Traditions and customs in Saint Petersburg

1. White Nights

Around midsummer the sun barely sets, and the city stays out all night.

• Best time: Late May to mid-July

2. Bridge openings

The Neva bridges lift after 01:00 for shipping, and being on the wrong side is a genuine problem.

• Tip: Check the schedule; you will be stranded until about 05:00 otherwise.

3. Ballet at the Mariinsky

One of the world's great companies, in its original theatre.

4. Literary heritage

Dostoevsky, Pushkin and Gogol all wrote the city into being; several apartment-museums remain.

5. Banya

The same steam-and-plunge ritual as Moscow, with grand historic bathhouses here.