Anastasia Travel

💁‍♀️Defender of the Motherland’s Day

🎉Today Russia is celebrating one of its public holidays - the Defender of the Motherland’s Day. At first this holiday started as the Day of the Soviet Army, in the very beginning of the history of the young Communist republic. Although it was initially designed as a very specific military holiday, it ended up being the holiday of all men. That’s why we congratulate not only those who wear military uniforms and do the service, but even young boys as future Defenders.

👉We also presume that all men are defenders - of their families, friends, wives and girlfriends, pets, property and the Motherland above all this, This is why we are so eager to congratulate them today.

👉Besides, there is the International Women’s Day celebrated in Russia on March 8. So there was a holiday for women, but no holiday for men. We turned the Defender of the Motherland Day into a Men’s Day for the sake of justice.

👉However, lots of people still forget the original name of this holiday and forget to congratulate women in the army - and there are many of them! So today our warmest greetings to everyone - men and women - who are ready to defend their country and their loved ones. Happy holiday!🤗

💁‍♀️Museum entry regulations in St Petersburg

👌As we are now living under new and specific conditions, museums have their own protocols of visiting. Let’s make it clear what is required to see the highlights of St Petersburg!

👉For now, the regulations work as follows:

✅️to visit most of the museums, you need a negative PCR-test result no older than 48 hours. This is accepted in the Hermitage, Peterhoff, Catherine’s Palace and Russian Museum

✅️to visit Pavlovsk and Faberge museum, you need the negative PCR-test result no older than 24 hours

✅️the maximum number of people in the group is 5. If your party is bigger than that, you have to split

✅️for the moment, Peter and Paul’s Fortress, St Isaac’s Cathedral and Savior on Spilled Blood, Yusupoff Palace accept only Russian vaccination certificates. However, the situation might change closer to the summer season

✅️Mariinsky theatre accepts foreign vaccination certificates together with a negative PCR-test result no older than 24 hours

✅️Mikhailovsky theatre accepts foreign vaccination certificates without a PCR-test result.

👌You can undergo PCR testing in local laboratories. The cost for urgent analysis is around 46-47 USD. Anyway, we hope things get better by the summer. We will definitely keep you informed. Stay healthy and take care!

😉What about a little bit of humor on Friday? The weekend is coming, time to relax!

👉With the first sunny spring days, hospitals of St Petersburg are full of people with shocking vitamin D intoxication.

👉A real St Petersburger hears the words “storm warning” as “a little windy today”.

👉How do you indicate someone from Moscow in St Petersburg? He is the fastest walker.

👉Summer in St Petersburg: nine months of expectation, three months of disappointment.

👉St Petersburg is like:

Look! What a beautiful building!

Which one?

Each one.

👉Guess which star I have seen today!

There are lots of stars in St Petersburg…

The sun!!!

Shut up!

👉St Petersburg mood: either drink coffee and read poems, or shoot from the Aurora warship and run somewhere with sailors.

👉Do you have any sunny days in St Petersburg, kid?

I don’t know, I’m only 6.

🥰Top 5 most romantic places in St Petersburg

💞Following St Valentine’s Day, here is our list of the most romantic locations in our city. Don’t forget to visit them when you are here with your partner!

🌳Tavrichesky garden and its orangery

In summer Tavrichesky garden is a pleasant green oasis in the middle of the big city. There are a lot of trees and flowers, and here you can sit and have a picnic on the grass. in cold weather visit the orangery - this is the spot of eternal summer with palms and other exotic plants. There is also a cozy cafe upstairs.

💋Potseluev (Kissing) Bridge

There are a few legends connected with this place. One of them says that in the 18th century, when the natural border of St Petersburg was Moyka river, this bridge was the place of meeting and parting. Those who left the city kissed goodbye to their loved ones here. The other story says that the bridge is named after a merchant whose last name was Potseluev and who had a bar near it.

🏛Colonnade of St Isaac’s Cathedral

This monumental temple is a wonderful place itself, and the view of it has become one of the landmarks of St Petersburg. Besides, you can climb up to the colonnade, right under the golden dome, and have a date there! What is more romantic than watching the sunset above the elegant streets and squares of St Petersburg?

⚓️Sevkabel Port

This is a modern space with an amazing view on the Gulf of Finland. Here are some buildings with exhibitions, workshops, cozy cafes and show-rooms. There are usually different events held here, or you can just sit on the shore and watch the water and seagulls.

🥂Le Courage restaurant

This is one of the best places to have a date and a drink with someone you love! This restaurant is located in a great aristocratic flat designed before the Russian revolution. You can admire the exquisite interiors with a glass of fine wine.

