Russia

The Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Hermitage, St Petersburg

One of the oldest and largest museums in the world, The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is also one of the grandest and most opulent palace complexes in the world. From its beginnings in 1764 as the private collection of Catherine the Great, The Hermitage now houses more than three million items, including the world’s largest collection of oil paintings.

Catherine Palace

Catherine Palace, Pushkinskiy

One of the grandest royal residences in the world, the Catherine Palace is a stunning reminder of the pomp and grandeur of the Russian Romanov dynasty. Almost completely destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, over more than fifty years it was stunningly and authentically restored to all its former glory.