Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky opened in 1860 and is where much of the classical ballet repertoire was actually made: Marius Petipa worked here for half a century, and The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake in its surviving form, Raymonda and La Bayadere were all first staged on this floor. The company trained Nijinsky, Pavlova, Balanchine, Nureyev and Baryshnikov. The auditorium is blue and gold under a chandelier, behind a pale green and white exterior. Opera matters here as much as ballet - Musorgsky, Borodin and Prokofiev premieres among them - and the company was called the Kirov through the Soviet decades. A second stage, Mariinsky II, opened across the canal in 2013 in glass and limestone; opinions on the building are strongly divided locally, but its acoustics are generally praised. A concert hall on Pisareva street is the third venue.

What you actually see

• The Petipa repertoire - ballets made on this stage and still danced here.
• The 1860 auditorium - blue and gold under a chandelier behind a green facade.
• The second stage - the 2013 glass building across the canal, locally contentious.
• The opera side - a Russian repertoire much of which was premiered here.

When to go

The season runs September to July. Book ahead, especially for the classic ballets. Evenings; matinees on some days.

Honest expectations

Tickets for the classics sell out and prices differ for foreign visitors on some categories. Cheap seats have restricted views. Performances of the same ballet vary in cast quality between houses on the same week. The walk from the metro is fifteen minutes.

Nearby

New Holland island is a short walk; Nikolsky cathedral is around the corner.