St. Petersburg, Russia: Palaces, Culture & Imperial Elegance

Life Aboard the Ship

Our St. Petersburg, Russia, cruise turned out to be nothing like the Russia I had imagined. Four days gave Ted and me magnificent palaces, outrageous royal carriages, incredible museums, Russian immigration—and one enormous fur hat that somehow became part of the adventure. 😂

One of the things I loved about cruising was that Ted and I quickly developed our own little routine.

One of the first things I usually did after boarding was find the maître d’.

I had an important request.

“Can I have tapsilog for breakfast?”

If you’ve ever cruised, you’ve probably noticed how many Filipino crew members work aboard the ships. Once I discovered that the kitchen could prepare Filipino food for me if I requested it about twenty-four hours ahead, breakfast became a whole different experience.

Forget the standard eggs and toast. I wanted my Filipino breakfast.

There was something wonderfully comforting about waking up somewhere halfway across the world, walking into breakfast, and finding a familiar Filipino meal waiting for me.

And while Ted and I took sightseeing seriously, I took my shipboard relaxation equally seriously.

On a cruise, I would usually book at least two massages, a facial, and a mani-pedi. After spending entire days walking through cities, museums, palaces, and cobblestone streets, I considered those appointments necessary maintenance—not extravagance.

Then there was the butler.

In the afternoon, our butler would come by and ask which canapés we would like before dinner. And if you asked nicely, the service went well beyond bringing snacks. They could unpack your luggage, press your clothes, and hang everything neatly in the closet.

I could get used to this.

Actually, I did.

But St. Petersburg was waiting for us, and our comfortable little shipboard routine was about to give way to four very full days ashore.

The Russian Fur Hat 😂

On our first day in St. Petersburg, I saw a traditional Russian fur hat for sale at one of the stalls near the port.

Of course, I bought it.

Now, remember, this was July or August. To everyone else, it was summer. But I’m Filipino and live in Florida. Once the temperature drops below 70 degrees, as far as I’m concerned, winter has arrived.

So yes, I wore my enormous Russian fur hat—in the middle of summer—and I was perfectly comfortable.

It also became an unexpected source of entertainment at immigration.

Russian immigration was serious. Very serious. Every time we left the port and every time we came back, there were the immigration officers with their stern faces, checking passports and documents.

Then along came me in that hat.

I would catch them looking at me, smiling and shaking their heads. I can only imagine what they were thinking: This woman knows it’s summer, right?

But I didn’t care. I was warm!

And since we were going through immigration several times during our four-day stay, the hat kept making appearances. Somewhere between all those passport checks, I realized I was giving these very serious immigration officers their little show for the day.

They got a reason to smile, and I got to stay nice and comfortable.

Everybody won.

And honestly, looking at the pictures now, that ridiculous, fabulous fur hat belongs in my memories of St. Petersburg just as much as the palaces, museums, bridges, and magnificent architecture do.

What Surprised Me About St. Petersburg, Russia

Before we arrived in St. Petersburg, I had already created Russia in my head.

Dark. Gloomy. Gray.

For some reason, I imagined beautiful old buildings surrounded by ruins, with the kind of atmosphere you see in old movies. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but sunshine and blue skies certainly weren’t part of it.

Then we arrived in July or August.

So much for the Russia in my imagination.

When we first left the port, though, I wasn’t immediately impressed. The streets looked like the streets of any ordinary city, and for a moment I remember thinking, This is St. Petersburg?

Then we crossed a bridge.

And everything changed.

Suddenly, there they were—the magnificent façades, the elaborate architecture, the grand buildings and all those incredible details. Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be something else to take in.

I felt like a total idiot.

The dark, gloomy Russia I had invented in my head had disappeared. In front of me was this elegant imperial city, filled with palaces, museums, churches, bridges and architecture that was almost overwhelming in its beauty.

And that was only the beginning.

Four Days on Our St. Petersburg Russia Cruise

Our St. Petersburg, Russia, cruise gave us four days and nights in the city, which sounded like plenty of time.

It wasn’t.

There was simply too much to see.

Ted and I quickly realized that if we wanted to make the most of those four days, we needed a system.

Every time we left the ship—and every time we returned—we had to go through Russian immigration. With long lines expected, going back and forth to the ship in the middle of the day would have wasted precious sightseeing time.

So we stopped doing it.

We would leave first thing in the morning and stay out. At breakfast, we packed ourselves a lunch to take with us, and when everyone else was making their way back toward the ship, Ted and I could eat near the port and keep going.

Morning tour. Afternoon tour. Evening tour.

That became our routine.

