Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia Neva River Neva River The Neva River is an essential part of St. Petersburg's charm. Many generations of locals and visitors to the city have been completely enraptured by long, evening walks along the banks of the Neva during the city's famous White Nights . Very few things can be more romantic than strolling along the Neva's granite-clad embankments and admiring the city's open bridges , the marvelous architecture and the large ships as they pass by. Neva River Since the foundation of the city, the Neva was intended to be the "main street of the city". Throughout most of the 18th century there were no bridges across the river and people were ferried from one bank to the other, just the way Peter the Great intended when he founded his "Venice of the North". The Neva River is only 46 miles long and flows from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland, in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Before joining the Baltic, the Neva splits into several branches forming a delta, where downtown St. Petersburg is located.

On average the river is 1300-2000 feet wide, but near the Peter and Paul fortress and the Hermitage it exceeds 2600 feet. The river is covered with ice between mid-December and early April and during this period ships are unable to navigate the river. But, whatever the season, the Neva River is a wonderful accompaniment to the architectural splendor of the Winter Palace and Hermitage , the Admiralty , the Peter and Paul fortress , the Summer Gardens and the major landmarks that stand on its banks. MEMBER SERVICES St. Petersburg | Russia | Britannica.com St. Petersburg Alternative Titles: Leningrad, Petrograd, Sankt-Peterburg Related Topics Peter I St. Petersburg, Russian Sankt Peterburg, formerly (1914–24) Petrograd and (1924–91) Leningrad, city and port, extreme northwestern Russia . A major historical and cultural centre and an important port, St. Petersburg lies about 400 miles (640 km) northwest of Moscow and only about 7° south of the Arctic Circle .

It is the second largest city of Russia and one of the world’s major cities. St. Petersburg has played a vital role in Russian history since its founding in 1703. For two centuries (1712–1918) it was the capital of the Russian Empire. The city is remembered as the scene of the February (March, New Style) and October (November, New Style) Revolutions of 1917 and for its fierce defense while besieged during World War II. Architecturally, it ranks as one of the most splendid and congenial cities of Europe . Its historic district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990. Area city, 550 square miles (1,400 square km). Pop. (2010) 4,879,566; (2012 est.) 4,953,219. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Time-lapse video of St. Petersburg. Geoff Tompkinson/GTImage.com; original music by Vincent Jacq (A Britannica Publishing Partner) St. Petersburg.

© Mikhail Khromov/Shutterstock.com Character of the city St. Petersburg is a mecca of cultural, historical, and architectural landmarks. Founded by Tsar Peter I (the Great) as Russia’s “window on Europe,” it bears the unofficial status of Russia’s cultural capital and most European city, a distinction that it strives to retain in its perennial competition with Moscow. Three distinctive characteristics of St. Petersburg engage attention. The first is the city’s harmonious mix of western European and Russian architecture . Second is St. Petersburg’s lack of an unequivocal city centre, which, in other Russian cities of medieval origin, is defined by a kremlin and its surrounding area. The third characteristic feature of the city is its many waterways. The short but full-flowing tributaries and canals of the Neva River that stretch to the Baltic coast are inseparable from St. Petersburg’s panorama. Many of the city’s most famed architectural sites stretch along the Neva’s historic embankments. Moreover, the bridges and natural canals of the river have earned St. Petersburg the nickname “Venice of the North.” Because of St.

Petersburg’s northerly location, the city enjoys the “White Nights,” from June 11 to July 2, when daylight extends to nearly 19 hours—another of St. Petersburg’s most acclaimed characteristics. Among the cultural events devoted to celebrating the White Nights are the festivals organized by the Mariinsky and Hermitage theatres and the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Each night during the White Nights, the bridges spanning the Neva are raised to let boat traffic through. After the collapse of the Soviet Union , St. Petersburg imbibed a new energy as crumbling facades, potholed roads, and cultural landmarks were renovated. Chesmenn Church, St. Petersburg. Kazan City site St. Petersburg is located on the delta of the Neva River , at the head of the Gulf of Finland . The city spreads across 42 islands of the delta and across adjacent parts of the mainland floodplain . The very low and originally marshy site has subjected the city to recurrent flooding, especially in the autumn, when strong cyclonic winds drive gulf waters upstream, and also at the time of the spring thaw.