❣️🤗We can arrange your date at one of these places - or wherever else you wish! Contact us to learn more.

💌Happy Valentine’s Day!

💯All you need is love, says a famous song. Love is the strongest power in the world, and the greatest deeds in the history are made for the sake of love.

🥰Today love is truly in the air. St Valentine’s day is a very young holiday for Russia, but lots of people are very willing to celebrate it, as this is just another reason to do something pleasant for our loved ones, to tell them about our affection and to show them how much we really care. We think it’s great and support this holiday with all our enthusiasm!

😉Besides, St Petersburg is a very romantic city. Almost every building - especially palaces - contains an amazing love story. For instance, the famous Catherine’s Palace is named after Catherine I - the beloved wife of Peter the Great. He adored her, and this country residence was a great gift from the Tzar.

💗We have lots of romantic stories about our Tzars and Tzarinas, about poets and writers, artists and common people, and we are willing to share them with you! When you come to St Petersburg, tell us you are interested in this kind of thing, and your guide will tell you more!

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨Also, St Petersburg is a perfect place to celebrate your honeymoon, wedding anniversary or to propose to your loved one. It is a magnificent city with elegant and beautiful landscapes, luxurious palaces and lots of romantic places. If you have such an occasion, we can arrange a one-of-a-kind event for you - just contact us!

💞Love one another and be happy!

📖Pushkin’s memorial day

💁‍♀️Yesterday, 10 February was the day when Russia lost one of its greatest poets over 200 years ago. It is the day of Pushkin’s death. Although outside Russia more people know about Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov, but in our country Pushkin is literally “everything for us”. Even the smallest kids know this name and can quote some of his poems and fairy tales.

👉Pushkin was born in a village not far from Moscow, but spent most of his life in St Petersburg. He studied here at the Lyceum - the most prestigious school for boys. He changed a few flats in the city, and he was killed here in a duel, so now we have some places to visit if you wish to learn more.

💁‍♀️Start your Pushkin trip at the Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo. The school has survived up to the present and is now turned into a museum. You see what and how the young government employees were taught, learn about the rules and how the students broke them and had fun. There is also a lovely garden right near it with a statue of sad Pushkin - he looks like he had just failed an exam!

👉Then go to his las flat on Moyka river. You will see Pushkin’s home and learn about his everyday life and literary work, as well as his family drama. You can see his great library and be jealous!

💁‍♀️Then have a break at “Wolf and Berange’s” cafe, where Pushkin came right before the duel to meet his witness. They went to Chyornaya Rechka (“Black River”) afterwards, where the duel took place and where Pushkin was mortally wounded. He died 3 days later and the memorial ceremony in his honor was held in the Holy Savior’s church at Konyushennaya square. You can visit it as well to finish your journey.

🤗If you are interested in poetry and literature, we can arrange such “Pushkin tour” in St Petersburg for you. Just contact us and let us know!

🎨Durer’s Exhibition in the Hermitage

💁‍♀️From December 2021 and for a few months the Hermitage is holding the unique exhibition of Albrecht Durer. This great German artists left the heritage of lots of works, most of which are engravings. The majority of them are stored in Russia in The Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. These two establishments decided to unify their funds to organize a large-scale display of Durer’s art works.

🖼There are some oil paintings, but the most important are examples of xylography - engravings made on the basis of wood carvings. Durer made a lot of them, and he lead his carving skills to perfection. When he got married, he spent the money he received from his wife’s parents on his own business - he opened an engraving workshop.

✅️Durer had quite a few orders for different engravings, including Bible illustrations and some chronicles for the king Maximilian I - the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. This brought him financial stability and independence, but one of his most fascinating engravings is, of course, “The Rhinoceros”.

💁‍♀️The real rhinoceros was a diplomatic gift to the German court. However, Durer obviously did not have a chance to see the animal and pictured it according to the tales and impressions of other people. That’s why the beast on the engraving is wearing metal armor, has scale on the legs and a little horn on the back. Anyway, this image of a rhinoceros was a model for a couple of centuries, even after most people got a chance to see the real animal! If you look at the engraving, you see that the rhinoceros looks pretty realistic - even in his armor!

🤗There are a lot more amazing works on display in the Hermitage now. Come to see them with your own eyes!

🥰Cozy coffee shops in St Petersburg - top 5

💫St Petersburg is a northern and rather cold city. Even in summer it can be cool, and now it is very frosty and snowy. Whatever time you come here, it is good to know the most atmospheric places where you can warm yourself with a cup of a hot drink. Here is our list!

