The Complete Guide To: The Tsar trek (or, travels with Peter the Great)

Not quite – though it must have seemed that way to the long-suffering retainers who followed Russia's Tsar Peter the Great as he travelled throughout Europe, uprooted their capital from centuries-old Moscow to a swampy scattering of islands on the edge of the Baltic Sea, and extended Russia's territory eastwards to Kamchatka and south to the Caspian Sea. But the start of the 21st century is a well-starred time to follow in the eccentric wake of the flawed genius who, at the start of the 18th century, established the modern foundations for the world's biggest nation. Whether you want to admire his handiwork in St Petersburg, get close to his life on the road near Amsterdam or survey the remains of high jinks in Deptford, 2003 is the year to do it.

Tsar Trekking ­ to alien galaxies and beyond?

Not quite ­ though it must have seemed that way to the long-suffering retainers who followed Russia's Tsar Peter the Great as he travelled throughout Europe, uprooted their capital from centuries-old Moscow to a swampy scattering of islands on the edge of the Baltic Sea, and extended Russia's territory eastwards to Kamchatka and south to the Caspian Sea. But the start of the 21st century is a well-starred time to follow in the eccentric wake of the flawed genius who, at the start of the 18th century, established the modern foundations for the world's biggest nation. Whether you want to admire his handiwork in St Petersburg, get close to his life on the road near Amsterdam or survey the remains of high jinks in Deptford, 2003 is the year to do it.

Was he born under a wandering star?

Peter's early home life left much to be desired. He was the grandson of Mikhail Fyodorovich, the first tsar in the ill-starred Romanov dynasty. His father, Tsar Alexei, died in 1676 when Peter was four, leaving two sickly sons from a first marriage as well as the robustly healthy Peter. The eldest son, Fyodor, died six years later. In the bloody family infighting that ensued, 10-year-old Peter was forced to watch while several of his mother's relatives were slaughtered before his eyes.

This event helped to forge his ruthless character. Although he was appointed co-tsar with his half-brother Ivan, Peter and his mother were exiled by Sofia, his half-sister, to Preobrazhensky, then a village to the north-east of Moscow. Today you can reach it easily on the Metro for the princely sum of 5 roubles (10p) ­ it is well within the city boundaries (third-from-last stop on the red line). Very little remains from that period, but the "toy regiment" set up by Peter for his playmates developed into one of the elite regiments in the Russian army. Barracks remain in the district to this day. Peter drilled his first "troops" at Izmailovsky Park, now best known for its giant weekend flea-market (accessible by Metro ­ the park has its own station).

Crucially for Peter, and for Russia's future, Preobrazhensky was also close to the so-called "German Settlement" on the Yauza river, where almost all foreigners ­ whether German, English or Italian ­ were obliged to live. Peter loved to visit the sector: the engineers, craftsmen and merchants gave him glimpses of another way of thinking and provided an education he would never have received in a palace. This part of Moscow is now known as Lefortovo. The former Nemyetskaya (German) street, where the poet Alexander Pushkin was born, is now Baumanskaya street.

Although Moscow has now swallowed up the area, Lefortovo Park, on the east bank of the Yauza, gives an idea of what Peter might have seen. The Lefortovo History Museum (a branch of the Moscow History Museum) focuses on military uniforms, paintings and weapons (23 Kryukovskaya street; Metro Semyonovskaya; open 10am-6pm, closed Mondays and the last Tuesday of each month). Just around the corner, many of the district's original inhabitants were buried in Vvedenskoye cemetery, and the small chapel in its grounds has now been returned to the Lutheran church.

How did he go from exile to supertsar?

Taking advantage of the nobility's dissatisfaction, in 1689 Peter engineered the installation of his mother as regent. Sofia was dispatched to the Novodevichy convent in south-west Moscow; modern visitors will be thrilled by the richly-decorated churches, domes and exhibitions in the complex, and by the fascinating cemetery ­ last resting place of Gogol and Chekhov ­ as well as more contemporary figures such as Krushchev and Raisa Gorbachev. (Metro Sportivnaya; convent open 8am-5.30pm daily, entry 30 roubles/60p. Cemetery open 10am-5pm daily.)

When Ivan died in 1696, Peter became sole ruler of Russia. Yet instead of staying put and enjoying all the indulgences that come from ruling the biggest country on the planet, the following year he set out on his long-planned Embassy Extraordinary.

Embassy extraordinary?

