St. Petersburg is one of the greatest cities in Russia. It’s also one of the top tourist destinations in the country. It was founded at the beginning of the 18th century when Peter the Great had decided to move the capital to the north. Peter I was entirely different from his predecessors; unlike them, Peter the Great was fascinated with European culture and had a goal to bring that culture into Russia. One of the reasons why Peter the Great had chosen St. Petersburg as its new capital site was to create one of the top cities in Europe in Russia, the Venice of the North. As you may know, St. Petersburg, just like Venice in Italy, is formed from various small islands that have been connected with less than 350 bridges. Currently, there are about 42 islands that make up the city of St. Petersburg., but it was about 101 at the end of the 19th century. Although if you ask someone who has been there once, you may think that we’re lying, but that’s because most of these islands are only nominally islands; most of them are separated from each other with small and narrow rivers or canals, which is why it may seem as one land to the viewer’s eyes. However, there are some islands in St. Petersburg that are separated from the mainland, and each of them has a unique history, which attracts tourists’ attention on the trip to Russia. Here’s the list of these islands, and the reason they’re essential on Russia tour, and if we’re going to name St. Petersburg islands, we should start with the largest and the most important one, Vasilievsky Island.
Vasilievsky Island
The history behind Vasilievsky Island is the most interesting one, amongst others. Vasiliesvky Islands was supposed to be the center of Peter the Great’s new capital of Russia. Since Peter I had decided to build his new capital around Vasiliesvky Island, he ordered his architects to construct some of the most significant buildings in this district, including his government place, the Twelve Colleges. However, since Vasiliesvky Island didn’t have a direct connection to the mainland, providing sources to build the center of the new capital was quite tricky. That was the main reason why building Vasiliesvky island as the center of the capital slowed on Peter I successors’ reigns, and eventually, that plan was dropped entirely. However, since it was the most historical part of the city, and there are several essential and significant buildings inside it, it has always been a place of interest for tourists and travel agencies during the tour to Russia. Although the Twelve colleges were meant to house the imperial court after they had decided to move to Senate Square during Catherine the Great’s reign, the Twelve Colleges turned to St. Petersburg University, but its architecture remained as one of the attractions of St. Petersburg during the tour to Russia. One of the most significant parts of Vasiliesvky Island on tour to Russia is Strelka, where the Neva River splits into two smaller rivers. Strelka is one of the most beautiful places on Vasiliesvky Island, where you can find the old exchange building, Rostral Columns, and the little park in front of it. It also has one of the most fabulous panoramic views of St. Petersburg with Peter and Paul Fortress, Winter Palace, and Neva river in the picture. You can find several major attractions of St. Petersburg on Vasiliesvky Island, including several museums on Vasiliesvky Island, one of the oldest museums on St. Petersburg, Kunstkamera. Vasiliesvky Island also houses the last Baroque-style church in St. Petersburg, the Cathedral of St. Andrew, on one of the picturesque parts of the island. Vasiliesvky Island will surely be included on your tour to St. Petersburg, but, if you want to visit all of its attractions, such as Erarta Museum, which is one of the most extensive private galleries of Russian art in St. Petersburg or the Doll Museum, you need to do it outside of your group’s plan because there are lots of other major attractions on St. Petersburg tour that makes travel agencies to leave some of Vasiliesvky attractions out to be able to visit them during the tour to Russia’s limited time.
Yelagin Island
if Vasilievsky Island is the most significant island among others, Yelagin Island is the smallest one. It is also the least spoilt one since there are no roads, a ban on new construction, and a vast park. Although there isn’t a lot of building on the island, one of the few was designed by one Italian architect, Carlo Rossi, who was commissioned to reconstruct the only palace on the island to make a summer palace for Alexander I’s mother, Maria Fedorovna. This palace now houses the Museum of Glass Art. Yelagin Island was considered as private property for centuries until in 1937 when it was reopened as Central Park of Culture and Leisure. During that time, the layout of the palace ground and the island, in general, was altered to make room for sports facilities, monumental sculptures, and playground for children. It soon became one of the favorite places for Leningrad’s citizens as one of the best places to play sports and ease on the weekends. If you’re looking for a beautiful location on your tour to Russia to walk and enjoy amazing sceneries, Yelagin Island is one of them, especially the western tip of the island, which has been remodeled during the Soviet era. Yelagin Island is one of the top attractive places in the Russia tour, which we at the Star Travel Group recommend our tourists adding on their list of places to visit during the tour to Russia.
Krestovsky Island
Krestovsky Island is the second largest island in St. Petersburg. Although its public parks have been invaded by an ever-increasing number of elite housing developments, it still attracts lots of visitors during weekends, who want to have a walk on island’s parks or using the sports facilities. However, one of the most attractive places on this island is the vast Divo Ostrov amusement park. Krestovsky Island also houses the Krestovsky stadium and the Primorsky Victory Park, which was one of the two monumental parks that laid out to honor those who had died during the siege of Leningrad. Krestovsky Island’s lack of historical sights makes it less interesting for tourists on the Russia tour. Still, the Divo Ostrov amusement park, sporting facilities, and its public parks are an ideal place for locals and children of St. Petersburg. These features also made some of the tourists who have visited Russia with their family to bring their children to this island, mainly because it’s easily accessible by St. Petersburg metro.
Kamenny Island
Although Kamenny island is one of the picturesque corners of St. Petersburg, it’s rarely visited by tourists on travel to Russia. One of the reasons may be that most of the places on this island are private properties. However, there are still some places that tourists can visit on their tour to St. Petersburg, such as the Kamennoostrovskiy Palace, which was built by Catherine, the Great for her son, the future emperor Paul I. There are several other mansions and buildings that can be attractive to those who love architecture and want to see more beautiful buildings on their tour to Russia on this island. However, it still doesn’t consider as one of the tourist destinations on tour to St. Petersburg.
If you want to learn more about these islands and their attractions on tour to Russia, you can always check our weblog. You can also learn about our tips on travel to Russia as well as top places to visit during your visit, elite shopping centers in St. Petersburg, and top St. Petersburg Deluxe Restaurants. We also gathered lots of information that can help you travel to Russia in the best way.