☕️Goldfinch
This small coffee shop is located in the very center of St Petersburg. The interior is very cozy with sofas and arm-chairs, books and antique statues. There is also a goldfinch in a cage - not a real one, though. The coffee is very tasty, and they have great breakfasts.
68/20 Radishcheva str.

🧁Sibaristica
A modern coffee shop among the red-brick walls of business centers. It has two zones - a co-working area, where you can sit with your laptop and work with a cup of coffee, and a lounge area, where you can meet friends and have a good time. The place has a title of “The best coffee shop of Russia”.
199 Obvodny Canal emb.

☕️O’petit
If you want to feel as if you are in Paris and taste the best croissants in St Petersburg, come here! This place has a real French charm, and they bake croissants strictly according to the original French recipe. Also, they have other desserts, good coffee and a very poetic and creative atmosphere.
23 Blokhina str. or 12 Nevsky pr.

🧁Penka
A small place close to Nevsky prospekt with lots of light and great conditions for friendly meetings and inspiration. it has a lot of green plants, which makes this place a warm oasis in the middle of a cold winter. They offer tasty raf, cappuccino and latte, as well as some snacks and desserts.
2-4 Ozernoy lane

☕️Some coffee shop
The founders of this cafe have an amazing sense of humor. They not only offer you tasty hot and cold drinks, but also arrange different activities, like “cuppings” or “spoonings”. They have a vegan menu, the place is dog-friendly and all in all quite unusual.
17-19 8th Sovetskaya str.

🧁Pavlova - famous Russian dessert

😋The most light, delicate and airy dessert called Pavlova got its name in honor of a world-known Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. Russian ballet is famous all around the world, so the dessert was invented literally on the other side of the earth - in New Zealand.

👩‍🍳🇳🇿The legend says that the dessert was created by a chef of a hotel restaurant in Wellington, New Zealand, who wanted to treat the ballerina with it. She visited New Zealand within a world tour with her theatre. The original Pavlova dessert is a meringue cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit (strawberries with maracuya For Australia and New Zealand, raspberries for the UK). It is made in the form of a big cake or small cakes decorated separately.

👩‍🍳🇦🇺Anyway, Australians claim that the recipe was invented by their chefs. The story says that a chef made it in 1935 as a birthday cake and presented it with the words “It is as light as ballerina Pavlova!”

💯🤗Regardless of the country of origin, this is a delicious dessert which is definitely worth trying. Although it was invented far from Russia, you can taste incredible Pavlova cakes in St Petersburg. Just whisper it into your guide’s ear - they know places!

🤔Why do Russians not have Groundhog Day?

🌱Surely, this is the difference in cultures and traditions. However, if you look at the meaning of Groundhog Day, you understand that it marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. People are ready to meet warm weather, fresh green leaves and sunshine.

🥶In February this is definitely not for Russians, and especially not for dwellers of St Petersburg. In our part of the world, March is not spring at all - it is the 4th month of winter! That’s why we are starting to get ready for spring in the end of February.

🥞We have a very old and special celebration for it called Maslenitsa. It originates from the paegan times and marks the next turn of the year from winter to spring. It is known in Russia and the rest of the world as the “big pancake week” - Russians make and eat tons of pancakes! They are yellow and round, and they symbolize the sun that is very welcome after a cold and dark winter.

😉Apart from the pancakes, Russians have other traditional activities. They visit friends and relatives, play games, take part in funny contests, burn the symbolic straw figure of winter and enjoy themselves as much as they can. Also, a great tradition is to ask everyone you know for forgiveness on the last Sunday of the “pancake week”. We all have something we can apologize for, so it is a good way to stay in a warm relationship with all your friends and family.

🤗We will show you more of Maslenitsa fun when it actually comes - there definitely will be something to look at! When you can, come to Russia during this period - it is a bright and colorful festive time, and it will give you a one-of-a-kind experience.

🥰For now we wish you a prompt spring and warmth in your hearts!

Happy Knowledge Day!💫

Today is the first day of Autumn🍁, and all Russian school kids and students go back to school - or come there for the first time. In Russia September 1 is not the day for studies: it is more of a holiday🥳, when kids gather in front of their schools dressed in their best clothes or new and crispy uniforms, bring tons of flowers for their teachers, meet their new or old classmates and find out what they are going to do in the school year.

Of course, not everyone enjoys the start of school and studies. Lazy kids would prefer sleeping until noon with no homework and mathematical problems, and their parents would rather save their nerves than visit school for obligatory parents’ meetings.

