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Help Centre: Events

You can book events super easily on our website. Just click on the event you want to attend, then choose your location and then follow the steps. Once you choose your tickets you can add them to your basket, checkout and then enter your details. You will then receive a confirmation email with all the details you need.

Bookable events -  dobbies.com/events

You can change the date of a booking or update the details by following the link on your confirmation email.  This takes you back to your booking and allows you to change the date, update names, add special requirements, allergens etc. 

You can also add an additional ticket to your event from your booking confirmation by clicking add additional booking where a new booking will be created and associated with the current one.  Please be advised this subject to availability. 

If you want to change your ticket type, for example from an adult ticket to a child ticket, please contact our customer service team on 0131 561 6406. 

Book with Confidence gives you reassurance of a full refund if the event needs to be cancelled. It also means if you choose to cancel 3 or more days before the event then you’ll receive a full refund. This applies if you need to cancel one or more attendees from your booking. 

For any cancellations, please contact our customer service team on 0131 561 6406. 

The location of a booked event can’t be changed. The original event would need to be cancelled and new booking made. This would be subject to availability. 

All adults and children attending must have a ticket. Stores will not be able to accommodate any additional attendees without a ticket. 

Babies under 1 can attend with other booked family members without a full price ticket however no food or gift (if applicable) will be included.  Please make sure that any babies are detailed during the booking process so that space or highchairs can be allocated at your table. 

For a Little Seedlings workshops, only children attending will need a ticket. 

Advance booking is recommended as key dates sell out quickly so book now to avoid disappointment. 

Where a session is shown as 'Sold Out' – we're sorry, there are no more tickets available for that time. 

Tickets may be available but only if the space for that day is not sold out.  Please ask in store for availability. 

Wheelchair access is available in all our stores.  Please make a note of any special requirements you have during the online booking process. 

You can find out all about any of our exciting upcoming events right here:   dobbies.com/events

The Dobbies Little Seedlings Club is a free-to-join gardening club where youngsters aged between 4–10, learn about plants, wildlife and the environment. These normally take place the first Sunday of every month.

Holiday Clubs are held throughout the year during school holidays, so your little seedlings can have fun and learn more about the wonders of the garden. 

Find out even more here:  dobbies.com/little-seedlings

There are so many great benefits about attending the Little Seedlings Workshops. Children learn plenty about plants, wildlife and the environment while having lots of fun and making friends. 

Click on the Little Seedlings workshop you want to attend and follow the instructions. Once you have entered all your details at the checkout and confirm you will then receive a confirmation email. 

Little Seedlings events:  dobbies.com/events

To view whether your store is holding a Little Seedlings workshop, simply click the event and then you can then choose which store you want to attend, to see what is running.

We would love to hear your thoughts! You can share your experience in multiple ways:

Christmas event faqs

Our Little Scare-lings and Santa’s Breakfast events are aimed at ages 3-10.  Children under 3 can still take part in some activities with the support of an adult 

Santa’s Grotto is suitable for all ages but we recommend the maximum age for a child is 10

The exact gift may vary however they are suitable for the age as stated or dog size as stated 

There are a set number of spaces per time slot. If you are visiting as a family, please get in touch by emailing our customer services team and we’ll try our best to accommodate you

You can book Santa Paws for your dog and add on tickets for your children to also get a gift from Santa 

Only children’s tickets can be purchased for the Grotto and we encourage no more than two adults to attend with each child due to the space inside the Grotto 

For Santa Paws, tickets are only required for the dogs, and any accompanying children who require a gift from Santa 

For Santa’s Breakfast and Santa’s Afternoon Tea all adults attending must purchase a ticket.  Without a ticket we will not be able to allocate space at a table within the event area

To capture the memory of your little ones meeting Santa you can choose to pre-book one of our special photo options and save on average 15% compared to on the day prices.  When you have selected your ticket you will see the options available for pre-booking 

You are welcome to take your own photos, but you can also have a professional image printed with a folder to commemorate your visit 

There is no professional photography option at these events however you are welcome to take your own photos 

There will be a number of changes to our usual Grotto slots.  Santa will see a reduced number of children during this period.  All music will be off during these sessions and twinkling lights will be removed or switched off.  In addition, you can choose to have your child’s gift wrapped or not 

