St Petersburg was the creation of the formidable Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, and is built over 42 islands in the mouth of the great Neva River, linked by 93 canals and almost 350 bridges. The Old Russian battleship, the Aurora, is moored on the embankment as a reminder of the city’s glorious maritime past. St Petersburg was the nation’s capital for over 200 years and remains the cultural epicenter of the country, a bustling hub for the very best in Russian art, dance music, painting and literature.