Anyhow, the beginning of September is always the start of something new and exciting. This is the new period of everybody’s life, the time of new discoveries and achievements. For travelers this is also a good time to learn something, discover new destinations or do some homework to find information for a long-planned and well-earned holiday💯

We wish you lots of new and great discoveries for Knowledge Day!🤗

Moscow or St Petersburg?🤔

Today we have a question to our subscribers who have been to both Russian capitals. We know there are Moscow fans and St Petersburg fans, and they all have their reason to prefer one city or the other.

Moscow fans usually emphasize its scale and never-ending activity and movement. Moscow is really a city which never sleeps. They are fascinated by the pace of life, by the city’s modern look, by its glamour and of course its importance for the country.

St Petersburg fans normally look closer at the beauty of the city, at its imperial history and at the number of museums here. Of course they see that people in St Petersburg are more relaxed compared to Moscow, they are not so obsessed with earning money and they are able to just sit on the embankment and watch the sunset without doing anything.

For me St Petersburg is also the city of freedom. Personally, I think that Moscow set certain standards to a person, and you have to match them. In St Petersburg you can just be yourself – whoever you are. However, this is only my own opinion, and I may be wrong. What do you think?🤔

Do you prefer Moscow or St Petersburg? Why? What is there in one or the other city that holds your mind? Tell us in comments!🤗👇

Navy Day in St Petersburg🚢

Navy day is always a big event in St Petersburg. We are a port city, and the initial idea of its founder Peter I was to open the “window to Europe” by establishing naval connections between Russia and other countries. Besides, he was just fond of sea🌊 and boats⛵ – from his early childhood he sailed his little boat around the lake in their Moscow estate. Creating a fleet for Russia was his dream, and he said that a country with an army only has just one hand, whereas a country with both an army and a fleet has both hands.

It may seem strange and funny, but the Russian navy started far from St Petersburg – it was Voronezh, a city in the middle of Russia. There is no sea, but there is the river Don, which is quite big. Anyway, the first fleet was not too great and successful, and finally Peter I started ship building in St Petersburg.

Now the Navy Day is celebrated in Russia on the last Sunday of July. Every time there are quite a few spectacular events, so here is the program for this time:

10.00 – fire on the Rostral Columns of Basil’s island

10.00-12.00 – ship parade on the Neva river

11.30-12.30 – ship parade in Kronshtadt

12.00 – a celebration canon shot from the Peter and Paul’s Fortress

12.00-12.30 – warplane parade over St Petersburg

2.00-8.00 – anyone can visit the ships on Neva river

10.30-10.45 – fireworks over Neva

This is going to be fantastic! Come here next year to watch!🤗

Hygiene museum in St Petersburg

We have posted some facts about famous Russian doctors a while ago. We all now understand the importance of medicine and good hygiene. What does it have to do with St Petersburg?

A lot, to be honest. St Petersburg is known for its innumerous and unusual museums, and there is also a hygiene museum! This is a great interactive venue which attracts your attention to the significance of health and hygiene.

The museum is located in the historic mansion, which previously belonged to the Shuvalov family and was built in the middle of the 18th century. It is a magnificent palace that was nationalized after the revolution and houses the museum since 1919.

The museum has a few sections, dedicated to different topics. It includes the section of infectious diseases, drinking water purification, protection of maternity, nutrition, anatomy and physiology, and a lot of others.
This museum was the first in the Soviet Union to have an “audioguide”. The explanations by the best medical professors were recorded and broadcasted in the halls. It was named the first “speaking museum” in the country.

Here you can learn about the medical history of Russia, about famous doctors from our previous post and maybe turn to a healthy lifestyle. To book a tour to this museum or to include it in your tour program, send us a direct message📩🤗

Tour to a local brewery

For those who cannot imagine a good night out or soccer watching without a decent glass of beer🍻, we have the best experience ever – a tour to a local brewery in St Petersburg!

Brew Division is a project, created by people who are in love with traditions of beer brewery. They know everything about this and are willing to share with others. On this tour you will:

✅Take a tour around the local brewery “Brew Division” with a visit to their manufacturing premises and the story about production of different sorts of beer.

✅Hear exciting stories about beer drinking traditions in Russia on the whole and St Petersburg in particular

✅Taste 5 of the most interesting and unusual types of beer, produced on the brewery.
It goes without saying that on this tour you can buy some beer that seems the best for you and take it home to enjoy with your friends and family! This will be the best beer night, as you will be able to share your Russian beer experience!