Prior to your visit, we’ll email a photo of your specific Grotto to prepare children for what they will see on the day 

Our team will be trained at our Santa School in disability awareness 

Any families attending this experience can also bring neurotypical siblings.  Tickets can be purchased in the same way for that event. There are a set number of spaces per time slot. If you are visiting as a family, please get in touch by emailing our customer services team and we’ll try our best to accommodate you 

During the booking process you will be able to add on either £1 or £5 to your ticket price.  100% of this donation goes to Teenage Cancer Trust (our National Charity partner). Please note that your donation is non-refundable 

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Say Ho Ho Hello to Santa at Dobbies

Dobbies, the uk's leading garden centre, is announcing its highly anticipated santa's grotto and quiet grotto enchanting experience.

Article Source: Dobbies Last Updated: 20 October 2023 12:30

Dobbies is announcing its highly anticipated Santa's Grotto and Quiet Grotto enchanting experience, designed to bring families together to celebrate the magic of Christmas. Whether little ones are meeting Santa and his elves for the first time, or it’s a cherished annual tradition, attendees can enjoy festive fun at Dobbies this Christmas. Children will be welcomed by Santa’s elves who will take them through a Christmas tree forest spotting magical characters along the way, before making a special item to take home. Once they’ve spent time with Santa’s elves, they’ll get the chance to meet Santa Claus himself. Santa will greet children, share some Christmas magic, hear their wishes, and hand them a gift to take home. The Quiet Grotto is also running this year, thoughtfully designed with sound and visual elements to create a relaxed atmosphere for children with additional needs. Quiet Grottos will be available from 2.30pm on Friday 8 December. Families with canine companions are in for a treat as they can bring their four-legged friends to meet Santa. Starting from 2 December, dog owners are invited along to a Santa Paws experience where they’ll receive adorable pet-friendly gifts from Santa. Sarah Murray, who develops Dobbies’ festive line up, knows just how magical Christmas is for all the family. She said: “For every child, meeting Santa is a treasured highlight of the season. At Dobbies we're dedicated to creating a Santa's Grotto experience that resonates with every member of the community. We're thrilled that this year's grotto experiences will continue to spark the enchantment of Christmas for all families who join us.” If families would like to preserve a cherished memory of the day, there’s the chance to add on a professional photograph at the time of booking, or add on the day from £5 for a digital image and £7 for a photo booklet. On Thursday 23 November, 17 stores will be welcoming Santa as he arrives from the North Pole. Santa will walk around the store, say hello to families and take selfies with children as he embarks on his new residency at the grotto. Tickets are priced at £11.99 per child for Santa’s Grotto and Santa’s Quiet Grotto experiences, and Santa Paws is priced at £6.99 per dog. A non-refundable donation for Teenage Cancer Trust is also available at the time of booking. For more information about Dobbies’ Santa’s Grotto experiences and to make a booking, please visit dobbies.com Image credit: Stewart Attwood

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Santa’s Grotto at Dobbies Dunfermline

Santa's Grotto is always one of our most popular experiences at Dobbies Dunfermline, and this year it's even more magical!

About Santa’s Grotto at Dobbies Dunfermline

This year we are offering a Little Seedlings train-themed journey for children and families, complete with interactive elements and a meeting with Santa himself! Take in the atmosphere as you arrive at our enchanting forest, and after a warm welcome from the elves at Sleighbell Station, children will get to experience snowy scenes, spot woodland characters, find hidden nutcrackers, all culminating in the chance to meet Santa Children are encouraged to share their excitement, wishes and stories before receiving their gift Event highlights: > Magical journey: our elves have been working hard to create a theatrical experience for your little ones. Please note there is no real trains involved in the experience > Fun activities: christmas wishes, snowball fights and more > Meet Santa: bring your children to meet Santa Claus and share their Christmas wishes > Photo opportunities: capture the moment with a professional photo with Santa > Gift from Santa: every child will receive a wrapped gift from Santa, which can be selected and the point of ticket purchase

Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.

GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Fife, click here to find out more!