We were determined to squeeze every possible hour out of St. Petersburg—and somehow, even after four days, it still didn’t feel like enough.

And this was St. Petersburg everywhere we turned.

The buildings weren’t simply beautiful. They were extravagant. Pastel colors, gold ornamentation, enormous windows, columns, statues—nothing seemed understated.

Ted and I wandered from one magnificent place to another, and just when I thought we had seen the most beautiful building in the city, another one appeared.

Stop. Smile. Picture. Keep moving.

Ted was usually much more sensible about sightseeing than I was. I wanted to stop, look, take pictures, and absorb everything.

Fortunately, after traveling with me, he knew the drill.

Stop. Smile. Picture. Keep moving.

We had a lot of St. Petersburg left to see.

Arriving Like Royalty 👑

One of the most memorable experiences was at a magnificent palace, where they recreated what it might have been like when royalty arrived.

There were carriages, beautifully dressed performers portraying members of the royal court, and local performers bringing the whole scene to life.

Watching those elaborate carriages, naturally, I had a very practical thought.

Where did they put all the luggage?

I mean, imagine me traveling in those days.

Shoes. Accessories. Dresses. Evening dresses. And, of course, all the just-in-case outfits.

I would have needed another carriage just for the little trinkets.

Maybe two.

It’s hard to be a woman.

But standing there watching the reenactment, you could begin to imagine just how elaborate royal life must have been. Nothing about it was simple. The clothing, the carriages, the surroundings, the ceremony—everything was designed to make an entrance.

And the experience didn’t end at the palace doors.

That evening, we were treated to an elaborate dinner in a beautiful formal setting, with live entertainment throughout the evening.

It wasn’t simply dinner after a day of sightseeing. It felt like the entire day had been designed to transport us into another time.

For a few hours, St. Petersburg wasn’t something we were merely touring.

We were inside the performance.

I would put it after “Arriving Like Royalty,” once we move from the grand arrival into the palace itself.

Living Like Royalty… But How?

Walking through those magnificent palaces, I kept thinking about what it must actually have been like to live there.

The rooms were spectacular, of course. Gold everywhere. Elaborate furniture. Beautiful paintings. Everything was grand.

But the layout confused me.

You walked from one room directly into another room, and then another, and another.

Where was the privacy?

Maybe royalty didn’t need privacy. But I certainly would.

And then I started looking for something even more important.

Where were the closets?

Seriously. With those enormous dresses, elaborate gowns, shoes, hats, jewelry and accessories, where did they put everything?

I already needed an extra carriage for my luggage. Apparently, once I arrived at the palace, I would have nowhere to unpack it.

And another thing bothered me.

Where were the mirrors?

There were these enormous rooms covered in gold, paintings and priceless decorations, but sometimes I couldn’t find a decent mirror.

Hello? 🚪

Where do you go when you just want to shut the door and be left alone?

Then I started looking for something even more important.

The closets.

Where were they?

Because looking at the dresses these women wore, there is absolutely no way one tiny wardrobe was handling that situation. 😂

I travel with shoes, accessories, dresses, backup dresses and the extremely important just-in-case outfit.

These women had gowns the size of small vehicles.

They needed storage.

And don’t even get me started on the mirrors.

In some of those rooms, I barely saw any.

Excuse me?

How am I supposed to know whether my hair looks right?

Is my dress sitting properly?

Did somebody tell me my makeup looks fabulous because it actually looks fabulous—or because they’re afraid I’ll have them removed from the palace? 👑😂

And then came the biggest mystery of all.

The bathroom.

Those enormous dresses.

Those layers.

Those corsets.

Those skirts.

Ladies, HOW?

I stood there admiring centuries of royal history while simultaneously trying to figure out the bathroom logistics.

Apparently, this is how my brain works.

Ted was probably looking at priceless architecture.

I was wondering where Catherine the Great kept her shoes. 💅

And honestly?

I still want answers.

St. Petersburg Russia Cruise Tips 👑

After four very full days, Ted and I learned a few things about making the most of a St. Petersburg Russia cruise. My biggest lesson? Don’t assume four days means you have plenty of time. There was always another palace, museum, church, garden—or fabulous building around the corner demanding my attention. 😂

For our St. Petersburg Russia cruise, leaving the ship early and staying out for the day worked best. Going back and forth meant another trip through immigration, so we packed lunch at breakfast and kept sightseeing.

And bring layers. Apparently, July in Russia and July in Florida are two completely different concepts. I solved that problem with one enormous Russian fur hat. Practical? Debatable. Fabulous? Absolutely. 👑