Exceptionally severe inundations occurred in 1777, 1824, and 1924; the last two were the highest on record and flooded most of the city. To control the destructive floodwaters, the city built in the 1980s an 18-mile- (29-km-) long dike across the Gulf of Finland. A number of canals also have been cut to assist drainage. Ovechkin or Putin? Greater St. Petersburg—the city itself with its satellite towns— forms a horseshoe shape around the head of the Gulf of Finland and includes the island of Kotlin in the gulf. On the north it stretches westward along the shore for nearly 50 miles (80 km) to include Zelenogorsk. This northern extension is an area of dormitory towns, resorts, sanatoriums, and children’s camps set among extensive coniferous forests and fringed by fine beaches and sand dunes. Some upper-class St. Petersburg residents also have summer cottages, or dachas, in this area. On the southern side of the gulf, the metropolitan limits extend westward to include Peterhof and Lomonosov .

Eastward, Greater St. Petersburg stretches up the Neva River to Ivanovskoye. Climate Obama Acts to Protect the Arctic The mitigating effect of the Atlantic Ocean provides St. Petersburg with a milder climate than might be expected for its far northern site. Nevertheless, winters are rather cold, with a mean January temperature of about 21 °F (−6 °C), a few degrees warmer than that for Moscow. Winter temperatures can drop below −40 °F (−40 °C), however. Snow cover lasts on the average about 132 days. The Neva begins to freeze normally about mid-November, and the ice is solid by the start of December; breakup begins in mid-April and usually is completed by the end of the month. Icebreakers prolong the navigation season. Summers are moderately warm, with an average temperature of 65 °F (18 °C) in July. Mean annual precipitation amounts to about 25 inches (634 mm), with the summer being the wettest period. City layout In lieu of a distinctive city centre on the standard Russian medieval model, much of St.

Petersburg’s main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospekt (avenue), particularly the stretch running from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Terminal, is considered the city’s centre. Central St. Petersburg is divided into four sections by the Neva River and its distributaries. The Admiralty Side lies along the left (south) bank of the Neva itself, at this point called the Bolshaya (Great) Neva. Between the Bolshaya Neva and the river’s other main arm, the Malaya (Little) Neva, is Vasilyevsky Island. The Malaya Neva and the river’s extreme right (north) distributary, the Bolshaya Nevka, enclose a group of islands known as the Petrograd Side, while east of the Bolshaya Nevka and north of the Neva proper lies the Vyborg Side. Admiralty Side Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest Much of St. Petersburg’s historical and cultural heritage is concentrated on the Admiralty Side. The district centres on the Admiralty. This, the nucleus of Peter’s original city, was reconstructed in 1806–23 by Andreyan D.

Zakharov as a development of the earlier building of Ivan K. Korobov, which itself had been remodeled in 1727–38 but retained the layout of the original. Its elegant spire, topped by a weather vane in the form of a ship, is one of the principal landmarks of the city. The building today houses a naval college. Admiralty Tower, St. Petersburg. Golden spire of the Admiralty in St. Petersburg. © Mikhail Khromov/Shutterstock.com Just to the east lies the great Palace Square, the city’s oldest. The 600-ton granite monolith of the Alexander Column (1830–34), the tallest of its kind in the world and so finely set that its base is not fastened, thrusts up for 165 feet (50 metres) near the centre of the square. Pedestal of the Alexander Column in Palace Square, St. Petersburg.

© Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Winter Palace (left) and the New Hermitage (right; both parts of the Hermitage museum), with the … Dennis Jarvis (CC-BY-2.0) (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Between the square and the river rises the huge and massive rectangle of the Winter Palace , the former principal residence of the tsars . The present structure, the fifth to be built, was the Baroque masterpiece of Bartolomeo F. Rastrelli . Construction of it began in 1754 and was completed in 1762. Both the exterior and the interior of the palace were designed in dazzlingly luxurious style. In 1837 the building was destroyed by fire, and only the adjoining Hermitage survived; the Winter Palace was recreated in 1839 almost exactly according to Rastrelli’s plans. The striking appearance of the palace is highlighted by white columns against a green background, with golden stucco moldings; 176 sculptured figures line the roof.

The whole complex, now called the Hermitage , or State Hermitage Museum, is a treasury of mostly western European painting and sculpture, an art collection of worldwide significance that originated in 1764 as the private holdings of Tsarina Catherine II . Overview of the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz Hermitage museum complex on the Neva River, St. Petersburg. Shown from left to right are: the … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) The Winter Palace (left) and the New Hermitage (right), parts of the Hermitage museum, St. … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies Opposite the Winter Palace, the great crescent of Karl Ivanovich Rossi’s General Staff building (1811–29) dominates the square.

The two wings of the building are joined by a huge triumphal arch topped by heroic figures and crowned by a chariot carrying a figure representing Glory, expressing the Russian victory against the invading army of Napoleon I in the campaign of 1812 (see French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars ). On the western (downstream) side of the Admiralty stretches the expanse that was called Senate Square when the Senate moved there in 1763; it is now called Decembrist s’ (or Dekabristovs’) Square in commemoration of the revolt in 1825. The buildings of the former Senate and Synod (now housing archives) dominate the western side of the square, their decorated facades dating from the 1830s and representing the last great work of Rossi. They are separated by an arch looking across to the centre of the square, where stands the equestrian statue of Peter, known as the Bronze Horseman, created in 1782 by Étienne Falconet .

