A 60-day rebirth
With 18 hours of daylight and 6 hours of clear night, the Nuits Blanches is a particularly good time to visit the city. If the "real" sleepless nights take place during the last 3 weeks of June, the phenomenon is evident from the end of May to the end of July. Due to the latitude of St. Petersburg, the sun does not set for two months. Disappearing only 6° below the horizon, it can reach as far as twilight, but never disappears and soon rises again in the iridescent sky of spectacular and almost unreal colours.
If phenomena of "endless days" can be observed in other parts of the Earth, the one we can experience here is unique and has several reasons. The first is that St. Petersburg is the northernmost metropolis in the world. It is indeed possible to experience the phenomenon in the wilderness, but experiencing it in such a melting pot of civilization is not possible anywhere else. St. Petersburg and the Baltic provide an even more exceptional setting and environment. The city is unquestionably one of the most beautiful in the world, while the light and skies of the Baltic have never ceased to amaze the masters of Flemish, German and Russian painting. Everything contributes to an ecstatic energy and wonder. Joy takes hold of the city. Festivals multiply, the streets are never empty and, like the sun, no one seems to want to go to sleep. Sleepless nights or not, restaurants generally stay open until 2am, but many signs in strategic places of the city remain open 24 hours a day at this time of year. Enough to get your strength up to walk the streets in radiant light. Movement is life, Saint Petersburg is waiting for you, so get into the dance!
During this festive rebirth of some 60 days, nothing seems to separate day from night and the city comes alive with a continuous effervescence. Liteiniy Prospekt Street with its underground bars is filled at all hours with a crowd of beer-drinking party-goers, while Rubinshteyna Street with its countless restaurants that no longer close their doors resounds joyfully. In the Arts Square, lovers kiss on the benches in front of Pushkin's statue. Like a masterpiece, the sky dresses Nevsky's perspectives in vivid blue, pink, ochre and violet hues. We marvel at the bridges rising at 1 a.m. (to let the big boats pass), with their lampposts tilted at 45 degrees - forcing us to use small boats to cross the river -, before lowering at 6 a.m. We cannot advise you too much to take a taxi along the canals, even if you have to travel 5 to 10 km. The spectacle of the journey along the quays along the water in the nighttime is almost a must for a visit at this time of the year! And it is well worth the few hundred rubles of the ride.Major festive, cultural and sporting events
.The festival of the Scarlet Veils is another great moment. Inspired by and named after Alexandre Grine's adventure novel (the Russian equivalent of a Jack London or Robert L. Stevenson), this grandiose festival is celebrated on the weekend closest to the summer solstice. It marks the end of the school year for all higher education students: concerts near the Winter Palace and at the tip of Vasilyevsky Island, parades, fireworks... The high point is the passage of a huge sailing ship between the raised bridges on the Neva River, illuminated by scarlet lights and a huge fireworks display. A celebration of youth full of panache and exaltation. You can watch it from the palace quay or from Vasilyevsky Island. These places offer the most impressive views. The smartest ones will avoid the crowds by going to the rooftops of the city with a local guide.
The more sporty can be tempted by the marathon of the White Nights which attracts more and more runners from all over the world.
Theroute of the marathon goes around the centre of the city, as well as around the island Petrogradskaya and parts of the islands Vasilyevsky and Krestovsky. www.mariinsky-theatre.com/festival/stars-of-the-white-nights
White Nights Star Festival takes place from May 22 to July 21. wnmarathon.ruThe White Nights Marathon takes place on the last Sunday in June.
To Know
The people of St. Petersburg used to say that the Nuits Blanches are the best... and the worst time to discover their city! In fact, for 300 years, people have been marvelling at these nights that are not and it has finally become known. Not recommended for agoraphobes, the streets of the nerve centre of the city can be crowded and the points of interest of the city fill up (hello the queue to reach the Hermitage!). Hotels are packed months in advance, as are the performances of the Stars of the White Nights. But what an atmosphere... You have to have experienced the Nuits Blanches at least once in your life! The key word is or-ga-ni-sa-tion.
First of all, it is important to make sure that you have managed the logistics of the trip (airfare and accommodation) well in advance and to book the main visits you wish to make, such as Peterhof or the Hermitage (buying a ticket for a specific time slot). It is also important to keep an eye on the programming of the shows you want to attend (the programme of the Nuits Blanches Stars is published progressively from February to March). Incoming agencies such as Tsar Voyages and Russie Autrement, which are particularly well versed in these issues, prove to be invaluable in helping you find your way through the Nuits Blanches jungle.
The Nuits Blanches phenomenon is at its zenith during the last 3 weeks of June. If you plan your trip between the end of May and the 1st week of June or the 2nd and 3rd weeks of July, you will be able to enjoy it outside the peak season (but don't expect to be the only visitor at that time). A visit during a "big weekend" is possible, but St. Petersburg has so much to show and the period is so magical that it is well worth spending a week on them.
