Nearest metro: Ploschad Lenina
The Hotel Saint Petersburg is situated on the banks of the Neva River on the Vyborg Side, directly opposite the historical center of the city. The hotel is famous for its spectacular views of everything from the Smolniy Cathedral in the west to St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Fortress in the east.There is not much in the area directly surrounding the hotel, apart from a large supermarket. However, five minutes' walk will take you across the Sampsonevskiy Bridge and on to the Petrograd Island, where there are plenty of good restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as some interesting sights and beautiful Art Nouveau architecture.
Transport links at the Saint Petersburg Hotel are not the best, with the nearest metro station, Ploshchad Lenina, about 15 minutes' walk along the embankment. St. Petersburg's mainline stations can all be reached by car in less than half an hour. The city's airports are in the far south of the city, and you should allow at least three quarters of an hour to reach them by car.
If you are staying at the Hotel Saint Petersburg during the summer months, then you will need to take of the schedule for the opening and closing of the city's bridges if you don't want to get stranded in the city center after midnight. Ask the hotel's staff for details.
Local Sightseeing
Just across the Nevka River from the Hotel Saint Petersburg stands the famous Cruiser Aurora, the ship which launched the October Revolution. Built in 1900, and having seen active service in the Russo-Japanese War, the Aurora made its mark on history on the night of October 25, 1917, when its crew fired blank rounds as a threat to the Winter Palace. The ship was sunk during the Second World War to protect it from German bombardment, but is now fully restored and open to the public.At the far end of Ulitsa Kyubysheva, about ten minutes' walk from the Saint Petersburg Hotel, you'll find the Museum of Political History. The stylish Art Nouveau mansion was briefly used as the Bolshevik Headquarters in 1917, and then became a Musuem of the Revolution. After the fall of communism, the museum rapidly realigned itself ideologically, and now has numerous fascinating displays including a huge collection of Soviet kitsch.
If you walk from the hotel across the Sampsonevskiy Bridge and along Petrovskaya Embankment, you'll pass not only the Aurora and the pretty, baroque-style Naval Academy, but also Peter's Cabin. This tiny wooden building, housed since the reign of Catherine the Great inside a brick covering for protection, was the original home of Peter the Great in the city, and as such is the oldest building of any kind in St. Petersburg. From here, Peter supervised the early phases of the city's construction.
