The looming silhouettes of the bridges, the grandeur of the waterways, the granite embankments with their various piers and slipways, the 18th and 19th century palaces and parks on the banks of the Neva and the canals, architectural landmarks in the form of the domes andspires of churches and cathedrals, visible from a long way off - all this contributes to the unique appearance of the "Venice of the North", one of the world's most beautiful cities. More than 70 rivers and canals wind their way through the city, with around 400 bridges crossingthem. All the bridges over the Neva can be raised to allow large vessels pass through at night between April and October, when the river is navigable. At that same time various pleasure boats ply their way around St. Petersburg - the so-called "river trams"; they follow a hostof different routes, so it is possible to go from one boat to another and see all St. Petersburg's rivers and canals, thus viewing our city's main sights from the water. It will give you quite different impressions.

"FORMAL ST. PETERSBURG"

That is the title of one of the St. Petersburg's oldest water-borne routes, which takes you along the River Neva through the city's historical centre. Every half an hour, starting from 11 a.m., pleasure boats leave the "Hermitage" or "Dekabristov" piers for sightseeing trips lasting an hour. They sail along the Neva between Lieutenant Shmidt and Peter the Great (Bolsheokhtinsky) Bridges as far as Smolny Cathedral. From the side of the boat, "majestic" St. Petersburg appears "on its granite pedestal" from an unusual perspective: Palace Embankmentwith its "parade of palaces", where the Hermitage and the Winter Palace inevitably stand out; St. Petersburg's earliest building, Peter and Paul Fortress, with the city's tallest spire - on the bell-tower of Peter and Paul Cathedral - that has become one of the symbols of our city; theSummer Garden with its famous railings, which have been called "the eighth wonderof the world". At the point where the Neva forks, forming the Vasilevsky Island Spit,Russia's first architectural monument glorifying her might and greatness as a navalpower was created as long ago as the early 19th century; the rostral columns were alsobuilt at that time - on special occasions, seven-metre high flames leap from them. Another of the symbols of St. Petersburg, described and eulogised by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in his poem "The Bronze Horseman", is the monument to Peter I, part of the fine view of Senate Square that opens up as the boat passes. You will also see St. Isaac's Cathedral, theAdmiralty and Senate Buildings, University Embankment (where all the buildings havesurvived since the 18th century), the Kunstkamera, the Academy of Sciences, thePetrovsky Colleges (now St. Petersburg University), the Menshikov Palace and theAcademy of Arts.

THROUGH THE OLD CITY

Another popular tour,in little "River trams" that leave the Anichkov Bridge on the Fontanka River every half an hour between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., providing hour-long "circular" tours "through the Old City". There are several routes: one is along the Fontanka, which marked the city boundary in the 18th century, with its out-of-town residences and the barracks ofImperial regiments; another is along the Kryukov Canal - the district of Kolomna,which was home, in addition to well-known literary figures, artists and actors, to characters from the works of Pushkin, Gogol and Dostoyevsky. On the embankment there stands one of St. Petersburg's most beautiful cathedrals - St. Nicholas of the Sea or the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Epiphany - built in the mid-18th century, and also the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet House. The "tram" then follows the Moika River, with 18th century estates and 19th century palaces on its banks, including the Yusupov Palace.

From the Moika you can also see St. Isaac's Square and Cathedral, Palace Square and the Capella, the Mikhailovsky Garden and Palace (the Russian Museum), the Field of Mars and the Summer Garden, with its famous collection of marble sculptures. The route includes more than 40 bridges, one of which is called the BlueBridge, the widest in the city. On the right bank of the Neva, near the bridge, stands a granite obelisk with a trident of Neptune: it records five levels reached by the water during the most serious floods in the city's history. If you take this trip, you can see for yourself that St. Petersburg's bridges give the city a special character, making it a sort of "museum of bridges".

When the level of the water reaches 30 cm above normal, the river trams from theAnichkov Bridge, instead of following the "Old City" route, run "Along the Fontankato the Neva" - along the Fontanka to Lomonosov Bridge, then on the Neva asfar as the Vasilevsky Island Spit. This is the original aristocratic quarter of St. Petersburg,where construction work on the city began. In the course of the trip you will see the earliest buildings, squares, embankments and palaces: the Sheremetyev, Shuvalov and Beloselsky-Belozersky Palaces, as well as residences of the Russian tsars.

"THE VERSAILLES OF THE NORTH"

It is not at all essential to go by bus to see a "jewel of Russian art" - Petrodvorets, with its incomparable parks and gardens, palaces and fountains (there are 144 of them). It is also possible to go by sea, on a high-speed hydrofoil called a "Meteor", which leaves from near the Hermitage on Palace Embankment. If you take a riverboat up the Neva, you will findyourself at another "jewel" - Schlisselburg Fortress (Petrokrepost) on Orekhovy Island. Founded by the Novgorodians in the 4th century as an outpost for the defence of the North-West territories, the fortress was used in the 18th century as the Tsar's prison, where some members of the Imperial family and disgraced courtiers were incarcerated. It is now a museum.There are no regular services by boat to Petrokrepost; trips must be booked individually. This excursion takes a whole day (10 to 12 hours); the cost depends on the type of boat and the programme of the trip.

WHITE NIGHTS

The period from the end of may to the middle of July in St. Petersburg is known as "White Nights", when the glow of evening merges with that of morning and the streets, embankments, houses, parks and gardens are bathed in a ghostly light. At this time the Neva embankmentsbecome the centre of attraction for St. Petersburg's residents and visitors. No artificial lighting is needed at this magical time. White Nights are also a symbol of our city, in their own way; their charm and grandeur can be experienced on any of the water-borne trips around the "Venice of the North". Any boat trip along the rivers and canals of St. Petersburg is available at this romantic time.

FOR LOVERS OF "ACUTE SENSATIONS"

If you like risk and speed, you have the opportunity to take a ride in a "Cheetah" hovercraft at 60 kmph on the Neva or in the Gulf of Finland. "Cheetahs" take four people and operate all year round. In summer, "extremists" - those who like taking risks and explorers of the deep - canexperience all the delights of underwater tourism, a great rarity for St. Petersburg. You can go deep-sea diving to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, where ships and aircraft, sunk in days gone by, lie hidden in the depths. The hire of the equipment, the services of an instructor and the dive itself (provided that you have the appropriate certificate) costs 1500 roubles for the individual tourist - or more, depending on the specific programme required.