Nowadays we'd probably call it a gap year. Peter decided to visit western Europe to build ties with fellow-rulers and study modern technology that would help him drag a backward but potentially powerful country into the 18th century. He was the first tsar ever to leave Russia, and his route included Germany, Austria, England, Poland and Venice. He visited museums and factories, attended a debate in the House of Commons and asked questions everywhere. And, like many of today's gap-year travellers, he worked. To master the latest maritime techniques, he worked first as an ordinary shipwright near Amsterdam, and later with draughtsmen and shipbuilders on the Thames (see below).

What were all his loyal subjects up to while he was gadding about?

Plotting. Peter was obliged to return home to crush an uprising. Once the ringleaders had been erased, Peter turned his attention to Russia's long-standing conflict with Sweden. He was determined to secure his country's access to the Baltic Sea and thus open up the country to more foreign trade and influence. After territorial gains along the Baltic coast, he decided to construct a "Window on the West", and chose a swampy island near the mouth of the Neva river. In May 1703 the foundations of the Peter and Paul Fortress were laid. No expense was spared in coaxing a fine city out of the unpopulated marshlands and islands. Europe's best engineers and architects were recruited. Thousands of peasants were forced to move to the area. About 100,000 workers are thought to have died in building Peter's city, but the human cost was, to Peter at least, inconsequential. The result was magnificent: a city immediately tagged the "Venice of the North", criss-crossed by miles of canals that reflect the pale northern skies. Moscow quickly became history. St Petersburg was designated as Russia's official capital in 1712, when Peter obliged noble families to uproot themselves from Moscow and build new homes in the north.

Sankt Piterburkh was named after Peter's patron saint. After a couple of 20th-century changes of identity to Petrograd and Leningrad, it has reverted to the name that translates as St Petersburg. Whatever the name, these spires have glittered above a perfectly proportioned Renaissance façade for centuries.

Is much left of Peter's city?

Most of today's St Petersburg was built by Peter's successors, but some significant original buildings have survived. For Peter the Great fans, the most interesting is the pinewood cabin that was built in three days for the tsar in May 1703. It was the first home in the new city; Peter was based here for six years while supervising the construction. It has become a museum, showing the comparative simplicity in which he lived. The two rooms and hallway have period furnishings, some of his personal belongings ­ such as a compass and frock coat ­ and an exhibition on Russian victories over the Swedes. Today, the address is 6 Petrovskaya Naberezhnye. You can get there on the Metro to Gorkovskaya. The cabin is open 10am-5.30pm daily (closed Tuesdays and the first Monday of the month).

The city proper began with the founding of the Peter and Paul Fortress, close to Peter's cabin. It was designed by Lambert, a pupil of the French military architect Vauban, and remained a key building even when the Swedish military threat diminished.

The St Peter Gate, topped by the Romanov double eagle, is the main entrance, while the Neva Gate has an indicator showing how high floodwaters have reached. The fortress also contains the 1724 Mint, and the Trubetskoy prison museum, where Peter the Great's son Alexis was tortured (on his father's instructions) and countless "enemies of the state" were jailed. Dostoevsky and Trotsky both passed through its cells. The Engineer's Building houses an exhibit on the city's architecture, and the needle-like spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral towers over the island.

Today, the walkway around the southern edge of the Peter and Paul fortifications is low enough to avoid the ugly additions of the 20th century, and the entire field of vision is occupied by the city the tsar founded. The address is 3 Petropavlovskaya Krepost, and the Metro station is also Gorkovskaya. The fortress opens 11am-5pm daily except Wednesdays and the last Tuesday of the month.

Where did Peter go when he left his shed?

He eventually moved out to a more solid home, the Summer Palace. This Dutch-style stone building was completed in 1714. Although some parts were redesigned after flooding in 1777, it still has the original staircase, the city's first plumbing system, and heroic bas-reliefs showing Russia's maritime victories. The address is Kutozova Naberezhnye (Metro to Chernyshevskaya; open 11am-6pm, closed Tuesdays and the first Monday of the month).

Another of the original stone buildings is still standing: the Menshikov Palace was completed in 1720, and has its original Dutch kitchen tiles as well as impressive reception rooms. Menshikov, one of Peter the Great's closest advisers, became the first Governor General of St Petersburg. He would hold extravagant parties in this Baroque palace, with guests crossing the Neva by boat to attend.

The palace is now a branch of the Hermitage, with exhibits on Russian culture in the early 18th century, period costumes and tools and great views of the Neva. The address is 15 Universitetskaya Naberezhnye, reached by Metro to Vasileostrovskaya. It opens 10.30am-4.30pm, daily except Monday.

