Grand Hotel Europe Hotel

Nevsky Prospekt, Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7, 191186 St Petersburg, Russia

Dripping with caviar, chandeliers and crystal-clear vodka, the Grand Hotel Europe is the place to stay in St Petersburg. The hotel oozes glam from the get-go: sharply dressed doormen stand on red carpet, welcoming you across polished marble floors into rooms rich with original art nouveau interiors. It’s not all about looks though; the hotel’s history is so rich that it rivals the city it stands in. Originally a five-star hotel, at the height of the First World War and the Bolshevik Revolution it became a safe haven for the city’s orphaned children, and during the 900-day siege of Leningrad it became a hospital. Despite its beleaguered past the hotel has managed to retain its original features such as a fabulously ornate stained-glass window in L’Europa restaurant. Book into one of the newly refurbished historic suites; each has a Russian theme, from Dostoevsky to Fabergé. Pull open your sash window and look out onto Nevsky Prospect, St Petersburg’s most prominent streets, and watch locals going about their day-to-day life. If you’re lucky you might hear the Philharmonic Society practising in the building opposite. From the hotel it’s a short walk to the Winter Palace Square and the Hermitage. During the day, zip along the city’s waterways, glass of champagne in hand, on the hotel’s state-of-the art speedboat, the Katarina. It is a luxurious way to see the city. In the evening, don your finery to feast in the glamorous caviar bar. Only the vodka sommelier can compete for a wow factor.

Why go? St Petersburg is spellbinding and so full of history that you’ll need a long weekend at least to scratch the surface.

Details Doubles from £323.