Near the Senate and Synod buildings to the south rises the Neoclassical front of the Horse Guards Riding School, or Manezh (1804–07); beyond, dominating the south side of St. Isaac’s Square, is the cathedral of the same name. An outstanding monument of late Neoclassical Russian architecture built by Auguste Montferrand (1818–58), St. Isaac’s is one of the largest domed buildings in the world; its golden cupola, gilded with about 220 pounds (100 kg) of pure gold, soars to 331 feet (101 metres) in height and is visible all over St. Petersburg. It is now a museum. St. Isaac’s Cathedral, St. Petersburg. © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) The Bronze Horseman, monument to Peter the Great, St. Petersburg. © Dmitry Nikolaev/Shutterstock.com Ottoman Empire From the Admiralty and its surrounding squares radiate three great avenues, of which the most important and best known is the Nevsky.

One of the world’s great thoroughfares, Nevsky Prospekt cuts southeastward across the peninsula formed by the northward loop of the Neva to the vicinity of the Alexander Nevsky Abbey, crossing the smaller Moyka and Fontanka rivers. The Anichkov Bridge across the latter is graced by four sculptured horses. The street has a special beauty: the architecture is majestic, the buildings are graceful and finely proportioned, and the construction is complex. On Nevsky Prospekt stand the Stroganov, Shuvalov, and Anichkov palaces (former private residences of the nobility) and several churches, of which the most prominent are St. Peter’s Lutheran Church (1833–38), St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church (1763–83), and the Kazan Cathedral (1801–11). The last edifice, undoubtedly the street’s finest feature, was designed by Andrey Voronikhin in Russian Neoclassical style and has an interior rich in sculptures and paintings. A magnificent semicircular Corinthian colonnade dominates its exterior.

Another interesting building is the department store Gostiny Dvor (1761–85), originally designed by Jean-Baptiste M. Vallin de la Mothe. This building forms an irregular square and opens onto four streets; formerly it was a mercantile centre. Other department stores line Nevsky Prospekt, as do many restaurants, cafés, and theatres—most notably the Pushkin Academic Drama Theatre. Kazan Cathedral, with a colonnade of 96 Corinthian columns arranged in four rows, forms an extended … Demetrio Carrasco—Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg. © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (commonly known as Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood) … Geoff Tompkinson/GTImage.com (A Britannica Publishing Partner) At the eastern end of Nevsky Prospekt, Alexander Nevsky Square fronts the main entrance to the abbey of the same name and its surrounding gardens. Beyond the square’s main entrance lie, on the left and right, respectively, monuments and sculptures of the 18th-century Lazarus Cemetery (where Mikhail V.

Lomonosov and many of the city’s architects are buried) and the 19th-century Tikhvin Cemetery (containing the graves of such writers and composers as Fyodor Dostoyevsky , Modest Mussorgsky , and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ). Behind the cemeteries rise the spires and cupolas of the Church of the Annunciation (1720, designed by Domenico Trezzini), which is now a museum, and Holy Trinity Cathedral (1778–90, designed by Ivan Starov). Through the Admiralty Side and intersecting the radial avenues cut the natural channels and canals that so distinguish the city. The most important, in outward order from the Admiralty, are the Moyka and Fontanka rivers and the Griboyedov and Obvodny canals. Downstream from the northern entrance of the Fontanka into the Neva lies the Field of Mars , one of the city’s beautiful open spaces. Begun under Peter (when it was known as the Field of Amusement), it was intended for popular festivities and fireworks.

It was a favourite haunt of the 18th-century nobility, but its present name derives from a monument erected in 1801, which portrays the great Russian military leader Aleksandr V. Suvorov (buried in the Church of the Annunciation) as the god of war . In the 19th century the space was used for military parades and exercises. The fallen of the February Revolution of 1917 and the defenders of the city during the civil war and foreign military intervention (1918–20) were buried there. They are commemorated by an eternal flame. Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (commonly known as Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood), … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) At the extreme eastern side of the central city, within the sharp bend of the Neva itself, lies the Smolny complex of buildings; these include a former convent, with the five-domed cathedral, designed by Rastrelli and begun in 1748, and the Neoclassical building of the Smolny Institute, constructed by Giacomo Quarenghi in 1806–08.