Tell me more about the hermitage

St Petersburg is steeped in the arts. The jewel is the Hermitage, a magnificent collection of fine art housed in three connected palaces: the Winter Palace (a former royal residence), and the Small and Large Hermitages, built as retreats for Catherine the Great and her successors. Unless you really want to walk 13 miles, don't feel obliged to see every gallery on a first visit. Stick to the first and second floors. Even then, it's hard to concentrate on paintings: the surroundings are so sumptuous that the palace's role as an art gallery is swamped. The essence of the Hermitage is Pavilion Hall ­ not just a riot of colour, but a veritable uprising of gilt and crystal, marble and mahogany.

Disappointingly, the modern art is housed in an inelegant extension with cheap parquet flooring and fluorescent lights, casually devoted to Cézanne, Picasso, Renoir and Rodin.

Visitors finish up at the Malachite Room, a growth of luminescent green marble dampened with rich scarlet curtains. The last meeting of the Provisional Government took place here on 25 October 1917; its leaders were arrested in the adjoining dining-room. Looking out across the Neva, you stare more or less down the barrel of a gun. It points from the cruiser Aurora, the warship that signalled the start of the October Revolution at 9.40pm on 25 October 1917. Lenin ordered a blank shot to be fired from the Aurora, already in Bolshevik hands. This was the trigger for the taking of the Winter Palace and the beginning of communism.

The Hermitage (www.hermitage.ru) opens 10am-6pm daily except Monday. Foreigners' admission is 300 roubles (£10). The cruiser Aurora is open 10.30am-4pm daily, admission free.

Didn't he want to get out of town sometimes?

Indeed, and in 1714 work began on an out-of-town royal residence, 30km from the city. It is known in Russian as Petrodvorets (Peter's palace), though increasingly it is referred to by its Germanic name, Peterhof.

Three years later, while it was in the early stages of construction, Peter headed abroad again ­ this time to France. His unconventional behaviour raised eyebrows, but a plaque at 10 rue de Cerisaie in Paris's 4th arrondissement (Metro Bastille) commemorates his stay.

Peter was smitten by Versailles and aware of the impression that splendid surroundings made on foreign visitors. By the time Peterhof was completed, the French influence was unmistakeable: more than 5,000 labourers had created an extravaganza of gilded fountains, striking cascades and vast landscaped gardens ­ and that's before you start on the buildings. The Grand Palace has the most spectacular rooms, almost all reconstructed after the destruction of the Second World War. Peter's restrained study differs sharply from the richly-decorated areas commissioned from Italian architects by Catherine the Great a few decades later.

Elsewhere in the grounds, Monplaisir Palace is also closely associated with Peter. This modest villa was intended as temporary accommodation until the Grand Palace was finished, but Peter preferred its wood-panelled Ceremonial Hall and modest scale.

Plenty of tours run to Petrodvorets, but if you prefer to visit independently, the easiest way to get there is by suburban train from the Baltic Station in St Petersburg to Novy Petrodvorets. The estate is open from 9am-9pm daily, and the museums from 10am-5pm. Confusingly, however, they have different closing days and separate admission charges. Monplaisir is closed on Wednesdays and the last Thursday of the month, while the Grand Palace is closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of the month.

Where is Peter now?

Tsar Peter died in 1725, at the age of 53. Together with the other Romanov monarchs (including, since 1998, Nicolas II, the last of the dynasty), he lies under the graceful golden spire of the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The white marble tombs contrast with the rich baroque interior; Peter's tomb is usually decorated with fresh flowers.

So is the Bronze Horseman, the huge statue of Peter the Great (on Ploshchad Dekabristov) erected by Catherine the Great in honour of her illustrious predecessor. It served as the inspiration for a work by Russia's greatest poet, Pushkin, in which he imagines Peter looking out over the Neva, and identifies the dark forces that lay behind the city's stern and stately appearance: "There, by the billows desolate, He stood, with mighty thoughts elate...". St Petersburg brides still leave their bouquets here.

How will St Petersburg celebrate its tercentenary?

The city authorities plan to pull out all the stops to make this a high-profile celebration. Events are planned throughout the year, but the main jubilee festivities are scheduled from 24 May to 1 June. The big event is City Day on 27 May, the anniversary of the date on which Peter cut two strips of turf and opened a new era. Various aspects of the city's life will be celebrated, with special exhibitions, a naval parade and theatre and music festivals. Opera and ballet will feature strongly, and Russian dignitaries and foreign celebrities will be out in force. The annual White Nights festival in late May and June will be even grander than usual. For a full list of planned events, see www.300.spb.ru, or contact the city tourist information office 00 7 812 311 2843, www.city-guide.spb.ru.Tourist information desks can be found at St Petersburg airport, and on Nevsky Prospekt.

