Fodor's Expert Review Palaces of St. Petersburg

The Palaces of St. Petersburg festival presents an impressive series of classical concerts in more than two dozen magnificent palaces and mansions year-round. In the heyday of Imperial Russia, the social season, with its grand balls, masquerades, and concerts, occurred in winter. During the stuffy summers the pillars of high society escaped the heat and dust of the city by heading to their country estates. A century later, St. Petersburg is trying to restore the glories of the past—minus the serfs.