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Day Two in Saint Petersburg

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We awoke to our second day in Saint Petersburg to find that it was snowing! Fortunately, it didn’t last long and didn’t settle, but it was bloody freezing!

To start our day we headed down to Smolny Cathedral which was located at the bottom of the road our hostel was on, away from Nevsky. Smolny is free to look inside, although make sure you come prepared with some sort of headscarf if you’re female. We also paid a ‘donation’ of 50 roubles so that we could climb to the top of the steeple and see the views over the city. I have to say, although the staircase was recently refurbished, it wasn’t the most reassuring climb I’ve ever done. However, the views from the top were worth it, so if you get the chance i’d highly recommend it.

After, we got the bus to the Peter and Paul Fortress which is free to have a wander round. Here you can see the burial place of all Russian Tsars from Peter I to Alexander III, with the exception of Peter II and Ivan VI, but there is a fee to enter the Cathedral where they are buried. However, from the Fortress you can walk out on to a beach and if you take a stroll down it there are some good views of the Winter Palace from the river side.

In the afternoon we went to KuntsKamera Museum which cost 100 roubles to get in. This museum had a number of interesting rooms, and went through lots of different places around the world. Perhaps the most intriguing room was the one that featured glass jars of malformed, still-born infants, which I wasn’t really expecting and so was susequently quite shocked by.

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After, we decided to walk back to our hostel, and on the way decided to stop and have a look inside Kazan cathedral. We accidentally found ourselves in the middle of a service halfway through out visit, which whilst unexpected was an experience I won’t forget.

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For dinner we went to Marketplace, which is a great choice if you want a cheap, quick and relaxed dinner with plenty of choice. After, we decided to go to Poison Karaoke Bar and have a few drinks. Well, I say a few… the next morning I did not exactly feel very fresh, the vodka hit me hard! However it really was the funnest night, and I have to say, the Russians are very into their karaoke!

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Have you been to Saint Petersburg and done any of these things? Let me know your experiences!!

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