The institute was used as Vladimir Ilich Lenin ’s headquarters in 1917 and is home to the city government. Smolny Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia. K. Scholz/H. Armstrong Roberts, Inc. Just to the east lies the Summer Garden. Founded on an island in 1704, it has parks and gardens that by the end of the 18th century contained more than 250 statues and busts, mostly the work of Venetian masters. The Summer Palace , Peter’s first building project in the city, erected 1710–14 in early Russian Baroque style and designed by Trezzini, stands in the northeastern portion of the garden. The Neva embankment is fronted by a fence (1784), the iron grille of which is reputed to be among the world’s finest examples of wrought-iron work. So light and delicate is its design that the grillwork almost seems to be suspended in air. Vasilyevsky Island One of the first areas of St. Petersburg to be developed because of its defendable position, Vasilyevsky Island forms the northwestern corner of the central city.

Opposite the Admiralty and Winter Palace, at the island’s eastern tip, is the remarkable architectural complex known as the Strelka (“Pointer”), facing the bifurcation of the Neva. Behind the two great Rostral Columns, decorated by carved ships’ prows, and across Pushkin Square, the point rises majestically to the former Exchange building (Thomas de Thomon, 1805–10), the city’s finest example of early 19th-century style and reminiscent of a Classical Greek temple in appearance; it now houses the Central Naval Museum. St. Isaac’s Cathedral (left), one of the Rostral Columns (centre), and the Stock Exchange building … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Farther back, the Twelve Colleges building (Trezzini, 1722–42), originally intended to house the supreme governmental bodies of Peter, is now the home of the city’s state university.

The building is divided into 12 identical but independent sections and runs at right angles to the Neva embankment, which is fronted at that point by the facades of the main building of the Academy of Sciences, the Menshikov Palace, and the Academy of Arts. On the far, or northern, side of the Exchange is the Naval Customs House—now known as Pushkin House (Institute of Russian Literature)—designed by Giovanni Luchini (1829–32). The Erarta Museum and Galleries of Contemporary Art on the western edge of Vasilyevsky Island opened in 2010. With more than 2,000 works by some 140 artists, it is Russia ’s largest private museum of contemporary art. On the opposite side of the island, Novy Muzei (“New Museum”) focuses on contemporary works from the second half of the 20th century. Petrograd Side Upstream of the bifurcation of the Neva is the Petrograd Side, where the great Peter-Paul Fortress faces the Strelka across the Malaya Neva.

Founded in 1703, this fortification, the city’s first structure, initially had earthen walls, but these were soon replaced by stone walls 40 feet (12 metres) high and 12 feet (4 metres) thick, with 300 cannons mounted on the bastions . Above the squat horizontal lines of the fortress’s massive walls soars the slender, arrowlike spire of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, a golden landmark for the city. The cathedral was built in 1712–33 by Trezzini, and the tsars and tsarinas of Russia from the time of Peter (except for Peter II and Nicholas II) are buried in it. Trezzini also designed St. Peter’s (Petrovsky) Gate (1718) as the eastern entrance to the fortress. The Neva Gate, designed by Nikolay A. Lvov, dates from 1787. From the early 19th century the fortress was used as a prison, chiefly for political prisoners. Today it is a museum. At noon each day a cannon is fired from its battlements. Cathedral of St. Peter and St.

Paul, St. Petersburg. © Ferenz/Shutterstock.com Inside the Peter-Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg. © Dainis Derics/Shutterstock.com Chapel of St. Catherine in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Petersburg. © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul with the walls of the Peter-Paul Fortress in the foreground, … © Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Just to the east of the Peter-Paul Fortress, where the Bolshaya Nevka River begins, the cruiser Aurora is permanently moored as a museum and training vessel for the Naval College. It was the Aurora that in 1917 fired the blank shot that served as the signal to storm the Winter Palace during the October Revolution . The bow of the cruiser Aurora, anchored in the Bolshaya Nevka River, and (centre) the … © Wolfgang Kaehler The Russian cruiser Aurora moored on the Bolshaya Nevka River, St. Petersburg.

© Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Vyborg Side The northeastern part of the central city had by the late 19th century developed into an industrial appendage, but by the end of the 20th century most of its industry had been replaced by office and apartment buildings and retail establishments. One of its most famous features is the Finland Railway Station, which faces the Admiralty Side across the Neva. Lenin returned to Russia in April 1917 via this station, and there he made his initial pronouncement of a new course that would bring the Bolsheviks to power. A major street of the Vyborg Side is Bolshoi Sampsonievski Prospekt, along which stand such buildings as the Cathedral of St. Sampson. Vyborg, on the Gulf of Finland, Leningrad oblast, Russia. Sovfoto/TASS Outer region St. Petersburg extends well to the north and south of the original delta site, with arms of growth extending westward along the banks of the Gulf of Finland. The newer outer suburbs include extensive open areas, and parts of the periphery are designated as greenbelt.

