Today was my last full day in St Petersburg and I was planning to travel out to the suburbs to visit Peterhof one of Catherines lavish palaces. There were still issues in the hotel of me waking up then falling asleep at 8am, and the large school parties running havoc in the hallways and at breakfast.I found a website that offered door to door guided tours for $49 for both the Hermitage, Peterhof, and Pushkin. I planned on doing one each day but when I went to boo...

My big loop walking tour today was taking me to two more sights before I finished up for today. There were two more palaces included in my tourist pass I was going to visit on my way home.First was the Mihailovsky Castle a short walk from the Savior of the Spilled Blood Cathedral. It is a rectangular oval design situated on the canals. First I had to almost walk around the perimeter trying to find the entrance.Only one wing is open to the public with several stat...

A block behind the State Russian Museum back on the canals was the Saviour of the Spilled Blood Cathedral. This is probably the most iconic church in St Petersburg and dominates the skyline with St Issacs Cathedral. Both are visible from my hotel room.Walking along the canal there were tourist souvenir booths cashing in on the popularity of this attraction. Aside from traditional Russian dolls they had Putin mugs and dolls of past Russian and Soviet leaders.I inq...

Two blocks in from Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral was the State Russian History Museum. Most people flock to the more famous Hermitage but there are many more museums rich in artwork and history.Unlike the Hermitage this was included in my tourist card and there were no crazy line ups.The art in here was much more impressive than that in the Hermitage. Most were room size giant canvasses displaying many historical re-enactments.You probably need as much time here as...

Leaving Alexander Nevsky Cathedral I was to take the Metro back into the tourist centre. This line was interesting as unlike the more regal looking red line it had sliding steel bunker doors on the platforms.Soviet planners during the Cold War designed Metro stations to withstand nuclear attack. Hence they are so deep with long escalators down and platforms are shielded by doors to protect from any bomb blasts.Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral was easy to find as you l...