While we take every opportunity to ensure the details for are accurate, we always advise that you contact the event organiser before setting out for the event to avoid disapointment. All information (whether in text or photographs) is given in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

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12 places you can meet Santa in Liverpool this Christmas

5 years ago

By The Guide Liverpool

Father Christmas is a Scouser and we can prove it with these top Merseyside grottos and festive experiences

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It’s a wonder we’ve got time to make a list, let alone check it twice, when we could be meeting elves, feeding reindeer, building bears, going skating, and even having breakfast with the man himself!

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You are here: Events > Festive Event - Santa's Breakfast 2024

Festive Event - Santa's Breakfast 2024

Join us for this festive event with breakfast for the whole family

Each child will get to build their very own festive soft toy to take home, meet Santa Claus and take part in storytelling and family-friendly activities  

You'll start with a tasty breakfast before your little ones are gifted their special toy from Santa and then encouraged by him to fluff, stuff and name their toy to take home

Please note: create your own festive soft toy is only suitable for over 3s, Santa will provide under 3s with their own pre-made soft toy and will play some games with them so they can still join in the experience

Event highlights: 

• Create your own soft toy: each child over 3 will receive a soft festive character to stuff, fluff and name. Plus, they can take their new furry friend home! 
• Each child under 3 will receive a gift from Santa to take home 
• Meet and greet: kids will meet Santa and share their Christmas wishes
• Storytelling corner: gather round for storytelling time with Santa 
• Festive games and activity sheets: colour-in, solve puzzles and enjoy festive-themed activities and games 
• Delicious breakfast for all the family  

Once you've selected your preferred location and date, you'll be able to choose your ticket type and meal from the following options, subject to availability: 

Over 3s: £16.99 – includes the soft toy to build and take home, breakfast and all activities  

Under 3s: £13.99  –  includes a gift from Santa, breakfast and all activities 

Children's Cooked Breakfast – Pork sausage, scrambled eggs, hash brown & baked beans, served with apple juice, orange juice or water (593kcals) 

NGCI Children’s Breakfast available on request 

Children’s Vegetarian Breakfast – Quorn® sausage, scrambled eggs, hash brown & baked beans, served with apple juice, orange juice or water (542kcals) VI 

Children’s Continental Breakfast – Children’s croissant, jam, yoghurt and banana served with apple juice, orange juice or water (food kcal shown during selection process, drink 310kcals) VI

Adult’s Menu (from £8.60):  

Please note that adult options do not include a gift from Santa 

Adult Traditional Breakfast – Succulent pork sausage, back bacon, black pudding, crispy hash brown or potato scone, grilled tomato, baked beans, a slice of toast & an egg with a pot of tea or regular coffee (870kcals) 

Adult Traditional Vegetarian Breakfast – Two Quorn® sausages, crispy hash brown or potato scone, grilled tomato & flat mushroom, baked beans, a slice of toast & an egg with a pot of tea or regular coffee (799kcals) VI 

3 Item Breakfast Roll – choose from egg, sausage, Quorn® sausage or bacon served with a pot of tea or regular coffee (food kcal shown during selection process, drink 14kcals)  

NGCI menu available on request

Please note: Food offering in Northern Ireland may differ from what is stated.  Please ask a member of our Antrim or Lisburn team for more information 

NGCI= non gluten containing ingredients, VI= vegetarian ingredients 

Dietary Key: 

NGCI= non gluten containing ingredients, VI= vegetarian ingredients and VGI= vegan ingredients 

Calories shown only apply in England, Scotland and Wales 

This event is suited to families with children aged 3-10 years old. Children under 3 can still take part in some activities with the support of an adult. To help you to fully enjoy the experience, families will be seated and served at their own table 

Please refer to our event FAQs which provide lots more detail on common questions 

To give you peace of mind when booking, we have a Book with Confidence policy. Find out more  here      

Attendance Instructions

Further Detail:

