• Introduction
• 1. Capri
• 2. The Hamptons
• 3. Greek Islands
• 4. London
• 5. Montreal
• 6. National Parks
• 7. New England
• 8. Russia
• 9. Scandinavia
• 10. Upper Peninsula

Russia

Notorious for its long, frigid winters, summer shines an entirely different light on Russia, particularly on its thriving cultural capitals of Moscow and St. Petersburg. While the sunny season is short (flurries can be seen as late as May or as early as September), Russians know how to make the most of it, hosting a magical mix of alfresco festivities and events. During the white nights of summer in these Russian cities, dusk is simultaneously greeted by dawn, and as such, you can gaze at the Kremlin and majestic Red Square or stroll the Nevsky Prospekt well into the wee hours of the morning without the help of streetlights. St. Petersburg commemorates the white nights phenomenon during the weeks surrounding the summer solstice, when the Stars of the White Nights Festival (mid-May–mid-July), an acclaimed celebration of music, dance, and opera, is held in the city’s famous Mariinsky Theatre. During this summertime time warp, when the sun virtually never sets, midnight and later are as good a time as any to plan a picnic or take a cruise along St. Petersburg’s Neva River – you may even get to see the aptly named Summer Palace, the home of Peter the Great in the mid-1700s, nearby.

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