How can I see all this?

Start planning now. Hotel rooms are already hard to find around May and June, as official visitors will take priority, and the city authorities will be imposing visa restrictions for the period 15 May-10 June. You might find you can visit only before or after the peak celebration period.

Independent travel to St Petersburg is about as tough as it was in the Soviet days when the city was known as Leningrad. You will find it much easier to use an experienced tour operator such as Regent Holidays (0117-921 1711, www.regent-holidays.co.uk) or Intourist (0870 112 1232, www.intourist.com/UK). Some specialist firms are offering unusual angles on St Petersburg in 2003. ACE Study Tours (01223 835 055, www.study-tours.org) is organising eight tours on the city's cultural, historical and artistic heritage, covering themes such as art, churches and palaces and the White Nights Opera Festival.

Early in the year, the British Museum Traveller (020-7436 7575, www.britishmuseumtraveller.co.uk) is organising a five-day trip to St Petersburg from 26 February-2 March, centred on the Romanov dynasty and their palaces. Steppes East (01285 651 010, www.steppeseast.co.uk) is planning a different view of hidden St Petersburg: a "Glimpse Behind Closed Doors" will run from 12-16 February. The company promises private access to state libraries and former palaces on a tour led by a direct descendent of Catherine the Great.

Do I have to go to Russia?

No. Besides Holland and London, you can mark 2003 with a visit to the US city of Baltimore, which is staging an arts festival to tie in with St Petersburg's anniversary. Vivat! St Petersburg (www.vivatfest.com) will run from 13 February-2 March, and celebrate the Russian city's artistic legacy: opera, theatre, film, the visual arts and dance. Highlights include a production of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.

Nearer home, the Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House in central London (020-7845 4600, www.hermitagerooms.org.uk) plans a 300th anniversary exhibition from 8 November 2003 to 9 March 2004, featuring Peter the Great and his legacy. Even before then, the rooms are well worth visiting (open 10am-6pm daily, admission £6, including a £1 donation to the real Hermitage).

The Dutch connection

Lessons in shipbuilding and land reclamation

Today the Zaan river, which plods across the flatlands northwest of Amsterdam, is a commercial backwater. At the end of the 17th century, though, the town of Zaandam was a shipbuilding centre of such repute that Peter the Great came here to learn from the best, to study the latest maritime technology and meet accomplished shipbuilders and cartographers.

While based here, Peter also learned a great deal about land reclamation, which proved invaluable when creating his new capital. The Tsar is commemorated in some of the town's street names, and his home is now a museum. He lived in a modest wooden house,which was later enclosed in a more permanent stone building. The museum describes shipbuilding on the Zaan, and the Tsar's life in the town.

The Czaar Peterhuisje is at Krimp 23, Zaandam (00 31 75 616 0390). It opens 1-5pm at weekends in winter; from April to October, daily except Monday, admission ¤2 (£1.30). Zaandam is15 minutes by rail from Amsterdam Centraal station, with frequent trains

Down and out in Deptford

Peter's trail of destruction in London

Before ringing the changes in Russia, Peter wrought havoc on London SE8. The tsar chose to live in Deptford because its craftsmen were accomplished shipbuilders, and the Royal Observatory at Greenwich ­ at the cutting edge of navigational research ­ was only a mile away.

John Evelyn, a close friend of Samuel Pepys and an equally assiduous diarist, had a home in Deptford.On 6 February 1698, he reports, "The Czar Emperor of Muscovy, having a mindto see the Building ofShips, hired my house at Says Court & made it his Court & palace."

Peter was not an ideal tenant. Like Oasis on tour, he and his entourage were yobs, described by Evelyn's housekeeper as "right nasty". When he wasn't working at the docks, Peter and his pals used portraits for target practice. The tsar's greatest pleasure was to be pushed in a wheelbarrow through the garden hedge.

Once he had left, the landlord called in Sir Christopher Wren, "to view how miserably the Czar of Muscovy had left my house". Wren proved as adept at loss-adjusting as he was at designing cathedrals. His account of "Goods that is Lost, Broake, and damage done to them" includes "3 wheelbarrows broke and Lost" and "Eight Fether beds, eight bolsters, twelve pair of blanketts very much dirtied and spoyled". The total damage was estimated at £250 9s 6d.

Says Court is now a park, off Czar Street, London SE8.

Simon Calder

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