• Please refer to our  event FAQs  which provide lots more detail on common questions
• Please note that this is a ticket only family event, all adults and children who would like to attend require a pre-purchased ticket
• Please bring your confirmation with you on the day - either printed or electronically
• Children under 1 can attend with other booked family members without a full price ticket however no food or gift will be included. Please note any babies during the booking process so that space can be allocated at your table
• Please make your way to the restaurant and present your booking reference / ticket to a member of the Restaurant Team
• Should you wish to purchase any additional items e.g. soft drinks, please order these on the day and pay directly to the restaurant
• Advanced notification is required if you or any of your party have any allergy or dietary requirements. Please provide these details in the 'allergen requirements' section when making your booking
• Children must remain under the care and supervision of an adult for the event duration
• Where a session is shown as 'Sold Out' – we're sorry, there are no more tickets available for that time
• Gifts are unavailable to choose in advance
• Please let us know on the customer details page of any special dietary requirements or required assistance
• This event is unavailable at Beaconsfield, Hungerford and Keston
• Calories for drinks containing milk are based on using semi-skimmed milk 
• Adults need around 2000kcal a day. Calorie information is correct at the time of publishing however, some product variations can occur which can affect calorie information 
• For allergen information please check the allergen section on the  Dobbies website . Due to the size and complexity of our kitchen we are unable to guarantee the absence of allergens in our products

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Santa Paws at Dobbies

21 december 2021, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

Give your canine companion their own festive experience with a trip to visit Santa Paws at your local Dobbies store.

For £6.99 your furry friend can enjoy a selfie with Santa in his Grotto and get a special treat to take away.

Plus, if you want the complete family experience you can now include a children’s ticket, allowing them to receive their Santa gift at the same time.

Please select your preferred time and date from the times available below.

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2 days in St Petersburg: the perfect itinerary

Feb 24, 2020 • 4 min read

The names that people in Russia call St Petersburg often give visitors the wrong impression. "Venice of the North" makes it sound dainty, when around its elegant streets and mesmerising art is a chaotic city of five million people. "Window to Europe" doesn’t fit either, as its days of looking at Europe from the outside are long gone. Russians have another name for their city of beauty and commotion, history and innovation: simply "Piter". Here's how to best experience Piter in a couple of days.

Saturday morning

Wake up to a Russian breakfast of blinchiki (pancakes) with sour cream or caviar at Yat restaurant, on the embankment beside the River Moyka. From there it’s a short walk to St Petersburg’s heart – the  State Hermitage Museum . You could spend a lifetime exploring the Hermitage's five buildings and still not see all of its art and treasures. If you only have a couple of hours but want to see something unforgettable, find the rooms with paintings by Da Vinci, Rembrandt and Rubens.

From the Hermitage, take a walk through the sumptuous Palace Square, then stop by Yusupov Palace – where Grigory Rasputin was murdered in 1916 – and Peter and Paul Fortress , where Tsar Nicholas II and the Romanov family are buried.

Saturday afternoon

After a morning breathing in Piter's classicism, spend the afternoon in some of its more eccentric places. Start with a European lunch served with a modern Russian twist at Schengen restaurant. Then brave a visit to Кunstkamera , also known as the Museum of Oddities, where exhibits include centuries-old two-headed embryos in jars. Kunstkamera is opposite the Hermitage and Winter Palace , on the other side of the River Neva.

Later on, take it a bit easier in the entertainment park on New Holland island. New Holland is a favourite spot for young couples and families with children: here you can stumble upon concerts and modern art installations, and find some more experimental places to eat.

Saturday evening

After dinner, a performance at the Mariinsky Theatre is a decadent but affordable night out. Or for something more lowbrow – but just as quintessentially St Petersburg – go to the streets around Sennaya Ploshchad for a bar crawl. Piter, after all, is the home of the mega-popular Baltika lager and Tsarskaya vodka , and is also the centre of Russia's evolving craft beer and cocktail scenes.

Sunday morning

Start your day with breakfast on the city's central boulevard, Nevsky Prospekt. Ring the buzzer on the unmarked door at number 81, and Ziferblat will introduce you to the Russian concept of an anticafe. Here the tea, coffee and cake are all free; what you pay for is the time you spend in this cosy room, playing chess or board games (and, just as often, meeting new people).

Close to Nevsky Prospekt is the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood . Its heart-stoppingly beautiful domes are one of the most iconic sights in the whole of Russia – as well they might be, as they mark the place where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Finish your morning by stepping inside the Russian Museum , to see paintings by the Russian masters Repin and Shishkin, or by climbing to the top of St Isaac’s Cathedral , for a panoramic view that shows the scale of Europe's fourth-largest city.

