is St Petersburg one of the most beautiful cities in the Baltic. This city is probably the main highlight of any cruise in this area and most ships will stay in the port for at least two days, sometimes more in order that you can benefit from the fabulous places to visit.

The city itself is steeped in history of course, from being originally founded by Peter The Great in 1703 and becoming the capital of Russia. Then lost it’s status as a capital city in 1917 when Moscow became the “chosen city.” There is so much to see in this city,  from the marble columns and chandeliers in the underground stations to the fantastic palaces, grand boulevards and some of the best art museums in the world.

The area can be a bit daunting for us Brits mainly because of the language barrier and of course you need a visa to get into the country which can cause a lot of hassle just to get one and it is costly!  So, when on your cruise buy your excursion through the cruise line or Cruising Excursions as they include the visa in the cost of your trip. This means of course you can not have a wander round the streets and have to go on a certified tour, better then ending up in a police station!

A few clients have said they were surprised that the port of St Petersburg is not in the city but a little way out.  The new port was opened 6 years ago purely to cope with the increasing traffic and as the ships are getting bigger/heavier these days I think this is a good idea.

For all my information on the city, it is still somewhere I have not yet visited. It looks beautiful and rightly so takes the honour of being the “Venice of the North.”  If you have been perhaps you can let me know some of the places you have visited or the experiences you have had. This really does help people who have not been before.

Till next time x