Most Beautiful City- Experience it!

Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I have seen Paris, London, Florence, Venice, Madrid, and many others, but they all pale in comparison. St. Pete's has the beauty of the canals like Venice, it has old churches, amazing museums (the Hermitage is as big as they come!), wonderful theater, music, and ballet, and a heart like no other place I've been. It is not the kind of place you want to stop for a few hours on a cruise. You may get to buy some cheap trinkets and check out the Church on Spilled Blood, but you really need more than a few hours for this city.

By far, the best way to experience the city (unless you have friends there and are fluent in Russian) is through walking its streets with the best guides available. Peter's Walking Tours (www.peterswalk.com)are absolutely amazing. I spent a month in St. Pete's and I think I did about 10 tours. They were all absolutely wonderful, and I learned so much about the city- from the horror and courage during the siege of WWII to how to avoid gypsies (if you're not careful, you will probably be pick-pocketed or robbed in St. Pete's- you just need to learn to hold on to your stuff! The wallet in the back-pocket thing doesn't work there). I have no affiliation with Peter's Walking Tours except that they made my time in St. Pete's absolutely amazing. The Saint Petersburg International Hostel is a great place to stay if you're just looking for something that's close to everything and cheap (no frills- but good Russian breakfast every morning!). Be sure to check out the Hermitage- with the ISIC card- you get in FREE. Also- I'm not that into ballet or opera, but they have the best, so it's worth checking out. Go between May and August to experience great weather and white nights (it is amazing to be walking back at 2am and have it be "dusk"- especially for female travelers- you feel so safe in that city).

Things to watch out for: pickpockets (I don't care if you think you could feel someone reach into your pocket- you couldn't!), gypsies (generally young, mostly female, travel in groups and wear brightly colored clothes- hold onto your stuff- they will try to grab purses if you're waiting at a corner for the light to change), stupid tours- don't waste your $- go with Peter's Walking Tours.

Things to not miss: the WWII walking tour- especially around Victory Day in May, yummy food, the public markets (if you keep going back, vendors get to know you and throw in free stuff), the churches, the metro system (beautiful), the bridges (watch them open at night), and some great things in the outskirts of the city- like the palaces (my favorite is Peterhoff- beautiful fountains!).