Saint Petersburg Things to Do Tips by sennaya

In December, 2007, the first time, outdoor ice skating ring was opened on Palace Square around Alexander's column on Palce Square.
Old soviet recreation music is played and it is fun just to watch.
It cost around $15.

A short clip on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMYANKRa0Z8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRdtcvRiznw

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Address: Palace Square
Directions: In front of the Hermitage, the beginning of Nevsky Prospect and the Neva River.

Starting in December and into the new year the streets are decorated with festive lights and many tall green new year trees are erected by the city.

Take a stroll in the evening, it is dark after 4 pm in winter and enjoy the sights.

The Duma tower on Nevsky prospekt was restored and in 2007 is decorated with many oights and holidays songs (by electronic bells) issue from its tower. It is very pretty and delightful to hear.
So often the musaic you hear is popular electronika on the public squares. This is a new level of sophistication long overdue!

Shortys clips of Nevsky on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfxKken84oI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmCzxpxGLTQ
Yahoo

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Address: Nevsky Prospect all all major squares
Directions: Nevsky Prospekt, Kazan cathedral, palace square and many squares and streets in the center

From Mid-December to new year there is an old-fashioned Christmas/New Year Faire in teh park all around Ekaterina's monument.
Vendors from various villages come to have a booth and sell crafts, foods and gifts.
There is a puppet and live theater for children, amusement rides and a bright festive atmosphere to fight the cold dark days of winter.

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Address: Nevsky Prospect Ekaterina Monument
Directions: In front of the ballet theater

With a collection of over 3 million items, the State Hermitage Museum is always mentioned in the top 3 museums in the world.
It is a must to see for every tourist.

Even if you do not like art, you can walk for several hours through the royally appointed halls and rooms of the Czar's Winter Palace. In 1754-1762 construction of the Winter Palace was started by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and architect by Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

You cannot see it all in a day, but you can see your favorite genre, such as Dutch painting in the 16th century or The French Impressionists. The museum was started in 1764 by Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 225 Flemish and Dutch paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernest Gotzkowski.

Open Tuesday - Saturday 10.30 - 18.00, Sunday 10.30 - 17.00, Closed Monday
Free Day: First Thursday of the month

The main Museum Complex is in the Winter Palace
Palace Square, 2

Other major exhibition areas include:
Winter Palace of Peter the Great
Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya, 32

Menshikov Palace
Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya, 15

Museum of Porcelain
Prospekt Obukhovskoi Oborony, 151

Storage Facility of the State Hermitage in Staraya Derevnya
Zausadebnaya Street, 37A

Hermitage Exhibition in the Konstantinovsky Palace
Beriozovaya alleya, 3
Strelna
A short clip on YouTube of a carriage in front of the Hermitage on Palace Sqaure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh5fsBQm9rE

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Address: Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya, 32
Directions: Palace Square, 2
Enter from the arch on Palace Square for individuals.
Sometimes tours enter fromteh Neva River side.
Website: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/02/hm2_2.html

The Old Warsaw train station has been renovated and is open as a shopping center Warshawsky Express and the Central train Museum is behind it.

Amazing collection of Soviet locomotives. All freshly painted in 2007 to mark the 150 years of railroads in Russia.

The missile launching train is especially amazing to see. Also many train logos with Lenin, Stalin and even a motto on the front of one train, "Go forward with Communism."

Admission is reasonable and you can walk around at your leisure. Two trains are allowed to climb upon, ask to be sure.

For related exhibits, go to the railway museum, exhibits at Sadovaya Street 50 for history and exhibits.

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Address: Warsaw Station
Directions: Take metro Baltisky and walk next door to the full-size railway exhibits behind the varshovsky express center.

During the white nights of June adn July is a perfect time to go down to the Neva River and watch the bridges open to let the big ships up the Neva River.

You can also take a ride on a boat to watch the bridges and landscape from the water.
Boats load about 1 am and usually go for more than an hour to see a number of bridges along the Neva.

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Address: Neva River
Directions: Each bridge opens on its own schedule, all after 1 am.
Website: http://www.ticketsofrussia.ru/spguide/brid.html

Now operated mostly as a museum, St Isaac's was the biggest Cathedral of its time and intended to be the main orthodox church for Russia when the third cathedral was completed inteh 1800s.

Beside being a beautiful place to walk and look inside, the Collonade walkway is open in warm months and you can get the best view of the center of the city from there.

Sometimes choral concerts are held there.

In 1931 the Antireligious Museum was opened in the building, then an art museum before returning to its original function in 1990 and services are held there on major religious holidays.

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Address: St. Isaac Square
Directions: Metro Sennaya or Sadovay or walk along the Moika river from Nevsky Prospekt
Website: http://eng.cathedral.ru/isaac

Superb music and ballet venue built in 1783 by order of Catherine the Great.
A must place to see a ballet or opera. You can sit on the floor for big bucks, or get a local ticket and sit in the 3rd balcony.
The tickets are often over $100, if that is a problem you can buy russian tickets and pay a fee to convert them to foreign tickets at the theater, probably about $15.

During intermission walk around and go into the Tsar's box and see where the royal family sat!

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Phone: +7 812 326 4141
Address: 1, Teatralnaya Square
Directions: Sennaya/Sadovaya Metro and walk aliong teh Griboedova Canal
Or walk up Vosnesensky to Dekabristov street from St. Isaac's Square
Website: http://www.mariinsky.ru/en
Other Contact: post@mariinsky.ru

A second venue behind the Mariinsky Theater resumes construction in July 2007 after some delays.

The design by architect Dominique Perrault was reworked by the Russian firm Georekonstruktsya-Fundamentproekt after cost projections soared and now is expected to cost 9.535 billion rubles ($369.4 million)

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Address: 1, Teatralnaya Square
Directions: Dekabristov street
Website: http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=22169

In the summer since 2006 there has a been a dancing fountain on the Neva River that moves and changes color with music.
It is a pretty sight and can be seen from the embankment by the Hermitage or from a night boat.

The music comew from speakers on the spit of Vasilevsky Island which is a great vantage point if it is not closed for some event.

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Address: Neva River