More features:

• Great Russian Beer Test

  
  Even the bears in Russia wander around swigging vodka, right? According to the stereotypes, in Russia it’s vodka straight up and nothing else....

• The Magnificent Mariinsky

  The historical MariinskyBack in the day, meaning the 1840s in this case, the first touring circus arrived in St....

• Russian People: Horsegirls

  Russia must be one of the few countries in the world today where you can see young girls galloping around on horseback in the city centre....

• Peter the Great

  
  Born in 1672, Peter the Great is one of Russia’s most famous tsars. With the help of his half-sister Sophia he ruled for 12 years from 1682 until 1694 when he finally got rid of the pesky whisper in his ear that was his power hungry half-sister, by forcing her into a convent....

• Heroes of Russian Folklore: meet these homegrown favourite lads

  
  Russians love their heroes. Whether they’re looking to name a new restaurant or just a bliny (pancake) such as the Ilya Muromets blini sold at Teremok stalls throughout the country....

• Russian superstitions

  
  Russians are a very superstitious folk, they do a whole host of strange or unusual things to ward off the bad luck and welcome in a bit of good luck....

• Bridges of St. Petersburg

  
  When Peter the Great, that wonderful builder, founded the city, he envisaged a bridgeless city where everyone maneuvered around on boats in summer and in winter, cruising around on sleds....

• The Russian Banya

  
  With winter arriving late, the In Your Pocket Editors hunt for indoor winter entertainment and recommend ice-skating and the essential experience of the Russian banya....

• Hermitage - the Ultimate Guide

  The exquisite museum’s three million items spanning from the Stone Age to modern day make it one of the most highly esteemed and unmissable art galleries in the world....

• Poor, paranoid Paul

  
  Pushkin once called Paul the first, the Romantic Emperor, but readers may know of Paul (Pavel in Russian) as Poor Pavel....

• Leningrad Symphony

  
  The performance of Shostakovich’s Leningrad symphony on August 9th 1942 in the Grand Philharmonic hall was a definitive turning point for Leningraders during the years of the terrible siege....

• The Russian Kitchen

  
  Food in Russia is a serious business. No jokes please! We’re talking national pride here. Traditional Russian food is rich and stodgy peasant-fare from the village....

• Chizhik & those Sphinxes: Quirky tales behind even quirkier statues

  
  During the last ten or so years, new and intriguing statues have been appearing on the streets of St....