St. Petersburg is a city on a swamp and rivers, it is better to watch it from the deck of a river tram. That is why river excursions are popular with tourists, in an hour or two you can see most of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
In St. Petersburg, tourists are offered a water excursion "Parade Petersburg", the route is indicated on a special map. Not all carrier companies offer to familiarize themselves with the route before the excursion, they keep it secret. The ticket is quite expensive; during the route, the story of the remarkable buildings is told.
Before leaving the tram, passengers are photographed and offered to make a magnet for memory. It is better to immediately abandon photography, so that later you do not explain the reasons for refusing the magnet.
It is worth occupying the upper deck so that you can take pictures and video. The lower deck is covered, through the glass the photos will turn out to be bad.
So what can you see from the deck of the waterbus during the excursion?
Petersburg is best viewed from the water, it is not without reason that it is called the "Venice of the North" and "Russian Amsterdam". The tram goes along the Fontanka River, so you can see architectural monuments.
For example, the famous Mikhailovsky Castle (this is the only surviving castle in the city). It was built by order of Paul I. The emperor was afraid that he would be killed, so he dreamed of a castle. Pavel I died in the Mikhailovsky Castle, 40 days after the housewarming.
The river tram passes by the architectural complex "Solyanoy Gorodok", which is considered an object of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation. It has been almost completely preserved from the 18th century.
The excursion route runs along the Bolshaya Neva, so you can see the most famous sights of the city - the Rostral Columns, the Stock Exchange building and the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The river tram runs far from the fortress, so to see it you need to take binoculars or a camera with you.
It passes under the Palace Bridge, past the famous Kunstkamera building.
During the excursion "Parade Petersburg" they show the real Peter. The main attractions of the city are not buildings, but ships and shipyards. St. Petersburg has always been and will remain a port city, because this is how Tsar Peter conceived it.
The deck offers a magnificent view of the Admiralty and St. Isaac's Cathedral.
The submarine is clearly visible, now it is a museum on the water. This is not the only submarine in the city, there are more. To fully enjoy the beauty of real Petersburg, you should take a walk along the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment and the University Embankment.
The tram turns around and follows to the pier, past the Peter and Paul Fortress and along the Fontanka.
From the deck you can see the mosque on the Petrograd side.
The excursion is relatively short, it differs from the route "Venice of the North" only because the waterbus approaches the port of the city.
