St Petersburg is the most northerly place of the world's biggest cities and has 5.000.000 inhabitants. The city is situated on fortyfour islands in delta of the Neva.
As both Hitler and Napoleon discovered, winter can be extremely cold with a temperature dropping as low as a record -42 C in Moscow.
There can be nothing more Russian than the crisp frost of winter, ice on the Neva and snow falling upon the golden cupolas of Moscow's churches.
Probably the best time for a winter trip to Russia is from late November to early January before the strong winds of February and the slush of March.
In the warmer season, .August and July can be very hot in both Moscow and St Petersburg. The air is fresher around May and September and if the weather holds, these are perhaps the most attractive times in a year. To catch the legendary St Petersburg White Nights, when the sun never sets and the whole city celebrates, plan your trip for the end of June or beginning of July.