Sunday afternoon

For lunch, sample some food from St Petersburg's many international communities, with sushi or Georgian khachapuri (cheese bread)   somewhere on Nevsky. Then stock up on Russian treats at Kupetz Eliseevs , St Petersburg's fanciest department store, housed in just one exquisite room.

If you are in the city during the White Nights festival between May and July, spend a long summer afternoon in Peterhof, the former palace and gardens of Peter the Great. Peterhof is about 30km from the centre of the city, and is reachable by train, metro and marshrutka bus (or in summer, on a boat along the Neva from outside the Hermitage). One of the highlights is the Lower Park , a beautiful green space that includes the Grand Cascade , a collection of fountains that Peter himself designed. If you are in Russia during the winter and the night is drawing in, take a shorter journey instead to Udelnaya Fair , an enormous flea market in the north of the city, and wander past the stalls full of Tsarist and Soviet-era nostalgia.

Sunday evening

For a last dinner in St Petersburg, step back in time with an old-fashioned Russian supper at Severyanin restaurant.

You might also like:

The ultimate guide to historic St Petersburg    Five great day trips from St Petersburg    Beyond the Trans-Siberian: travelling Russia's unexplored northwest by train   

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15 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in St. Petersburg, Russia

Written by Diana Bocco Updated Dec 23, 2023

Moscow might be Russia's most modern, cosmopolitan city, but St. Petersburg is the cultural and historical heart of the country . Home to the Hermitage, one of the largest and most stunning art museums in the world, surrounded by canals, and home to beautiful white nights (when the sun never sets in summer), St. Petersburg is regal and inspiring.

First-time visitors should start at the Hermitage Museum -a museum so large, it is literally impossible to see it all in one day -and the beautiful Nevsky Avenue, flanked by opulent restaurants, churches, and palaces, and a great place for people watching. The Peterhof Palace Complex requires a day trip out of town, but it's a must-see and one of the highlights of a trip to St. Petersburg.

Whether you already know what to do when visiting or are looking for more ideas on how to spend your time, take a look at our list of top tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

State Hermitage Museum

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Founded when Empress Catherine the Great started acquiring works of art in the late 1700s, the museum didn't officially open to the public until 1852. Today, the Hermitage is the second-largest art museum in the world after the Louvre, and it's home to a collection of over three million items.

The Hermitage technically occupies six buildings, although the main part of the museum (and the building most people associate with the museum) is housed in the Winter Palace, which served as the home of the Russian emperors until 1917, and it's a massive structure with 1,500 rooms.

In addition to French Neoclassical and Impressionist art, Flemish Baroque and Italian Renaissance exhibits, the museum also holds an impressive collection of Russian art from the 11th to 19th centuries, a sizable 19th-century Egyptian antiquity collection, and a hall showcasing prehistoric art. The Hermitage has the largest collection of paintings in the world, spanning many countries and centuries.

The Peter and Paul Fortress was originally a fortified area meant to protect the state from foreign attacks. It was constructed in 1703 and then extended and modified for the following four decades. While the fortress never saw any actual combat, it still has a dark story behind it, as it served as a prison and execution quarters during the Bolshevik revolution in the early 20 th century. Today, it's part of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Within the walls of the fortress and surrounded by beautiful gardens and stone paths, there are several buildings. Perhaps the best known is the 18 th -century Peter and Paul Cathedral , the final resting place of Russian czars. Prison cells, a city museum, and the Saint Petersburg Mint building (founded in 1724 to manufacture coins and still in operation) are also located within the walls of the fortress.

St. Petersburg's main city square is a massive open public space right in front of the Winter Palace. The Alexander Column , built in the 1830s of a single piece of red granite, stands 47 meters tall at the center of the square. It was commissioned by Alexander I to commemorate the victory against Napoleon.

Many major events in Soviet/Russian history have taken place right on the square-Tsar Alexander II was shot here in 1879, and Bolshevik troops started the Revolution here in 1917 by storming the Winter Palace, where the royalty lived. Since then, the square has also been used for marches and demonstrations, from military parades to celebrate Victory Day (which marks the end of WWII) to New Year's Eve celebrations.

Located less than 30 kilometers from central St. Petersburg, the 18 th -century Peterhof Palace complex consists of a series of buildings, several formal gardens, and a total of 173 fountains fed by underground springs. Designed in the style of the Palace of Versailles , Peterhof is best known for its "Grand Cascade," which consists of 64 fountains located on a series of terraces outside the main entrance of the palace.

