Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
300
For an enthusiastic, satisfying, and almost kitschy taste of Russian country dining,
stop at
Podvorye
restaurant (16 Filtrovskoye Shosse;
&
812/466-8544
) on your way to
or from Pavlovsk. The hunting-lodge-style restaurant is on the main highway leading to
St. Petersburg, so you need a bus or taxi to get there. Wild boar steak, elk cutlets, and
even bear meat are among your options; vegetarians should try the pickled garlic and
mushrooms, or pretty much anything with garlic or wild mushrooms. Guests are greeted
with free vodka samples. A milder drink choice is
mors,
a delicious cranberry juice made
from stewed local berries.
4
KRONSHTADT
30km (19 miles) SW of St. Petersburg
For a place that was closed to outsiders just a decade ago, this island is remarkably acces-
sible today, and is perhaps the easiest day trip outside St. Petersburg. The island was first
mentioned as a 12th-century rest stop for Viking expeditions to Greece, later became a
fortress buttressing Peter the Great's new capital from attack, and later still became a key
Cold War naval outpost. Today it's open for tourist business but still appears to be casting
about for its modern role. Head here to wander the carefully planned harbor, the
immaculate boulevards, the neo-Byzantine Naval Cathedral, and the naval history
museum—or simply to gaze at the restless Baltic Sea around you.
ESSENTIALS
Kronshtadt is one of the few side trips manageable without a group or a tour guide. If
you prefer a tour, check with your hotel; most places can arrange an individual or group
tour. You can also try travel agencies such as
Davranov Travel
(17 Italianskaya Ulitsa;
&
812/571-8694;
www.davranovtravel.ru) and
Frigate Tours
(
&
812/331-3333;
www.frigate-tour.com).
The most appropriate way to travel to a naval outpost is, of course, by boat. From May
to October, ferries head here several times a day from the piers behind the Hermitage
Museum and from in front of Kunstkamera Museum on the other side of the Neva River.
The ride takes about 1 hour and costs about 200 rubles.
You can also take a bus. Russian vendors hawk group bus trips at the corner of Nevsky
Prospekt and Griboyedov Canal for about 500 rubles round-trip (the ride takes about an
hr.). Or take minibus no. K-405 from metro station Chernaya Rechka, for about a
40-minute ride that costs just 45 rubles. Access to the fortress costs 300 rubles for adults,
100 rubles for students and children 8 and over (
&
812/236-4713
).
Once you arrive, it couldn't hurt to buy a map from a newspaper kiosk. They're not
always available, but the island is too small for you to get lost. The map helps you focus
on specific spots and saves you time wandering through the bleaker neighborhoods of
Soviet apartment blocks.
17
WHAT TO SEE & DO
The chief sights are the Naval Cathedral, which houses a good naval history museum,
and the harbor. Much of the architecture and port infrastructure dates from Peter the
Great's time, when he ordered a base built on Kotlin Island for Russia's fledgling navy, to
block enemies from approaching his new capital. After victory over Sweden in the deci-
sive Battle of Poltava in 1709, Peter launched large-scale construction of the island, and
