Dazzled by the tsar’s city of gold
48 hours in St Petersburg
COSMOPOLITAN, cultured and christened by many as the Venice of the North, St Petersburg is the perfect long weekend destination, with possibly more beauty per square yard – and certainly more gold per square inch – than any other city on Earth.
Evening
STAY at the Hotel Astoria (rocco fortehotels.com), which boasts views of the golden domes of St Isaac’s Cathedral, and is just a short walk from the renowned Bronze Horseman statue.
My advice is to go for a walk before getting stuck in to vodka cocktails in the hotel’s Lichfield Bar. The famous Winter Palace, now the Hermitage Museum, is a brisk 15-minute walk along the banks of the Neva river.
You can also see the Peter and Paul Fortress on the opposite bank, where the last Tsar and his family are buried. Arriving in Palace Square to see the 155ft- high Alexander Column (where the members of the court used to park their carriages while they attended balls) is to realise on what a magnificent scale Peter the Great built this city.
DAY ONE Morning
THERE is so much art to see in St Petersburg and you could devote every minute of your trip to the Hermitage Museum. Second only in size to the Louvre, it is said you could spend more than 100 years here and still not see all its works, which range from prehistoric artefacts to one of the world’s largest collections of Rembrandts.
After roaming the galleries, head round the corner for a spot of lunch in the delightful basement restau- rant Yat (en.eatinyat.com), where you can have borscht, red caviar pancakes and a shot of home-made vodka for 1,500 roubles – about £18. For children there is a playroom with live rabbits.
Afternoon
THERE is more art at the Russian Museum at the Mikhailovsky Palace, which houses an incredible collection of 300,000 exhibits ranging from glittering icons, through 1920s constructivism to the present day. Alternatively, head to the Yusupov Palace, once owned by Russia’s richest family and where Rasputin met his grisly death. Poisoned, shot and then chased like a dog across the snowy courtyard, he was finally murdered at the gates to the courtyard at the Yusupov Palace.
There is also the most golden of private theatres where Anna Pavlova used to dance. In the evening go to any ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre.
The concierge at the Astoria has last-minute tickets so ask in the morning, or else they can be booked in advance (mariinsky.ru/en/).
DAY TWO Morning
THE Faberge Museum houses the best collection of Imperial eggs in the world. It is the private collection of Viktor Vekselberg, a rich Russian who decided to save them for the nation. Enjoy a bite to eat at the Yeliseev Cafe on Nevsky Prospekt – it is the Fortnum & Mason of St Petersburg. Marvel at the domes of the Church on the Spilled Blood and its mosaic interior, built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated.
There is also a market nearby for souvenirs – it sells everything from fur hats to Putin dolls. Afternoon HAVE a lunch of warm dumplings, before being whipped with birch twigs and hosed down at the Degtyarny Banya (d1a.ru), where you leave so squeaky-clean that you’ll be ready for another shot of vodka.
DAY THREE Morning
IF YOU can squeeze in an extra morning, then visit the Catherine Palace. A turquoise and golden wonder of such extreme rococo beauty, it was built to rival Versailles and it does that with golden domes on.
In the Tsarskoye Selo, you’ll find the world- famous Amber Room that was dismantled by the Nazis during the war but restored by Putin. The queues are monumental, so arrive early.
The Witches Of St Petersburg, by Imogen Edwards-Jones, is published by Head of Zeus, priced £18.99.