Alongside the city’s satellite towns, large-scale commercial agriculture and “agro-recreational” plots owned by residents of St. Petersburg (dachas, collective orchards, and vegetable gardens) extend 12 to 50 miles (20 to 80 km) from the city centre. However, the multiplicity of large housing blocks containing numerous two- or three-room apartments means that population densities in the built-up areas remain high. As in virtually all modern cities, commuting over long distances is the price paid for more living space and the cleaner air of the suburbs. Among the suburbs noteworthy for their historical and cultural value are Peterhof , Pushkin , Pavlovsk , and Gatchina . Peterhof The most famous of the communities around St. Petersburg is Peterhof, whose unique garden-park setting, stretching in terraces rising above the Gulf of Finland, contains representative works from two centuries of Russian architectural and park styles. The Great Palace , the former residence of Peter I, stands at the edge of the second terrace, its bright yellow walls contrasting with white stucco decorations and the gilt domes of its lateral wings.

Built in the Baroque style (1714–28), it was reconstructed and expanded by Rastrelli from the mid-1740s to the mid-1750s. On the north the building commands a view of the Grand Cascade, a grandiose structure including a grotto, 64 fountains, and two cascading staircases, which lead to an enormous semicircular basin that contains a giant statue of Samson wrestling with a lion. This statue, symbolizing the military glory of Russia, is a copy of the original statue by Mikhail I. Kozlovsky , which was carried off by the Nazis during World War II . In fact, much of the town’s treasure was plundered and many of its buildings were destroyed during the siege of Leningrad . After the siege was lifted, the city was given a more Russian-sounding name, Petrodvorets, which was its official name from 1944 until it was renamed Peterhof in 2009. This magnificent vista becomes all the more remarkable when it is remembered that much of it is a post-World War II restoration. The Great Palace, Petrodvorets, St. Petersburg.

© Kokhanchikov/Shutterstock.com River cruises in Russia | Audley Travel River cruises in Russia Russia Go A river cruise between Moscow and St Petersburg is a relaxing way to see Russia's two main cities, as well as some of its fascinating towns, villages, ancient churches and monasteries in between. Moscow and St Petersburg are connected by the mighty Volga, a series of canals, and the two largest lakes in Europe, Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga. Boats stop along the way at various small villages as well as Golden Ring towns, where you have the chance to explore the pretty churches and monasteries. The longer cruises spend more time here, while the shorter ones just give you a taste of the region. It is possible to travel from Moscow to St Petersburg or vice versa. Combine a cruise with one of our Russia itineraries Russia Explore Moscow and St Petersburg, travelling by day train between the two cities. View this trip Moscow, St Petersburg & the Golden Ring 10 days from £2,505pp This itinerary takes in the main highlights of Moscow and St Petersburg and includes time spent in the historic Golden Ring towns of Vladimir and Suzdal.

View this trip Church of the Transfiguration, Kizhi The river Neva, St Petersburg Russian river cruise highlights Moscow For centuries, Moscow has been the political, cultural and economic centre of Russia. It's a city of contrasts where the medieval architecture of St Basil's with its iconic onion domes sits alongside Soviet-era high-rise blocks and gleaming skyscrapers of the 21st century. With so much to see and do it's a good idea to stay for a few days in Moscow before or after your cruise to take in its many historical sights, buildings and galleries such as: Red Square, the Kremlin, the Pushkin Museum and Tretyakov Galleries, the Novodevichy Convent, Arbat Street and the Bolshoi Theatre. Goritsy Approximately half way between Moscow and St Petersburg is Goritsy, famed as the place where Ivan the Terrible exiled not one, but two, of his wives. Nearby is the Kirillo Belozersky Monastery, which was once one of the country’s most powerful monastic settlements. Kizhi In the middle of Lake Onega lies Kizhi, home to one of Russia’s most iconic sites – the Church of the Transfiguration.

Built entirely of wood in 1714 and with thirty domes, the church looks like something out of a fairytale. There are a number of other notable wooden buildings on Kizhi that have been brought from the surrounding area to create an interesting display. Mandrogui Completely destroyed in WWII, but then rebuilt to preserve a traditional way of life, the small village of Mandrogui has become something of a living museum. Its old wooden houses, colourfully decorated by paintings and wooden engravings, help create a traditional atmosphere, and show visitors what life used to be like hundreds of years ago. There is also an extensive vodka museum, housing more than 2,000 different types of the country’s national drink. St Petersburg St Petersburg boasts a magnificent collection of grand buildings, galleries and theatres, and is perhaps Russia's most opulent cultural destination. Built in 1703 by Peter the Great and the heart of the Russian Empire at its most splendid and extravagant. St Petersburg was bestowed with a legacy of wealth and sophistication which is evident in the city's architectural style, its art collections and, perhaps most famously, its vast palaces.

