St. Petersburg in Russia was recently named the best cultural destination in the world by the World Travel Awards.
To determine the winners of a number of categories – like cultural intrigue – thousands of travellers and people working in the industry voted to find the best in the world.
The city is steeped in Russian history, but it's only 300 years old. It was originally a small town under the control of the Swedish Empire, before Peter the Great took the area by force and transformed it into Russia's capital city.
Moscow was reinstated as the country's capital during the Bolshevik Revolution, but St Petersburg is still one of the best travel destinations both in Europe and the world.
Its ornate palaces and churches, and the rich history behind them, make it an ideal destination for travellers.
Here are 15 things you can do, see, eat and drink to immerse yourself in the local culture.
Visit the palatial Kazan Cathedral — the city's "mother cathedral" built at the turn of the 19th century. It was turned into a museum during Communist rule, but services began again in 1992. Today it is one of the most important buildings in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Take in a play at the Alexandrinsky. The building is part the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre.
St Petersburg's churches are as grand as its cathedrals. The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood — built on the exact spot where Russian Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 — is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions.
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