The opulence of the palace itself can be discovered through a guided tour. It features 30 rooms decorated with truly imposing gold colors, lots of marble, and items brought back from Asia mixing in with Baroque-style fireplaces and giant mirrors. Although it's possible to take a bus to get here, you can also catch a boat from St. Petersburg. The ride takes 45 minutes on the Neva River and offers great views of the shoreline along the way.

When the Eliseyev Emporium building was inaugurated in 1903, it was one of the most luxurious structures of its time. This might not be the case anymore, but the Art Nouveau details, stained-glass windows, crystal and metal candelabra, and hand-painted wall patterns are still quite impressive. The main attraction here, however, is the window displays, which feature moving puppets representing characters from The Nutcracker .

Today, this retail complex focuses mainly on food, with the most famous stop inside being the Eliseevy Merchants' Shop , Russia's oldest confectionery shop, which also sells high-end meats, spices, and dressings. The Eliseyev Emporium is also home to a unique homemade ice-cream shop selling flavors such as spicy basic and strawberry, green tea with jasmine, and "tender violet." Beautiful, hand-carved wooden souvenirs of traditional figures from Russian folktales are also available here.

Located just across the river from the city center and the Winter Palace and connected to the mainland by two bridges and a metro line, this small island is home to a number of landmarks and beautiful parks-including a Museum of Electrical Transport; the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography; the Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange; and the Baroque Menshikov Palace, which serves as a branch of the Heritage Museum and holds mainly 17 th -century Russian art.

The Russian Academy of Sciences has several branches on the island, as well-and visitors might particularly appreciate visiting the Institute of Russian Literature , which holds original manuscripts of some of Russian's most famous writers, including beloved poet Alexander Pushkin.

Named after the Alexander Nevsky Lavra monastery that sits on this same street, the 4.5-kilometer-long Nevsky Prospect (or Avenue) is the heart of St. Petersburg. Home to the 18 th -century Great Gostiny Dvor, one of the oldest shopping arcades in the world, Nevsky Avenue also hosts lots of high-end shops, fancy restaurants, and luxury hotels.

Nevsky Prospect is all about opulent architecture -here, palaces and churches stand side by side, including the Late Baroque Stroganov Palace; the early 19 th -century Kazan Cathedral; and the Russian National Library, housed in a building dating back to the 1700s.

Even if you don't plan on doing any shopping here, the lights and atmosphere of this avenue are still worth a visit. Along the way, you'll find street artists; an original movie theater dating back to 1913; and the Anichkov Bridge, which was seriously damaged during WWII and restored without removing traces of shell damage from Nazi guns as a reminder of what happened here.

One of the most beautiful sights in St. Petersburg is this multicolored church designed in traditional medieval Russian style. Alexander III ordered its construction in 1883 on the site where his father had been assassinated two years prior.

It took over 20 years for the church to be finally completed, partly because of budget and partly because the materials needed for its interior décor (which included 7,500 square meters of mosaics to cover the walls and ceilings) weren't that easy to come by.

The church was seriously damaged during the Russian Revolution in 1917, then used as a morgue during WWII and as a potato warehouse right after. It took almost 30 years of restoration to get the building to its original splendor-but rather than reopening as a church, the structure is now a museum of mosaics .

Catherine the Great ordered the formation of the imperial opera and ballet troupe in the late 18 th century, but it wasn't until 1860, almost 80 years later, that the company got its own theater. Once it opened, Mariinsky Theater was the most preeminent music hall in Russia-the place where major masterpieces from Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky were first premiered.

A masterpiece of Neoclassical architecture with Neo-Byzantine design elements, the Mariinsky Theater looks opulent from every angle-from the U-shaped auditorium to the ceiling mural to the massive crystal chandelier.

Today, the theater is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in St. Petersburg. If you plan on attending a premiere or a popular performance (such as The Nutcracker in December or January), you will need to get tickets well in advance.

St. Petersburg's canals once played an important role in preventing floods-and while they still do keep waters at bay, they are now mainly used for transportation and to enjoy beautiful cruises down the Neva.

