If you’re taking advantage of the opportunity to visit Russia visa free, you will fall in love with the charms of St Petersburg. As well as all of the renowned sights to see and places to visit, St Petersburg is a veritable cornucopia of amazing places which are a little off the beaten path but well worth a visit.
Here are just some of St Petersburg’s hidden treasures which are sure to appeal to those tourists who like to experience something a little different and to get away from the crowd…
- The Dostoyevsky Memorial Museum is sure to appeal to lovers of classic literature. It is located a block away from the Vladimirskaya metro station, situated in Dostoyevsky’s last St Petersburg apartment. The author lived there between 1878 and 1881, and the small museum is filled with memorabilia which relates to both his work and his private life.
- The St Petersburg Zoological Museum is home to a vast zoological collection of more than seventeen million species; only a fraction of these can be displayed at one time. Come here to see, up close and personal, woolly mammoths, whale skeletons, dinosaur skeletons, stuffed mammals and birds, and unique butterflies. Originally established in 1832, as an offshoot from the Kunstkamera collections of Peter the Great, the museum is a little dated, but offers a rich and unique look at Russia’s natural history. It is situated on the Universitetskaya Embankment.
- Velikiy Novgorod is an ancient Russian city well worth a day trip from St Petersburg. It sits where the Volkhov River meets Lake Ilmen, and was first formed as a town more than one thousand years ago. Ancient peoples of Novgorod invited the Scandinavian Prince Rurik to rule, beginning a dynasty which would reign over Russia for seven hundred and fifty years. Visit the Kremlin Intercession Tower, St. Sophia Cathedral, the Alexander Nevsky Embankment, the Church of Our Saviour on Nereditsa, and the Yuriev Monastery, to name but a few attractions.
- Visit the Monkeys at Yelagin Island! Rent a row boat or paddleboat and enjoy a leisurely cruise on the canals of St Petersburg. Navigate various canals and lakes around and in Yelagin Island, where three resident baboons will watch you glide by. Tourists are not allowed to disembark on the island, but may photograph the baboon family from your boat and throw them bread or fruit to eat.
There is so much more to enjoy off the beaten path, we will tell you more another time!
Book your trip to Russia visa free through Scandi Travel for a once in a lifetime experience. Enjoy the common sights, but we also recommend getting off the beaten track as well – there is so much to discover in this Imperial City…
