Belmond Grand Hotel Europe

This 19th-century property is one of St. Petersburg’s oldest hotels, having opened its doors in 1875. Over the years the Belmond Grand Hotel Europe has welcomed international dignitaries and artists such as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, playwright George Bernard Shaw, and Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti. President Vladimir Putin hosted the Six Presidents dinner in the Kryscha Ballroom. The hotel closed from World War I until the Russian revolution and was used for government offices and a hospital before reopening in 1991. The sprawling five-floor building, which wraps around Nevsky Prospekt and Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa, features lovely Neo-Baroque designs and a terrace on the top floor. Ornate touches -- crown molding and marble pillars -- fill the foyer that leads to a front desk, set in a charming atrium with a skylight ceiling and clapboard-style siding on the walls. Seating is limited in the lobby, but tables and chairs are on the second-floor Mezzanine Cafe, which feels like an Italian sidewalk bistro and has a Stephen Webster jewelry storefront window and room windows above. A lounge with wood-paneled walls and gorgeous inlaid ceilings offers more seating and an antique grand piano. The hotel’s overall atmosphere is grand and luxurious with food and room prices to match. Guests are mainly couples and business travelers lapping up the luxurious surrounds, though there are also some families taking advantage of the kid-friendly features. 

The hotel is at the intersection of Nevsky Prospeckt and Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa, a five-minute walk through the Arts Square, with food vendors and a statue of Alexander Pushkin, to the Russian Museum. The area is bustling with tourists and has a lot of car and tour bus traffic. Many rooms have views of the nearby Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood, a 10-minute walk. Tons of cafes and restaurants are in the immediate area and subway access is around the corner from the entrance. Travelers have easy access to the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater and St. Petersburg Philharmonia, all within a few minutes' walk. Within 15 to 25 minutes on foot are the Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace, and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Many guests also arrange day trips and opera tickets through the concierge desk. The Pulkovo Airport is a 30- to 45-minute shuttle or limousine trip.

The vibe in rooms is traditional 19th-century Russian, with antique-inspired furniture, ornate carpeting, and classic artwork. Tile bathrooms feature shower/tub combos or separate showers and bathtubs. There’s added luxury in suites that feature chandeliers, parquet floors, and wet bars in living rooms or sitting areas in Junior Suites. Old World furnishings in some rooms, however, look dated. Some bathrooms are on the small (or musty) side. Views vary from room to room. Superior Rooms overlook the interior mezzanine, Deluxe Rooms face Mikhailovskaya Street and the Philharmonic Hall, Historic Rooms and Deluxe Arts Square View Rooms face Arts Square, and Terrace Rooms offer city views from terraces. Historic Rooms have tall ceilings, antiques, and butler service. One-bedroom Unique Historic Suites also have kitchenettes, and different themes, including the Fyodor Dostoevsky Suite and the Mariinsky Suite. Avant-Garde Suites, with dining rooms and butler service, feature decor inspired by Alexander Archipenko, Kazimir Malevich, and other artists. The two-bedroom Presidential Suite is the pinnacle of luxury with wraparound views, an eight-person dining room (with catered lunches), bar, fitness machines, sauna, grand piano, a study, and a clawfoot bathtub. All rooms have flat-screen TVs and DVD players, safes, bathrobes, coffeemakers, and free Wi-Fi; some have iPod docks. 

The hotel’s meeting rooms, which total 8,073 square feet of space, are grandly designed. The Kryscha Ballroom, for example, has a stained-glass ceiling and fits up to 250 people. There's more stained glass, along with curtained dining nooks, at the L’Europe Restaurant, which can accommodate 250 people for events. L'Europe also has a grand piano for live entertainment and an extensive buffet breakfast service that gets crowded. Asian cuisine is served in the Azia restaurant, which has a bar, and the Caviar Bar serves popular caviar-topped blinis. Breakfast and cocktails are served in the 24-hour lobby bar. The Paradis Imperial Lounge serves cognacs and rare spirits, and the Mezzanine Cafe serves Russian afternoon tea, cakes, and chocolates made in the on-site factory. The Grand Terrace serves light Peruvian dishes and cocktails. A shopping arcade is in the hotel with a clothing store, flower shop, and a pastry shop that sells chocolates made in-house. The spa facilities feature a circular plunge pool and a sauna that could use modernizing. There’s also a beauty salon with nail and hair services. The gym is basic, but there are free weights, cardio machines, and weight equipment. For families, there are kids' menus, welcome treats and bath toys, bathrobes and slippers for kids, and a family-friendly DVD library.