Recommended cruise options in Russia Moscow Cruises : River Cruises from Moscow to St Petersburg : Boat Travel to Moscow : Crucero Moscu San Petersburgo : Russian Cruise Company Questions? In the USA, call 24hrs a day toll free 1-800-553-9034 Moscow Cruises : River Cruises from Moscow to St Petersburg : Boat Travel to Moscow : Crucero Moscu San Petersburgo : Russian Cruise Company Russian River Cruises > Routes and Destinations > Moscow - St. Petersburg Cruise Moscow - St. Petersburg Cruise Our Moscow St. Petersburg cruises run in both directions. You can either choose a cruise starting in Moscow and finishing in St. Petersburg or vice versa. No matter which direction you choose, you will sail along the magnificent Volga River, the peaceful White Lake, the winding Svir River, Lake Onega full of picturesque islands, the Baltic Channel – one of the most important engineering projects of the early Soviet era, Lake Ladoga – the largest freshwater lake in Europe, and the famous Neva River. Besides enjoying wonderful river views and a relaxing cruise atmosphere, you will also have an exciting sightseeing program.

Moscow will impress you with it medieval Kremlin, great selection of historic buildings, monumental Stalinist architecture and its vibrant atmosphere. St. Petersburg will enchant you with its romantic feel and its stunning, Imperial palaces. The small towns that lie in between ‘the two capitals’ also have a lot to offer: ancient Russian churches and monasteries, fine examples of wooden architecture, splendid views and tranquil atmospheres. To learn more about the cities you will be visiting and the route that you are taking, please click on any of the Detailed Itineraries listed below. Select direction History of St-Petersburg. Russian history, arts and architecture of Saint Petersburg Russian cuisine General information on St. Petersburg St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia after its capital - Moscow, with the population of about 6 million people. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our guests who left for Paris right after having visited St. Petersburg, and spent several days there on the banks of the Seine, witnessed that they found the city on the Neva river more amazing, more beautiful, and more impressive than Paris.

Our city was founded by Tsar Peter the Great (ruled 1682 -1725) in 1703 and from 1712 became the new capital of Russia. It had this status up until 1918 when the capital was brought back to Moscow. This city witnessed many important historical events. In fact, the whole history of the Russian Empire lies here on the banks of the Neva river. Russia became a European empire at the beginning of the 18th century; in fact, Peter the Great was the first Russian emperor. It was the era of vast changes in our country, and Peter was the greatest reformer ever. A more detailed account of what he did for Russia will be given to you during our tour. prev | next Ted Hewlett, Nashville, Tennessee "You will not be in any way disappointed with this company - by far and away, the very best" Add a theme to your SP tour! Off The Beaten Path: explore the sights that satisfy YOUR own interests and wishes.

Saint-Petersburg Central (River) Yacht Club — Countries: Russia Approaches to the Saint-Petersburg Central (River) Yacht Club The docks of the Saint Petersburg Central (River) Yacht Club are situated in the mouths of the rivers Malaya Neva (Little Neva) and Bolshaia Nevka (Big Neva). One can easily find the way to our yacht club using the Sea Channel and Peter's Passage. Boats going to the Central Yacht Club from Kronstadt can use as reference points the Saint Petersburg TV tower, or the stadium, named after Kirov, with its flood-light masts (these can be seen to the left of the club, over the river). Further on, you will come to a break in the line of modern houses. First the club whereabouts will be seen as a low, wide green zone between the towering modern buildings, then you'll detect the right edge of this break, which is the Vasilievsky Island with its buildings (this island lies to the right of the club, on the opposite bank of the river from it). More closely you'll see the futuristic 3 floor administrative building of the yacht club.

The recommended course is 92 - 272 degrees from the buoys numbers 23 and 24. Those coming along the Sea Channel up to buoys 33 and 34 will see lit range buoys, leading to the Peter's Passage on a course of 63 - 253 degrees. The length of Peter's Passage from the entrance buoy number 2 to the Parade Harbor of the Saint Petersburg Central Yacht Club is 3,1 miles. They always maintain the depth in this Passage to no less than 4 meters and a width of 80 meters. To navigate through this Passage follow the Krestovsky Island beacons. The beacons are 2 steel and concrete towers with red vertical lines. Their lights are fixed red and can be seen from 11 miles distance. The direction to the beacons is 245,3 - 65,3 degrees. Once you reach the buoys 10 and 12 of Peter's Passage you can keep to the north of the Passage but only at a distance of 50 meters from buoys, no more.

