I have a few questions about our upcoming trip to St. Petersburg.
Is it worth it to take an inside visit of the Palace at Peterhof or is just the grounds enough? I will also be taking the inside tour of Catherine's Palace.
Is the Gold Room at the Hermitage worth it? I will only have about 2 1/2 hours there.
Is the hour boat ride worth doing?

How is the food situation in Russia? Is most of the food o.k. to eat?
Should we take any special vaccinations to go there?
Is Peter and Paul Fortress worth seeing?
What about seeing Yusupove's Palace?

Thank You in advance for all of your help!

You don't need any special shots to go to Russia, but bring immodium with you just in case. It is generally needed at some point by most people.

The food in Russia is so so. It isn't Italy or France and you do not generally go to Russia for haute cuisine. In the fancier restaurants it can be spectacular, but, if you are taking a tour package you probably will not eat in the expensive places unless you go on your own. The real problem is the lack of general cleanliness--and that does include the toilets outside the hotels.

All of the sites you mention are interesting. You will have to choose what you want to see depending on how much time you have. I was there a week and saw the Catherine Palace and the Amber Room but only the grounds and fountains at Peterhoff. Many of the palaces do not have a lot of furniture because it was all destroyed, looted or sold in the Russian Revolution. The current Russian government is restoring a lot of the old palaces. Some are used as sites for concerts, etc. People now recognize what they have lost and want it back--not to mention that restored palaces are always good for tourism.

You should save time for a boat ride on the canals in Petersburg as well.

And the Fortress of Peter and Paul is where many of the Tsars are buried. You will want to see that.

When you mention the "gold" room at The Hermitage, I assume you mean the Treasury. Yes, it's worth it and there are limited tours in English. Go to The Hermitage early and plan to spend the day there. When you enter, make the arrangements for an English language tour of the treasury right then because there are limited slots for that and it will sell out.

If you don't see everything, you will be just like the rest of us.

Thanks for your help!

If by the "gold room", you mean the Treasury at the Hermitage, you might want to skip that in favor of other exhibits, as the Hermitage is huge.

But, I highly recommend the interior of Peterhof. Near the entrance are walls of huge photos of the palace after the Nazi bombings virtually leveled it. The entire palace is, therefore, a "replica" of the original. And, it's a bit off-putting that the decor is all brand new. Even so, all is stunning. I think it's worth a visit inside just to see the huge room with the parquet floor that looks three-dimensional, but is not.

I highly recommend hiring a licensed private guide. Many are college students with very reasonable fees, which are worth every penny for maximizing your limited time during your visit. A guide can also direct you to very good and moderately priced food (not to mention very clean rest rooms all over). We especially appreciated a private guide at the Hermitage, who was not only knowledgeable about the collections, she told us of the history and living quarters when it was a royal residence, knew the location of the elevators (which saved us a lot of time) and had access to the staff restrooms (much better, with no lines, than the public facilities).

The Church on Spilled Blood (inside and out) is not to be missed.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is not to be missed, but it is nearly essential to go there with a guide or tour. Even with an appointment, Viking had to return a bit later due to crowds.

Food in Russia is generally poor. You usualy have to go to the better restauants to get anything decent.

And do NOT, under any circumstances drink the water - or bush your teeth or swallow in the shower - in St Pet. Much of the water is contaminated with giardia (a parasite that can cause severe diarrhea/dehydration).

Also- do not drink water from a bottle that you have not opend yourself (some places refill bottles with tap water).

DJKBooks: How did you arrange for a guide at the Hermitage?

DJKBooks: How did you arrange for a (reasonable fee)licensed private guide, any information appreciated. We will be visiting in May 2008.Thank you for your time, John & Robin

We just came back from a Baltic cruise which spent overnight in St. petersburg.

I would recommend you DO see the interior of the Peterhof.

The above comments about the restorations are basically correct but "new" or not, you are going to be absolutely blown away by those interiors...IMO absolutely nothing else compares. I have never seen so much gold leaf and crown moulding in my life in onbe place.

As to the Hermitage...when we went it was mobbed and the place has over 3 million works...the rooms themselves are worth seeing just for the decoration...much less the actual art works.

We arranged for private tours through Denrus and were very very satisfied with our guide and schedule. it was two whirlwind days including a Marinsky Theatre presentation of "Cinderella" but worth every penny and every moment.

> The Peter and Paul Fortress is not to be missed, but it is nearly essential to go there with a guide or tour.

I agree that the Peter and Paul Fortress is worth seeing, but found it easy to visit on my own.

> Is it worth it to take
> an inside visit of the Palace at
> Peterhof or is just the grounds
> enough?

If you're short on time - no. Interiors of Catherine's Palace in Pushkin and Winter Palace (Hermitage) are way more interesting, though I think the most beatiful rooms of Hermitage were closed for restoration as recently as June 2007.

> Is the Gold Room at the Hermitage
> worth it? I will only have
> about 2 1/2 hours there.

I beleive it requires a specially scheduled tour, so you most likely won't make it in 2.5 hours.

> Is the hour boat ride worth doing?

There are tons of them, not sure which one you mean. Tours of internal channels (as opposed to the river Neva itself) are the most exciting, IMHO. Make sure it has English translation.

Continued.

> How is the food situation in Russia?
> Is most of the food o.k. to eat?

I think most of the problem with food for americans in Russia is that Russian diary products are mostly real ones, with lactose and everything, as opposed to american stuff where everything is removed. So you can expect very mild diarea if you have problem digesting lactose. But it is not like bacterial infection.

> Is Peter and Paul Fortress worth
> seeing?

If you are interested in city's history - yes. Not sure if it makes sense w/out a guide (or at least interpretor), though.

> What about seeing Yusupove's Palace?

Definitely yes.