Baltic
The Baltic Sea is enclosed by Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Denmark & Russia. Five capital cities and St Petersburg all lie on the Baltic, and it is these ancient trading ports that provide the main interest for Baltic cruising.
St Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire from 1712 until it collapsed in 1917. It still has a unique architectural heritage from this era that makes it one of the most beautiful cities in the world. A vast open-air museum stretching over the banks of the Neva River, the 18th century townhouses, the former residences of the Tsars, the magnificent cathedral and, obviously, the famous Hermitage Museum have earned it the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is no surprise that such an environment has inspired some of Russia's greatest artists; St Petersburg is the home of the Russian Ballet and the birthplace of famous writers such as Dostoyevsky and Pushkin and composers of genius like Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich. The splendour of the Tsars and the traces of the Russian Enlightenment can still be felt in the atmosphere of the city today.