Souvenirs from Russia. What to get?

Travelling is fun, agree?

Don’t know how about you, but quite often I face a problem of finding or picking up nice local souvenirs from different places. There are many gift shops in some large cities, including Saint Petersburg, and that is definitely a plus. However, as a rule, prices in such shops are higher than in ordinary stores, although a range of goods is wide.

So today I’d like to share some souvenir ideas in case you are about to have a trip to Saint Petersburg Russia. As for shopping places, I’d suggest visiting large shopping malls like Galeria or Nevsky. For more information about these and other stores, check this article >

Folklore attributes, such as Matreshka dolls or Khokhloma, are not really from St Petersburg. But they are so popular and known by foreigners that I could not pass them by. As for really locally made souvenirs of such a kind, I’d recommend buying a replica of a Faberge egg or Imperial porcelain items. There is a special Faberge museum with a shop in it. That’s the place where you get a nicely made replica.

Another beautiful and local souvenir would be an amber jewelry or toy. Most probably you’ve heard of the Amber room in the Catherine Palace of Saint Petersburg. You can’t get a piece of it, but what you can do is to obtain a small reminder of visiting this pace. Amber items are sold in Gostiny dvor and other department stores in the city centre. The prices vary, but since it is an organic material, generally prices are high.

In case you or your friends/ relatives are not so much into the cultural gifts, there is always a safe option. For instance, you can buy chocolate from Saint Petersburg. Walking along Nevsky Avenue you can easily find a chocolate museum that has wonderfully hand-made candies and sweet figures. Of course, you can buy a simple bar of chocolate in a regular shop, but then check a producer - most likely it will be made in some other region of Russia.

In fact, visiting a gift shop at the beginning of your stay will be a good idea. Firstly, you will choose what you like - maybe you’d like to have a jam with conifer cone (yes, they have this also!) and it will be hard to find it in a normal shop. Secondly, you will understand the prices and make a purchasing decision easier. Make sure you have cash with you, as I personally faced a situation when in a gift shop they did not accept cards.
 
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