Polina, our Alla Tours Guide, took us for an early morning ride on St Petersburg's metro rail system along with early morning commuters. Their underground metro system has been operating since 1955. It is one of the deepest metro systems in the world and is famous for its exquisite decorations and artworks along the platforms. We took an escalator on a steep ride that was 100 metres long into the depths of the system, boarded a train and hung from the ceiling straps with local residents to the next station where our minibus awaited.
Our tour also included a boat ride on the Neva River and canals to view St Petersburg from the water.
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And a further ride of 45 minutes on a Hovercraft to Peter and Paul Fortress located on Hare Island in the Neva Delta as the nucleus of the future city of St Petersburg.
During Peter the Great's reign there were no bridges over the Neva. The Emperor wanted his people to share his love of sailing and so riverboats were the common form of transport, It was not until after his death that three floating bridges appeared and only in the mid 19th century replaced with permanent bridges made of metal. Each of St Petersburg's bridges has its own distinctive structure and appearance. They are humpbacked and elegant, large and small, subtle and imposing, with decorative wrought iron railings and lamps.
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