Further west from buoy 10 you can follow the Passage in the same manner, but keeping even closer to the line of buoys. It is not recommended to go to the south side of the Passage. Boats using Peter's Passage drawing less than 1 meter must follow the channel outside of the buoys. Bigger vessels must move under power. Ships using Peter's Passage are not obliged to give way to sailing yachts. From buoy number 14 in Peter's Passage begins a sea channel, leading to the river Bolshaia Nevka and to the Central Yacht Club. This is the way to the Parade Harbor in the Bolshaia Nevka which features stone embankments and wooden mooring berths, and also to the Guest Harbor, which is the big basin at the sea side of the club. It also has a wooden pontoon on its eastern side. The entrance to the Guest Harbor is between two stone breakwaters just at the edge of the river's mouth. The depths in both harbors are 3,5 - 4 meters and more, except the farthest south side of the Guest Harbor, which is used mostly for motorboats.

Peters Passage leads farther into the river Malaya Neva, where the yacht club also has a Work Harbor (the first on the left from the river's mouth). The Saint Petersburg River Yacht Club The Saint Petersburg River Yacht Club is the oldest and the biggest yacht club in Russia. It was established in 1860. The club's founders liked to travel by small boats on rivers, which are numerous in this region. That's why they called the club the River Yacht Club. Right from its foundation the River Yacht Club had facilities on the sea coast and its activities have always been directed to voyages and sports on the sea. During its history our club has changed its name and site rather often. In 1910 on its 50th anniversary the club received an honorable addition to its name: The Saint Petersburg River Yacht Club of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia, thus marking the club's great achievements in sports and social life. In Soviet times our club was renamed and changed its place several times.

In 1935 - 1936 the club was moved for the last time to the sea end of the island, which lies at the mouth of the river Neva and is named after Peter the First. So now our postal address is 197042 Saint Petersburg, Petrowskya Kosa 9, Russia. After that move the name of the club became Zentralny (Central) because it was the biggest yacht club in the city even at that time. Later on several other little yacht clubs joined our club. Choosing the present place for our yacht club, the authorities took into consideration the need for simple sea approaches. That's why our club has the best sea approaches and stands close to the historical center of Saint Petersburg. Presently the club owns about 80 big cruiser yachts and about 100 little sailing boats. The flag ship of our club is the schooner Nadezda (Hope), built in 1912 in Holland. We have several other historic vessels: the yacht Merame built in 1910 in Finland, also the yachts Zvezda, Neva and Malva built in 1936 - 1938 in Germany.

Our club accommodates about 50 other big vessels. In addition in summer we can receive about 50 large visiting yachts every day. We have 3 main docks. The Guest (or Western) Harbor is used mostly for visiting vessels and is situated at the sea end of our club. It is divided from the open sea by a stone embankment and is quite secure. The Parade Harbor consists of berthing places used in summer mostly by our own fleet and vessels of other companies and persons. The Working Harbor is close to our shipbuilding and repair facilities and winter on shore places for yachts. It is used mostly for work on vessels. There is a 12.5 ton crane. We are in the process of developing repairing and shipbuilding facilities in our club. We already can undertake practically any repair job for a small or medium size vessel. Prices for such services are subject to negotiation. They are comparatively low, but the quality of work is high. Our workers are especially good when reconstructing old yachts with wooden hulls. We have many orders for this kind of work from Russian and foreign sailors. Our club is a secure place and has security guards 24 hours a day.

We also offer to guests of the club training programs and sea voyages on the club's own yachts. Our prices depend on the kind of the vessel. The sailing and motor schooner Nadezda can take up to 40 persons for a day's voyage and 30 for longer programs (30 sleeping places for guests). We can also organize special tourist programs in the Gulf of Finland and inland waters of Russia. Exclusive programs, including visits to islands in the Vyborg Gulf or islands in Ladoga Lake, which is normally prohibited for foreigners, are also possible. Saint Petersburg Central (River) Yacht Club, Petrovskaya kosa 9, Saint-Petersburg, 197110, Russia Tel:+7 812 235-6636, Fax:+7 812 235-6636, info@yachtclub.spb.ru A Virtual Tour of St. Petersburg, Russia Virtual Tour A Virtual Tour of St. Petersburg Welcome to our tour of St. Petersburg! Here we will introduce you to Russia's greatest historical and cultural treasure, its "Northern Capital" - the famous "Venice of the North".

