{"id":2544,"date":"2017-08-21T18:46:40","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T09:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slingadventures.com\/?p=2544"},"modified":"2017-10-13T19:45:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-13T08:45:07","slug":"saint-petersburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slingadventures.com\/destinations\/russia\/saint-petersburg","title":{"rendered":"Saint Petersburg"},"content":{"rendered":"If you are devoid of a Russian history major prior to your visit to Saint Petersburg you may find yourself looking vacantly at testaments to distant Tsars, peering curiously at statues erected for formidable Empresses and walking aimlessly through palaces and churches signifying significant points in the long chequered history of this undisputed cultural capital of Russia.\r\n\r\nIf you find yourself in the streets of Saint Petersburg, which I encourage you to do, you might want to brush up on a few key milestones that will help you get an appreciation for the architecture and its connection to the timeline of Russian history without needing, as I did, to constantly stop and thumb through historic references on my phone!\r\n\r\nSo sit back and enjoy a abridged timeline of the most notable Saint Petersburg sights on this the Sling Adventures Russian History Express<\/strong>:\r\n

The Summer Palace \u00a0(1714)<\/h2>\r\nYou've probably already noted a common name coursing through Saint Petersburg's veins. Peter the Great ruled for over 40 years from his coronation at age 10 in 1682 till his death in 1721. Founding Saint Petersburg in 1703 he instituted many reforms to bring a medieval Russia into the modern industrialised world.\r\n\r\nThe first of quite a few palaces he built in Saint Petersburg was the Summer Palace. Peter the Great lived here with his family for nearly ten years from when it was built in 1714 until he died. Quite a modest palace as compared to the many palaces that were to follow. Best views are from a canal boat tour of which there are many to choose from at an affordable rate.\r\n\r\n\"Summer\r\n

Peterhof \u00a0Palace (1725)<\/h2>\r\nPeterhof Palace, known as Russian Versailles, was also commissioned by Peter the Great due to its strategic position in the harbour to both access nearby naval bases and access his own personal ships to travel to the rest of Europe. The palace is worth visiting for the impressive array of fountains spurting through every orifice imaginable across the expansive gardens. The unique claim to fame is that the fountains are all gravity fed, meaning no water pumps. The water travels up to 4km away to build up the required pressure to achieve the more impressive shows such as the Grand Cascades pictured below.\r\n

How to get to Peterhof<\/h3>\r\n