From the 19th century majesty of the city centre to the space-age feel of Krestovsky Stadium s and England and Croatia s soothing rural retreats, St Petersburg has already proved a visually striking World Cup host.
You ve no excuse to miss anything worth looking at in the world s northernmost city with a population over one million, as darkness never truly descents during its famous White Nights .
The Scarlet Sails festival is a highlight of this season and the River Neva was illuminated by a stunning Saturday night firework display.
Over on Krestovsky Island, the Brazil fans brought a samba party as their idol burst into tears, while Iran s proud and vociferous female fans were a picture of joyous, inspirational defiance even before their team claimed a shock win over Morocco.
Mohamed Salah s tournament flickered painfully and briefly against the rampant hosts, but having two of the tournament s form teams an hour north towards the Finnish border is helping to keep the feel-good factor going.
