Country Overview:

St. Petersburg is quite rightly known throughout the world for its beauty and culture. It is quite unlike the Russian cities that came before it - its strict geometric lines and elegance are reminiscent of Europe's most alluring capitals. St. Petersburg is in many ways Russia's adopted child: too European to be Russian, and yet too Russian to be European. A powerful combination of both East and West, St. Petersburg is, more than anything, a city born of the passion of its founder, Czar Peter the Great, to bring an unwilling Russian nation into the fold of Europe and into the mainstream of history. Built on more than a hundred islands in the NEA Delta linked by canals and arched bridges, it is often called the "northern Venice," and its elegant embankments are reminiscent of those of Paris. The city's focal point is the Admiralty; its most-visited attraction, a stone's throw away, the Winter Palace. Three major avenues radiate outward from the Admiralty: Nevsky Prospect (St. Petersburg's main shopping street), Gorokhovaya Ulitsa, and Voznesensky Prospect.

However there is much more to the city than this. It features a huge variety of cultural and non-cultural entertainment, all of which is available to those on a limited budget. The food and transportation in the city are relatively inexpensive.

The St. Petersburg training center is located in the heart of the city, near the Winter Palace, Palace Square and the Hermitage. A great variety of cultural, shopping and entertainment facilities are nearby.

Winters can be cold and the summers hot, but St. Petersburg's climate is mild compared to that of the more inland areas of Russia. The city is on the Baltic Sea, which makes the seasons milder than elsewhere in Russia. It tends to be somewhat humid all year round.