Over 1 million Chinese tourists visited Russia in 2018, a 14.5 percent increase from the year before. 

St. Petersburg is among one of the country's most popular destinations. 

The visa-free policy for group travel and the increasingly convenient transportation make it easy for Chinese tourists to explore the city's many museums, historical sites, and natural scenes. Be it fashion, culture, or history, here tourists can find everything they set out for. 

Direct flights have been opened between St. Petersburg and several Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Urumqi, Nanjing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Sanya.

Sites such as the Winter Palace and the Russian cruiser Aurora remain popular among young parents and their kids with a focus on learning the past and present culture of the city, as well as older tourists, for whom the sense of history is enchanting. 

To read more: Saint Petersburg and the four men that shaped it

St. Petersburg has more than a rich past to offer. The Neva Street and Neva River are some of its famed modern sights. 

The street was planned by Tsar Peter I to lead to Novgorod and Moscow. Starting from the Admiralty,the street runs all the way to the east, over the Moscow Railway Station, then makes a turn at the Vosstaniya Square and ends at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Here you will find churches and cathedrals, wonderful shops and restaurants. 

To read more: St. Petersburg: Sights along the Neva River

Cover image from VCG, redesigned by Gao Hongmei