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Russia Vibes

Independent travel guides: places, food, transport and practical tips, checked and kept up to date.

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Entertainment

The green-and-white opera and ballet house on Theatre Square, opened in 1860, with a modern second stage and concert hall nearby.

Landmarks

The great open square in front of the Winter Palace, framed by Rossi's curved General Staff Building and crowned by the Alexander…

Sightseeing

Saint Petersburg's monumental cathedral combines a gilded dome, marble interiors, mosaics and an outdoor colonnade with panoramic views.

Landmarks

The main street of Saint Petersburg, about 4.5 km from the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, lined with churches, palaces, canals,…

Museums

The world's largest museum of Russian art, in Carlo Rossi's Mikhailovsky Palace on the Square of Arts, with the Benois Wing and…

Sightseeing

A working cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt with a curved colonnade of 96 columns, built 1801–1811 to house a copy of the Kazan…

Landmarks

The citadel on Zayachy Island where Saint Petersburg began in 1703, with the Romanov burial cathedral, a political prison museum and walls…

Museums

Russia's great art museum fills the former Winter Palace and neighbouring buildings on the Neva embankment, with palace interiors as memorable as…

Churches

A multicoloured Russian-revival church on the Griboedov Canal, built where Alexander II was mortally wounded, with interior walls covered in mosaics.

Nightlife

Harat's Pub is the Irish-style pub chain that began in Irkutsk in 2009, with beer, food and live music. Check which branch…