It takes a lot to impress me. I’m not trying to be a snob, but with growing up in New York City I developed a skewed sense of size. Everything is supposed to be big and cities are meant to be crammed onto a tiny island on a subway tunnel-riddled foundation of bedrock. Otherwise, are you really doing it right? I have absolutely been awe-struck by other buildings and monuments around the world, but you’re going to get me more with style than sheer size.

Saint Petersburg is master of both! I didn’t even see a fraction of the gorgeous buildings that this enchanting city has to offer, but I was still constantly walking around in a glittery haze of awe. If you want to see more gold than you can buy in Tiffany’s, just take a minute to look at the stunning architecture in Saint Petersburg.

The Hermitage // The Winter Palace

I don’t know how someone could live here and not spend their entire time giggling about sleeping in a gigantic work of art. Do you think walking through these rooms ever felt normal? Maybe even tedious? Like, Man my calves hurt from climbing up so many damn marble staircases.

And I can’t believe that to get from my bedroom to lunch I have to pass through fourteen chandelier-lit rooms.

Can’t we keep it simple for a change?

That’s why you have to build private retreats like the Small Hermitage, just to get away from it all.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (geez, even the names are elaborate!) became one of my favorite places in Saint. Petersburg. The exterior is exceptional, of course, but then you walk in and get slammed in the face with religious iconography overload. Every single inch of this church is covered with gorgeous details – and they’re all mosaics!

I picked up an audio guide for the church, which I definitely recommend. It makes you slow down a little and really look at the art, since the church isn’t really that big on the inside. Also you learn fun facts – like, the church was used to store vegetables after World War II! Unbelievable.

Peterhof Palace

Peter the Great was such a baller than he had a canal dug so he could literally sail to his front door. Yes, everyone was trying to get into his parties.

While I probably spent about forty-five minutes in the palace, I spent hours exploring just the Lower Gardens. The Lower Gardens have dozens of fountains and several mini-palaces.

My favorite was the Hermitage, a two-story pavilion surrounded by a moat complete with drawbridge! The royals held intimate dinner parties here, so private that even the servants weren’t allowed in the dining room – the table was lowered into the floor where the servants would set it and send it back up.

St. Isaac’s

Yeah, Saint Petersburg doesn’t really do ‘understated.’

What’s the most impressive building you’ve ever seen?