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St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport

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St Petersburg Events

Maslenitsa

The start of Russian Lent is celebrated with feast of blinis (pancakes) at homes and restaurants across the city. The name of this festival translates as Butter Week - like Mardi Gras, the focus is on using up perishable food before the Lent fast.

Musical Spring in St Petersburg

Run by the Petersburg Composer’s Union, this international music festival celebrates the best of contemporary music, with performances in various venues across the city.

Venue: Various venues.

Victory Day

This festival marks the surrender of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in 1945. Amidst parades and military band marches in Palace Square, crowds gather at Piskarivskoye Memorial Cemetery to pay tribute to the victims of the Nazi blockade.

Venue: Palace Square and Piskarivskoye Memorial Cemetery.

Dyen Goroda (City Day)

St Petersburg gives itself a big pat on the back each May, celebrating its official City Day with parades, historical displays, public concerts and a fireworks display.

Venue: Throughout St Petersburg.

Beliye Nochi (White Nights)

Experience the "White Nights" in St Petersburg, when the city sees itself illuminated by almost constant daylight. White Nights (Beliye Nochi) are a curious phenomenon caused by St Petersburg's northerly geographical location - the sun never descends below the horizon and locals fill the streets 24 hours a day. During this time, expect a variety of musical, dance and cultural performances throughout the city.

Venue: Throughout St Petersburg.

Dyen Voyenno Morskova Flota (Navy Day)

Befitting a great sea-faring city, St Petersburg celebrates Navy Day with gusto. Decorated warships gather along the River Neva for a stunning naval parade, a gala concert is held in Palace Square and fireworks fill the skies. Navy Day usually takes place on the last Sunday in July.

Venue: Various venues throughout St Petersburg.

International Winter Festival Arts Square

The brainchild of Yuri Temirkanov, conductor of the St Petersburg Academic Philharmonic, this festival brings the wintery streets to life with classical concerts, recitals and fireworks.

Venue: Theatres, museums and concert halls around the city.
Website: http://www.philharmonia.spb.ru

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Featured Hotels

Soul Kitchen Hostel

Budget hotels are thin on the ground in St Petersburg, but Soul Kitchen impressively fills the gap with boutique rooms, comfy dorms and communal areas you'll actually want to spend time in. The impressive list of perks includes free Wi-Fi, free phone calls and a shared kitchen. It also has a lovely canal-side location, a block from St Isaac's Cathedral.

Hotel Dostoevsky

This tidy, contemporary hotel has a great location, across from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Vladimir, in the bustling Vladimirskaya district.. The hotel offers in-room internet access, cable television, IDD phones, a fitness centre, plus the three must-haves for any Russian hotel – a restaurant, bar and sauna.

Pushka Inn

Set in a stately 18th-century mansion overlooking the Moyka River, the Pushka offers tastefully decorated rooms at a reasonable price. A boutique atmosphere pervades, and rooms have wooden floors and fabrics and furnishings in subtle colours. Wi-Fi access is complementary and, unusually, a buffet breakfast is included in the room rates.

Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg

With an enviable location on Nevsky prospekt, the Corinthia offers sleek modernity in place of the usual historical flourishes. The hotel features a grand 19th-century frontage, but inside everything is stylish and contemporary, with designer furniture, LCD TVs and high-speed Wi-Fi. There’s even a Russian restaurant, a Viennese café and two bars.

Kempinski Hotel Moika 22

It would be hard to find grander facilities than at the Kempinski Hotel Moika 22. Minutes from the Hermitage, it combines 21st-century facilities with touches of imperial grandeur. Rooms have high-speed Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service, and goose-down pillows and duvets. The hotel also boasts two restaurants, a bar and lounge, an English-style tearoom and a famously well-stocked wine cellar.

Matisov Domik

This small and peaceful hotel is set in a quiet residential neighbourhood, 10 minutes from the Mariinsky Theatre. The hotel runs regular shuttle services to Nevsky prospekt and the 46 rooms range from modestly sized singles to family sized studios, suites, and apartments. A breakfast buffet is included in the price.

Introducing St Petersburg

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