Kronstadt sits on Kotlin Island, a long, narrow strip of land in the Gulf of Finland, about thirty kilometres west of Saint Petersburg, and for three centuries it has been the naval gatekeeper of the capital. Peter the Great founded the fortress in 1704, on a sandbank he had captured from the Swedes, and the harbour became the main base of the Russian Baltic Fleet. Forts rose on artificial islands across the shallow waters, stone batteries guarded the channel, and the town filled with sailors, officers and shipyards.
The history here is dramatic. In 1921, the sailors of Kronstadt, who had been among the most loyal supporters of the Bolsheviks in 1917, rose against the government, demanding free elections and an end to the monopoly of the Communist Party. The revolt was crushed after two weeks, by troops who crossed the ice, and it remains a bitter symbol of the early Soviet state. During the Second World War, the fleet defended Leningrad from this base, and the guns of the forts supported the besieged city. For decades, the island was a closed military zone, and it opened to visitors only in the 1990s.
The town today is a surprise. The streets are wide, with old naval buildings and warehouses, canals, and a great Naval Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, a domed building in neo-Byzantine style, completed in 1913 and recently restored, with a golden dome that is visible from the sea. The Italian Palace, built for Peter's friend Menshikov, and the old dry docks are worth a stop. Cobbled sections can be rough on a motorcycle, and the town has a slightly forgotten, faded feel.
The approach is by the flood barrier, a long causeway completed in the 2010s that protects Saint Petersburg from storm surges and carries a motorway across the gulf, with views of the sea on both sides. Wind can be fierce on the dam, so keep a firm grip. The weather is changeable, with fog, rain and sea mist. The best season is summer, with white nights, though the town can be busy at weekends.
Fuel is available in town, and there are cafés, shops and a few places to stay. Check the opening times for the cathedral and museums, and carry your passport, since ID is sometimes asked. Stand on the sea wall and look east. You can see the skyline of Saint Petersburg, shimmering in the haze.