St. Petersburg. City Guide

Full-colour coverage of the unparalleled Hermitage museum. Meet the locals: a photographer/ journalist/bar owner, an artist and a violinist show you their town. Content updated daily - visit Ionelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveller insights. Unearth the connection between an Italian architect and a famous beef dish at the Stroganov Palace. Plug into St Petersburg's avant-garde art and music scene in a former squat. Beat a total stranger with birch branches at the local banya. Join the newlyweds for champagne and dancing in the shadow of the Bronze Horseman.