Things to do in St. Petersburg, Russia

The Hermitage has a little bit of everything. It’s a palace turned museum that houses everything from mummies to Picasso

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (how’s that for a name). Your iconic Russian real-life gingerbread castle.

Peterhof Palace, an estate built by Peter the Great, lies about an hour from St. Petersburg. The complex was built to resemble Versailles, and with the infinite gold fountains and perfectly manicured greens, you’ll forget you’re in Mother Russia!

Cat Cafe. I wish I could remember the name of this, but there is a cafe that is completely decorated with cat everything. But that’s not the best part. In the back of the shop is a large wardrobe. A barista shows you into the wardrobe, at which point you say “meow meow meow” and a hidden door opens into another room that’s completely filled with CATS. Find this cafe and you win at life.

Things to eat in Russia

Is vodka a food? I wish I could say the food was memorable, but alas, the Russian vodka stuck better in my head.

Things to note

Don’t mistake the lack of smiles you see in passing as unfriendliness. We made plenty of friends in Russia by being a bit outgoing and attempting to speak what little words we knew. If anything know how to say thank you, spasibo (think spicy boy!)