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| St.Petersburg street |
When you say Russian (or Northern) Venice, you mean St. Petersburg, or course. This city, being placed on several islands with countless bridges, used to be Russian capital for a long time (it was moved from Moscow). Some say it's a city of palaces and fountains (one more reason to come in summer: as no fiountains work during winter). (1)
It is also known for so called 'white nights' - every year in May and June you won't probably notice if it is already night there. From my experience, I can tell that the sun shines bright even at 11 p.m. (this confuses a lot travelers, and if you don't pay attention to your watch, you might end up walking to your hotel or taking a taxi, because public transport doesn't move much after the midnight). (2)
Best time to come to St.Petersburg is June. It should be warm enough (but don't you count on that! Bring your high boots along with the sandals, because my 2 weeks in the city went from +5C to +31C, from a heavy rain to a burning sun). (3)
June is also known for the event called 'Aliye Parusa' (Scarlet Sails), which is celebrating the end of a study year. Beware, this not only means evening gowns, concerts, fireworks and breathtaking views of a real wooden boat, but also brings loads of drunken boys and girls to the event. Yet again, it's worth everything that it
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| The bridge |
takes to be there. It would also be a nice idea to come to the river long before midnight (at least a couple hours) in order to find a place with a good view. At the midnight the sun is still shining, and the concert goes on. At about 2 a.m. the ship comes, accompanied by huge fireworks. Before that, the bridges are lifted up. (4)
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| Fireworks on the bridge |
Speaking of the bridges, many of them are being lifted at night in order to let the cargo ships pass the city, so keep your eyes open: be on the your side of Neva river before that happens. Or you'll have to search for a place to spend the night as the bridges won't get down till the morning. But back to Scarlet Sails: it ends at about 4-5 a.m., and that's when thousands of people start moving. Don't drink alcohol, I know it's freezing at night, but don't. Better put some hot tea and sandwiches into your bag (and surely the umbrella - no matter how cloudless the sky is, it might still rain in a couple hours). (5)
It is also known for so called 'white nights' - every year in May and June you won't probably notice if it is already night there. From my experience, I can tell that the sun shines bright even at 11 p.m. (this confuses a lot travelers, and if you don't pay attention to your watch, you might end up walking to your hotel or taking a taxi, because public transport doesn't move much after the midnight). (2)
Best time to come to St.Petersburg is June. It should be warm enough (but don't you count on that! Bring your high boots along with the sandals, because my 2 weeks in the city went from +5C to +31C, from a heavy rain to a burning sun). (3)