Virtually unharmed by the 1930-50s period of Stalinist reconstruction, downtown St. Petersburg is crowded with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, tree-lined avenues and beautiful bridges. Although not yet 300 years old, St. Petersburg is a city crammed with historical and cultural associations and a refined air of mystery. Just sit back, wander around the virtual sights on our tour and discover the unparalleled beauty of St. Petersburg, Russia. Start your tour here and follow the NEXT links... or select one of the landmarks below. The Cabin of Peter the Great This was the very first wooden house to be built in St. Petersburg and was home to Peter the Great himself between 1703 and 1708. Perfectly preserved for almost 300 years, the Cabin now serves as a museum for visitors to St. Petersburg to enjoy. The Summer Garden and Summer Palace of Peter the Great The palace was built in the early 18th century by the Italian architect Domenico Trezinni to host the Emporer's festive assamblei and to entertain the local gentry.

Take a look at the carefully preserved palace and enjoy a gentle stroll through the statue-lined avenues of Peter's favorite park. The Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns Magnificent architectural ensemble built after the turn of the 19th century on Vasilevsky Island - just across the Neva River from the beautiful Winter Palace. Enjoy the Stock Exchange's grandiose columns, reminiscent of the architecture of Ancient Greece, and the impressive red Rostral Columns, originally built as beacons for ships navigating the waters of the Neva River. St. Petersburg State University The impressive red-and-white Twelve Colleges building was built in the 1740s and since the early 19th century has played host to one of the most prominent universities in Russia. Its scholarly graduates include the famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleev, the creator of the Periodic Table of Elements, and non other than the famous revolutionary Vladimir Lenin himself. The Hermitage One of the largest and most impressive art collections in the world. The Hermitage was founded on the original 18th century collection of Empress Catherine the Great and is housed in the magnificent Baroque Winter Palace and three other majestic buildings along the Neva River embankment.

Palace Square and the Alexander Column The heart of St. Petersburg and the city's main square - enclosed by Rastrelli's beautiful Baroque Winter Palace, Rossi's imposing General Staff Building and the historical home of the Russian Navy - the Admiralty, and centered on the impressive, 155 foot-tall Alexander Column. The Admiralty One of the first structures to be built in St. Petersburg and the construction site for some of the first ships of Russia's Baltic Fleet. Restructured in the early 19th century to be a marvelous example of the Russian Empire style, complete with white columns, stucco relief and a gleaming spire, which can be seen throughout the center of the city. "The Bronze Horseman" This impressive equestrian monument was commissioned by Empress Catherine the Great to honor Peter the Great, the founder of the city. Depicted as a fearless Roman hero, the statue is the subject of one of the Russian poet Pushkin's most famous and best-loved works.

St Isaac's Cathedral Built in the first half of the 19th century by the French architect Auguste Montferrand, this enormous cathedral features impressive solid granite columns, incredibly detailed mosaic icons, a magnificent gilded dome and the most impressive views of the city from its high colonnade. The Blue Bridge The widest bridge in the world with an impressive 319-foot span encompassing the entire width of St. Isaac's Square. Built of cast iron in 1818 by the Russian architect Geste, the bridge spans the Moika River just in front of the grandiose Mariinsky Palace, a former Imperial residence but now home to City Hall. Nevsky Prospekt St. Petersburg's lively main street, lined with many of the city's most famous attractions and the hub of its commercial and business activities. Nevsky runs right through the heart of the city from the austere Alexander Nevsky Monastery to the Baroque splendors of the Winter Palace and the Hermitage. Kazan Cathedral Inspired by the Basilica of St.

Peters in Rome, the impressively proportioned Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan was built just after the turn of the 19th century by the Russian architect Andrei Voronikhin. Although closed for services during most of the Soviet era, the cathedral is open today and a wonderful example of a working Russian Orthodox Church. Arts Square and the Russian Museum The beautiful, Classical ensemble of Carlo Rossi's Arts Square encompasses many of the city's most important cultural institutions, including the famous Russian Museum, housed in the majestic white-columned Mikhailovsky Palace and home to an extensive collection of Russian art from the 12th to the 20th centuries. The Mikhailovsky (St. Michael's) Castle An impressive, fortified redbrick palace built in the late 18th century for the paranoid and ill-fated son of Catherine the Great, Emperor Paul I. Built to assuage his fear of assassination, the Emperor's efforts were confounded when a conspiracy of the Palace Guard and the his own son murdered him in his very own castle bedroom in 1801.

Smolny Cathedral Stunning blue-and-white cathedral and convent ensemble designed in the mid-18th century by the famous Italian Baroque architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Originally created to house the monastic lifestyle of Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, and now home to the offices of St. Petersburg's City Administration. The Cruiser "Aurora" This veteran Russian Battleship was built at the end of the 19th century, served in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 and played a vital role in the October Revolution of 1917. Today the cruiser has been carefully preserved and serves as a fascinating museum to the achievements of the Russian Navy.

Question: St Petersburg in Russia lies on which river?
Answer: Neva