08 November 2012
Top 10 Hidden Gems in St Petersburg - Hotels
Top 10 hidden gems in St Petersburg
Most visitors to St Petersburg will include a trip to the Hermitage Museum or Mariinsky Theatre, but the city is full of less-celebrated gems. From contemporary art to jazz bars and an art hotel, we asked a local writer to recommend his top 10
Art Hotel Rachmaninov
The spirit of pre-Revolutionary Petersburg is kept alive at the Rachmaninov, a boutique hotel and childhood home of native son Sergei Rachmaninov, located in an old townhouse a few steps from Kazan Cathedral and the city's main thoroughfare Nevsky Prospekt. The walls of the hotel rooms and public spaces have been decorated by local artists, inspired by the great man's music, providing a unique and quirky contrast to the late-19th-century furnishings. A couple of gallery spaces present regular exhibitions of local artists, including photographers.
Most visitors to St Petersburg will include a trip to the Hermitage Museum or Mariinsky Theatre, but the city is full of less-celebrated gems. From contemporary art to jazz bars and an art hotel, we asked a local writer to recommend his top 10
Art Hotel Rachmaninov
The spirit of pre-Revolutionary Petersburg is kept alive at the Rachmaninov, a boutique hotel and childhood home of native son Sergei Rachmaninov, located in an old townhouse a few steps from Kazan Cathedral and the city's main thoroughfare Nevsky Prospekt. The walls of the hotel rooms and public spaces have been decorated by local artists, inspired by the great man's music, providing a unique and quirky contrast to the late-19th-century furnishings. A couple of gallery spaces present regular exhibitions of local artists, including photographers.
Pushka Inn
The Pushka Inn (a play on words – pushka means cannon, and the poet Pushkin used to live in the house next door) is a small and friendly boutique hotel on the Moika river, in one of the most picturesque areas of the city, just a few hundred metres from many of the most important museums and sites. The historic mansion exterior belies the contemporary feel of the rooms, that are luxurious but not fussy. The hotel booking also has a welcoming restaurant and offers additional services such as visa support and airport transfer.
Letny Sad
A "summer garden" might seem a strange place to visit in the winter months, but not when it's the newly reopened Letny Sad, occupying a small 12-hectare island on the south bank of the Neva river. Plans for the city's oldest park date back to 1704, just a year after the founding of the city itself, as Peter the Great was keen to find a suitable location for his modest summer residence. Featured by Pushkin in Eugene Onegin, and the subject of an eponymous poem by Anna Akhmatova, the garden has long been a favorite retreat for city residents. Locals continue to discuss the merits of the recent restoration, but judge for yourself – walk among the 18th-century marble statues and tree-lined alleys before the fountains are turned off for the winter.
A "summer garden" might seem a strange place to visit in the winter months, but not when it's the newly reopened Letny Sad, occupying a small 12-hectare island on the south bank of the Neva river. Plans for the city's oldest park date back to 1704, just a year after the founding of the city itself, as Peter the Great was keen to find a suitable location for his modest summer residence. Featured by Pushkin in Eugene Onegin, and the subject of an eponymous poem by Anna Akhmatova, the garden has long been a favorite retreat for city residents. Locals continue to discuss the merits of the recent restoration, but judge for yourself – walk among the 18th-century marble statues and tree-lined alleys before the fountains are turned off for the winter.
SupVino Restaurant
Blink and you miss it, but this tiny restaurant on Kazanskaya ulitsa is that rare thing – warm and welcoming on a cold winter's day, cool and dark on a hot summer's day. With just 20 stools across five high tables and a bar, the large mirrors on either wall and window on to the street make it feel bigger than it is. Mercifully it's non-smoking, given the dimensions. As the name suggests, soup and wine are the specialities here, but you can also get other light dishes. Some interesting original recipes: mango and ice-cream soup, anyone?
Blink and you miss it, but this tiny restaurant on Kazanskaya ulitsa is that rare thing – warm and welcoming on a cold winter's day, cool and dark on a hot summer's day. With just 20 stools across five high tables and a bar, the large mirrors on either wall and window on to the street make it feel bigger than it is. Mercifully it's non-smoking, given the dimensions. As the name suggests, soup and wine are the specialities here, but you can also get other light dishes. Some interesting original recipes: mango and ice-cream soup, anyone?
Read More: Top 10 hidden gems in St Petersburg
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