Wondering where to stay in St. Petersburg, Russia? Elegant St. Petersburg has many luxury hotels, but finding good mid-range and budget hotels is sometimes a challenge. We have scoped out these hotels for every budget in St. Petersburg. Luxury hotels in St. Petersburg Grand Hotel Europe 5-star Uber-expensive and grand indeed, the Grand Hotel Europe caters to the top-of-the-line luxury ... Read Full Article
Where to Stay in Moscow – Editor’s Picks
The links to hotels in this article are clickable and will link you to our hotel price comparison engine, allowing you to view maps, ratings, and find the very lowest prices available anywhere! Whether it's the Kremlin’s imposing towers or a heaping plate of fresh blini, there are plenty of reasons to visit Moscow. However, Moscow is not known for reasonably-priced accommodations. Recently, ... Read Full Article
A Walking Tour of St. Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospekt
Many of Europe’s great cities have an epicenter – a thriving nucleus around which both history and city life revolves. Paris has the Arc de Triomphe, Rome the Forum. For St. Petersburg, Russia the center of gravity is Nevsky Prospekt. A long commercial avenue, strewn with palaces, buzzing with Ferraris and Ducatis, Nevsky Prospekt defines the city. It runs through central St. ... Read Full Article
The Fortress of Saints Peter and Paul
Over three centuries old, the Peter and Paul Fortress still intimidates. We had crossed a fortified bridge and passed under a massive arched gatehouse, all of which would have been armed with guards a few centuries ago. When we entered the fortress, a heavy summer sun scalded the cobblestones. We walked down a wide lane seemingly out of a history book. A stone embankment rose on one ... Read Full Article
Tracing Vienna’s Musical Heritage
Every city has its own personality: New York - the stiletto socialite, flitting easily between groups; Berlin - the punk clutching her beer and talking philosophy; Florence - the museum board member with a big hat and a glass of good Chianti. Hand in hand with these characters come the strengths that define them: Berlin has dance clubs and design, Florence its visual art. Vienna has ... Read Full Article
Dining Al Fresco in Athens
It is said that the gods fought over Athens. Ocean god Poseidon and his niece Athena, goddess of wisdom, both desired patronage over the city. The residents of the metropolis asked each deity to give them a gift; whoever gave the best gift would gain the city. Poseidon struck his trident into the ground, and a salty spring bubbled up – an impressive feat. Athena, however, merely planted a ... Read Full Article
The State Hermitage Museum – St. Petersburg, Russia
The woman in the ball gown is waving at us. Her hair, elaborately piled atop her head, rises slightly in the breeze and settles back over her brows. “Zdrastvuyte!” she calls out. She mimes taking a photograph. “Photo with Russian Countess only 100 rubles!” The actress is one of several who roam Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The pickings are ripe, for a determined Countess; tourists constantly ... Read Full Article
Exploring the Churches of St. Petersburg, Russia
St. Petersburg is like an old photograph: mysterious, alluring, strangely nostalgic. Its palaces, with their shuttered windows and paint peeling in pastel strips, invite fantasies of more elegant times. Flat-bottomed boats swoop through the canals, ducking past the remnants of Russia’s imperial past. While it has transformed into a bustling, modern city, St. Petersburg retains its historical ... Read Full Article
Idle Time in the Šibenik Riviera, Croatia
If Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian islands are Croatia’s debutantes, then the Šibenik Riviera is an elegant elder cousin. With a bit more reserve and a bit less bling, the region still shows its Croatian genes: sunshine and ocean, seafood and an enduring local culture. The shore is lined with quiet towns where vacationing Croatian families swim and cook, escaping the inland heat for a few weeks each ... Read Full Article
Adventures in the Fairy Tale Town of Bled, Slovenia
It looks like a fairy tale. Out of the lake rises a stone staircase. Step delicately over the edge of your rowboat, and mount the stairs. The little island at which you’ve docked barely has enough space for a few trees and your destination: the medieval Church of the Assumption. The solemn peal of a bell and thin iron spire are made even more dramatic by the fact that you are standing in the ... Read Full Article