The canal system stretches for over 300 kilometers, with hundreds of bridges (both pedestrian and for traffic) crossing over them. The two most popular waterways are the Griboyedov Canal and the Winter Canal. The Griboyedov Canal flows under 21 bridges and alongside some of the city's most famous landmarks, including the Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood. The city's shortest canal, the Winter Canal , runs by the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Theater.

Both small and large boats are available to travel through the canals-some offering food, live music, or special English-language tours-including special rides to watch the bascule bridges opening at midnight.

The protected cruiser Aurora is a retired Russian naval ship with an armored deck. Built in the earlier 1900s, it served during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905 and survived the Battle of Tsushima, where Russia suffered massive losses both in human lives and in the number of ships sunk or destroyed. It was also a shot from an Aurora cannon that marked the beginning of the Russian Revolution in 1917.

The Aurora is now anchored on the river Neva and is the most visited branch of the Central Naval Museum . Visitors can tour six different rooms onboard the ship, where they can see recreated snippets of everyday life (including how people ate and slept), photographs and paintings, and model ships.

While access to the Aurora is free, the engine room is only accessible for an extra fee. The view from the deck of the Aurora is stunning, with imperial buildings and rocking waters all around.

Technically speaking, St. Isaac is the world's largest Orthodox basilica , though the building has been converted into a museum, and religious service is rarely held here anymore. The cathedral was named after Saint Isaac the Confessor, a Christian monk who founded an important monastery in Constantinople.

The cathedral was finished in 1858, after 40 years of construction work plagued by criticism about the Neoclassical building being "plain and not too impressive."

The museum's collection features many ancient icon paintings, mosaic images, and colored stonework and marble. Perhaps the best reason to visit St. Isaac's Cathedral, however, is the 360-degree view you'll get from the platform at the 43-meter-tall colonnade - a magical mix of colorful rooflines, golden spires, and a number of city landmarks.

Luxury Hotels:

• Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg has an excellent location just two blocks from the Hermitage Museum and the Winter Palace. The hotel itself is inside a former palace belonging to a Russian princess in the 1820s. The interior is stunning, with a granite grand staircase. Rooms and suites are spacious and posh, with 5-star amenities. Also on-site are a number of different dining options, including a glass-roofed winter garden where you'll find the Tea Lounge. A spa, heated swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna are other perks of staying here.
• Hotel Helvetia is a 5-star property that is often priced lower than others in its category making it excellent value. Located within walking distance of Nevsky Prospect, it is a historic hotel dating back to the early 1800s. The design is elegant, and the rooms and suites have charming style and butler service. There is a restaurant and concierge on-site.
• Another luxury option is the Hotel Astoria next to St. Isaac's Cathedral in the center of St. Petersburg. The rooms and suites are classy, and there are options for families. Butler service is offered, and there is also valet parking. Other amenities include a restaurant and a spa with a sauna.

Mid-Range Hotels :

• Galunov Hotel is an excellent mid-range choice. The 4-star property is still quite luxurious and features cozy rooms and suites with exposed brick walls and fresh flowers in vases by the bed. The hotel is less than a 10-minute walk to Vosstaniya Square and just a few hundred meters to the Moskovskiy train station. Amenities include free parking, free breakfast, and 24-hour check-in.
• For an intimate mid-range stay check out the Alexander House . Located on the Kryukov Canal Embankment in the historic center of St. Petersburg, it has just 20 rooms and suites. These have a warm ambiance, with upholstered furniture, exposed brick walls, large windows, and area rugs. A complimentary breakfast is served in the morning.
• Old meets new at the Pushka Inn Hotel . The property boasts antique lanterns on walls, dark wood floors, and high ceilings. It also has a scenic location right on the Moyka River. Amenities include a restaurant, 24-hour front desk, and airport transportation.

Budget Hotels:

• For a solid budget hotel check out Allegro Hotel on Ligovskiy Ave . Just a few minutes' walk from the railway station with trains to Moscow and to Nevsky prospect, it features bright and spacious rooms with wood floors and furnishings and exposed brick walls painted white. A free breakfast is offered.
• Admiralteyskaya Hotel is another good budget choice. It is located on Matisov Island, which is surrounded by three rivers and connected with the rest of the city by five different bridges, offering guests a different view of St. Petersburg. The hotel is family friendly and offers guests a free breakfast.

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