To reserve this tour, send us a direct message📩🤗

EURO-2020 finals🥳

It was a very tense month. Everyone spent every spare minute in front of the TV trying to predict the result of EURO-2020. Everybody was anxious, there were arguments and battles between fans of different teams, there was a lot of passion and sometimes even the air was about to explode.

It is all over now. We know who the champion is and congratulate the Italian team. Their victory was hard-earned, as both British and Italian players were equally good within the main period and 2 extras. However, the rules say that there can be only one winner, so the penalty series determined the result. It was very exciting, and I think we should thank all the participants for great performance – no matter how far they managed to go. We wish the all the best of luck in the future tournaments and remain expecting other sport events!🤗

Do they brew beer🍻 in St Petersburg?

St Petersburg is known in the world for its history and culture, but who said that beer brewery is not a part of it? Today we are talking about beer, so pour yourself a glass of foamy drink🍺 and get ready to learn something new!

Apart from being the Northern Capital and the Cultural Capital of Russia, St Petersburg is also the Beer Capital. The history of the local brewery dates back to the time of the city’s foundation by Peter I. He was the first to open an “austeria” – a bar for ordinary people at Troitskaya pier, right next to the Peter & Paul’s Fortress. The idea for such a venue was to bring different layers of society closer together.

Peter I invited great brewers from Europe, but the large-scale brewery started in St Petersburg in times of Catherine II. She hired a young Swede Abraham Friedrich Krohn as a baker, who later opened the first large brewery in Russia. The building of his enterprise still exists and is located not far from Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

In the 19th century another brewery was open in Moscow, and then more and more around Russia. By this time St Petersburg had 4 breweries, where the people responsible for production and technology were Germans and Czech.

The most popular Russian beer “Baltica” was introduced in 1990s, when the huge brewery was built near St Petersburg. It was a large holding, and the biggest member of it was a Scandinavian company Baltic Beverages Holding – hence the name “Baltica”.

Now if you come to St Petersburg, you find quite a lot of bars and restaurants with their own little breweries, where they make craft beer. It is very popular now, at time of EURO-2020⚽️, but they go on functioning when the tournament finishes.

Come to St Petersburg to taste some local beer!🤗

Bad tips for travelers🤫

The internet is already full of tips and life hacks for travelers, so today we decided to give you some bad tips, for a change. Enjoy reading and make your own conclusions!

❌Never hire a guide or a tour operator. They just want your money. It doesn’t matter you don’t know all the details of visas, papers, immigration and you don’t speak the language – you were always good at school, you can figure it out!

❌Buy the most expensive suitcase and the most trendy handbag – let everyone see you are a wealthy person!

❌Take as much cash as you can. Carry it all in the same place – better in your back pocket. No one will be tempted by your money!

❌Pack your best and most beautiful clothes, as well as your most precious jewelry. You need to show this to everyone, and where else if not on a trip?

❌On the plane or train spread your luggage evenly around the carriage. Other passengers don’t matter – you paid for the ticket, after all!

❌If you travel with kids, don’t limit their freedom. Museum rules can go to hell – your sweet child wants to touch a porcelain figurine of the 16th century! And it is so cute when he is rude to the waitress!

❌Don’t take any medicine with you. What on earth can happen to you on a trip? You are not going to get food poison, are you?

❌Don’t even think of buying insurance! This is definitely a waste of money.

What tips would you give to your fellow travelers? And to your enemy travelers?

Where is the best shopping?

This always depends on what you are looking for. However, we can recommend a few shops and shopping centers, where you will definitely find something interesting or just have a good time and a cup of coffee☕. Here they are:

📌Yeliseevsky department store. This is a historic shop on Nevsky prospect, where you can find the finest food and delicacies. Besides, the interior is very elegant and beautiful, there is pleasant music and great coffee, and if you look up, you can see Yeliseev brothers greeting their guests.

📌Gostiny Dvor. The building was created in the middle of the 18th century by the order of Elizabeth, daughter of Peter I, on the place of a market. It was specially built for trading and still has the same function. Here you can find pretty much everything: food, clothes, shoes, jewelry, electronics and souvenirs.

📌Singer House. This is another beautiful building on Nevsky Prospect with a crystal globe on top. Now there is the biggest bookstore in St Petersburg – 3 floors of books, including those about St Petersburg and its highlights. A lot of souvenirs, of course!

📌Farmer’s markets. There are a few of them in the city, and here local farmers sell their fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy, meat and home-made marinades. You can taste most of the stuff and have fun walking around.

📌Gallery shopping mall. This is a big shopping center right next door to Moscow train station. There are lots of different shops and boutiques, as well as a food court and a cinema. Sometimes they run exhibitions, festivals or other entertaining events.