Information about the region

St. Petersburg is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, one of the modern cities of Russia, as well as its cultural capital. Hundreds of tourists come here from all over the world to see the famous monuments of architecture, walk the streets and touch its history.

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the «Window in Europe». The city was built on the swampy land at the mouth of the River Neva. Prominent European and Russian architects worked here. The new capital grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. City was the capital of Russia from 1712 till 1918.

Now St. Petersburg is an industrial, cultural and scientific centre. There are over 80 museums, more than 20 theatres, a lot of exhibitions, universities, colleges and parks.

St. Petersburg is the most European city in Russia, here you can find buildings that will remind us of the magnificent ancient temples, Lutheran, Catholic churches and Russian churches, medieval castles and Venetian palaces, it is a city that has absorbed all the best of the world architecture and made it the best of its own. We will find here buildings of different styles: modest Peter's and luxurious Elizabethan Baroque; strict classicism and bizarre eclecticism, whimsical modern and nondescript constructivism, Stalin's Empire and modern high-tech.

Traveling around Saint-Petersburg more

Safety more

St. Petersburg is one of the safest European capitals for tourists. You can walk day and night without thinking continually about the risks and dangers. Nevertheless, there are a few simple rules, which work in any modern metropolis, you should follow in St. Petersburg too:

1. Be loyal to the police and authorities
2. Avoid illegal taxi services and buses
3. Watch out your bags
4. Be more careful in suburban areas

Shopping more

Sometimes even the most cultural tourist thinks about souvenirs for relatives and friends or about new things, which will remind of a wonderful trip to the Northern capital.

DLT Department store more

The Leningrad trade house, the oldest Department store in St. Petersburg, was opened in 1909. DLT was a family Department store and the city's main children's store. In the memory of St. Petersburg it remained full of color boxes, queues, fairs and Christmas markets. The DLT was closed for reconstruction in 2006. The building was reconstructed for 6 years. The historical appearance of the facades and interior decor elements have been preserved, only the content has changed.

Gallery Shopping Center more

Shopping and entertainment center Gallery is located in the heart of St. Petersburg, at the intersection of the main avenues of the city — Nevsky and Ligovsky. It is the largest in the city and one of the most prestigious shopping malls of St. Petersburg. The shopping area of the center is 96 400 m².

Nevsky Centr Shopping Mall more

There are grocery stores and shops of household appliances and electronics, SPA, fitness center and restaurants. A huge area of shopping center is occupied by the brand "Stockmann", where you can find clothes, cosmetics and accessories of the world's leading brands.

Eliseevy Merchants’ Shop more

In the center of St.Petersburg, at the corner of Nevsky prospect and Malaya Sadovaya Street locates a famous oldest Russian gourmet – Eliseevy Merchants’ Shop. Here you can find fish and meat delicacies, caviar, exquisite alcohol, fragrant spices, natural oils and dressings, French desserts from Pastry Chef, handcrafted chocolate and fresh in-house bakery.
Luxury interior is designed to outline its prosperity and attract customers. The interior is made in Art Nouveau style: abundance, shine, no austere lines but only smooth and plenty of decorations with floral motives. Here you see all splendour of Russian Emperors’ palaces with gold coating, antique furniture and ceiling luminaires. The enourmous stained-glass window makes an impression of a giant shop window and accentuates a wide and thoroughly selected assortment of goods. There used to be a cold warehouse and one of the best wine cellars in Europe.

The theatre auditorium has always been on the second floor of Eliseevsky. When gentlemen invited ladies to the theatre, they often dropped by Eliseevsky and treated ladies with fresh fruit, chocolate and cheese. This is how Elisevy Merchants’ idea of combining a shop, a restaurant, a theatre and a durbar in one place in the very center of St.Petersburg came into life.

Singer House more

Singer House, also widely known as the House of the Books, is located on the Nevsky Prospekt next to the Griboyedov Canal, directly opposite the Kazan Cathedral. It is recognized as a historical landmark, has official status as an object of Russian cultural heritage.

The House of Books is the biggest book department store in Saint Petersburg. It was housed in the former building of the Singer company: the seven-storied building with a high corner tower crowned with a glass sphere is a shining example of art nouveau architecture. The building was given to the book storehouse of the Petrograd State Publishing House in 1919. Soon the House of Books became the main book store of Saint Petersburg. It was opened anew, after the repairs, in November 1948. The trade is carried on the ground floor and on the first floor; approximately 20,000 books of various spheres of knowledge were in assortment here.