Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg stands apart from every other city in Europe. Built from nothing on the marshes of the Neva Delta by the sheer force of Peter the Great's ambition, it was designed from the outset to rival the grandest capitals of the West — and it succeeded. The result is a city of extraordinary scale and beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, canals and boulevards laid out on a plan so coherent and so grand that the entire historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Hermitage alone would justify the journey. Occupying six historic buildings along the Palace Embankment — including the magnificent Winter Palace, home of the Russian tsars for two centuries — it is the largest art museum in the world by gallery space, with a collection spanning antiquity to the 20th century. A serious visit takes several days, though even a single afternoon leaves a permanent impression.

Beyond the Hermitage, the city offers an almost overwhelming range of sights. Peterhof, Peter the Great's palace on the Gulf of Finland, is famous above all for its Golden Cascade — a monumental staircase of fountains and gilded statues that rivals anything at Versailles. Catherine Palace, an hour's drive to the south, was created for Peter's daughter Czarina Elizabeth by the architect Rastrelli, and its lavish Baroque interiors are among the most dazzling in Europe.

The city's religious architecture is equally remarkable. The Church on Spilled Blood, with its wild colorful spires in the Russian Revival style, was built as a memorial to Czar Alexander II on the exact spot where he was assassinated in 1881. It is the most Russian-looking building in a city that otherwise reads as purely European. Nevsky Prospect, the great main avenue, ties it all together — lined with shops, restaurants and grand 18th-century facades, and alive with the energy of a city that has always taken its public life seriously.

The six videos below introduce the essential sights. Each can also be viewed on its own page.