St Petersburg is a very old city founded and designed by Peter The Great who was Russia's reigning emperor from 1682 to 1725. Though no longer an imperial city, St Petersburg still boasts of magnificent imperial residences and other monuments built during its monarchy era. This treasure load of historical buildings and other monuments, many of which were built along its river enbankments showcase the finest of Russian architecture with designs that truly mesmerize. The good thing is this heritage is wonderfully preserved and cruising its rivers is like cruising back in time. Savoring the magnificent vistas of heritage buildings along its river banks was also one of the best things I ever did in St Petersburg.
St Petersburg is built around the mouth of Neva River and comprises 42 islands meandered around by 68 rivers and canals. Crossing these waterways are 300 bridges. Its network of waterways and bridges share many similarities with Venice and it is often dubbed Venice Of The North.
Our river cruise started at the bank of Moyka River near Pevchesky Bridge (aka Yellow Bridge). This 1½ hour cruise covered a few stretches of Moyka River, Neva River and Fontaka River. Our boat is rather small with a seating capacity of about 30. It has an open air upper deck where plastic chairs are placed in rows and an enclosed lower deck with sliding windows to look out. The weather wasn't too good that evening as it started to drizzle not long after our journey started. The wind was icy cold but an unhindered view of the panoramic riverscape could only be enjoyed from the upper deck. That was where I remained for most of the journey and got a little wet but thankfully I had with me a waterproof camera which is always an asset on rainy days.
Many have gone inside the lower deck to seek shelter from the rain.
Each and every building seen along the journey was uniquely designed but all are very captivating.
From Moyka our boat cruised through a connecting canal and soon we were on Neva River which is the biggest river flowing through the city. Many prominent landmark of St Petersburg can be viewed from the rivers so taking a cruise is a very worthwhile thing to do. Listed below are the highlights of what I saw.
A good exterior view of Hermitage Museum is best seen from Neva River as one gets to see a stretch of four of its buildings. This picture shows Winter Palace on the right, Small Hermitage in the centre and Old Hermitage on the left.
Small Hermitage
Hermitage Theatre
Winter Palace
Canal between Hermitage Theatre (left) and Old Hermitage(right).
Admiralty building and the dome of St Isaac's Cathedral look majestic with its sprightly yellow and gold color.
The magnificent Almiralty.
Front view of Admiralty from Neva River
Peter And Paul Fortress on Zayachy Island.
Old Stock Exchange Building (the white building) and a Rostral Column on Vasilyevsky Island.
St Isaac's Cathedral
Senate And Synod Building
Academy Of Sciences Building
Old mansions
Kunstkamera Museum
We sailed under many bridges along the way. All the bridges came in varying designs.
Colorful buildings.
St Michael's Castle
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich Palace
Leningrad Regional Court building
Trinity Bridge
Trinity Bridge
Marble Palace
We also cruised passed Summer Garden.
Many scenes along the waterway are reminiscence of the ones I saw in Venice.
Finally, this one's for the memory.
1. A Trip To Russia - Introductory Post
2. Russia: A Day Out At Sergiyev Posad
3. My Russian Dining Experience
4. Russian Souvenirs
MOSCOW
5. Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour
6. Moscow Hard Rock Cafe And Old Arbat Street
7. Russia: Moscow Metro
8. Moscow Kremlin
9. Sparrow Hill And Victory Park
10. Museum Of Cosmonautics And Ostankino Tower
11. Red Square (Krasnaya Ploshchard)
12. Saint Basil's Cathedral
13. GUM Department Store
14. Milan Hotel Review
15. What I Like About Moscow
16. From Moscow To St Petersburg On Sapsan High Speed Train
17. Winter Palace/ State Hermitage Museum
18. St Isaac's Cathedral And Some Nearby Attractions
19. Seeing St Petersburg From Its Rivers
20. St Petersburg Most Gorgeous Building
21.St Petersburg's Peter And Paul Fortress
22.A Traditional Village , A Modern City
23. A Visit To 2 Summer Palaces
24. Smolninskaya Hotel
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