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St. Petersburg was built to be Russia’s window on Europe. Now it is becoming the world’s window on Russia. Coming by train, plane and cruise ship, more than 6 million tourists this year are expected to visit St. Petersburg, Russia’s cultural capital. That is more than the tourist flow to Moscow, the nation’s business and government capital. With its waterways and canals, St. Petersburg has long been called the "Venice of the North." Now, with visitors outnumbering inhabitants, Russia’s second-largest city may one day rival Italy's Venice in tourism list. Emilia came here from Rome to check it out. She said she was surprised by the quantity of things to see and the helpfulness of local people. St. Petersburg recently opened the world’s largest cruise ship port of call, capable of handling seven ships at a time. In contrast to Russia’s image of tight government controls, foreign cruise passengers can now visit St. Petersburg for three days without visas. When Peter the Great founded the city three centuries ago, it was to be Russia's window on Europe. Since then, the city has been witness to Russian history. Once the seat of the Czars, the Winter Palace was stormed by the Bolsheviks in 1917. Now, it is the Hermitage Museum, one of the best art museums in the world. Anya, a Russian tourist, loves the history. She said she likes visiting the Czarist palaces and seeing the old costumes on display. | 
