St. Petersburg

Travel Guide

St. Petersburg featuring a garden, a city and a fountain
St. Petersburg featuring a garden, a city and a fountain
St. Petersburg featuring heritage architecture
Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery showing heritage architecture and interior views
Admiralty Embankment featuring a statue or sculpture

St. Petersburg Travel Guide Video

Cruise along canals, tour architectural masterpieces and enjoy festivals under a midnight sun in Russia’s second-largest city.

See grand buildings, stately boulevards, golden spires, windings canals and opulent art in St. Petersburg, one of Russia’s most impressive cities. The former capital of the Russian Empire was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 to show off the country’s imperial might. Today, it is Russia's cultural capital and a burgeoning tourist center of galleries, museums, palaces and cathedrals.

In the historic center, visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, built on the exact spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. Beneath its multicolored domes is a richly decorated building with thousands of square feet of mosaics. Explore St. Isaac’s Cathedral, one of Russia’s largest churches. At the Peter and Paul Fortress, see the tombs of the Romanovs, the imperial dynasty that ruled Russia for 300 years.

St. Petersburg has much to offer art lovers. Inside the colossal baroque Winter Palace, find the Hermitage. One of Russia's largest museums, it holds more than 3 million works of art and historic artifacts. For more art and culture, examine paintings by native artists at the Russian Museum. Learn about folklore and traditions by visiting the Russian Ethnography Museum.

Also known as "Venice of the North," St. Petersburg is built on a number of islands and crisscrossed by canals and rivers. For a different city perspective, cruise the waterways on a boat.

Enjoy a unique experience with a visit to St. Petersburg in June for the White Nights. During these midsummer evenings the sun barely sets and the city hosts several festivals. See opera, ballet and musical performances at the White Nights Festival. Revel in the Scarlet Sails, a huge celebration with fireworks, concerts and a water show.

Reach St. Petersburg by flying into Pulkovo Airport. Get around by public transportation or rental car. Enjoy the city’s history, culture and attractions, and save some time to venture farther afield. St. Petersburg is within easy reach of the sumptuous estates of the Romanov Tsars including Peterhof Palace and Pavlovsk Palace.

Where to stay in St. Petersburg

Kazan Cathedral which includes heritage architecture and a church or cathedral

St. Petersburg City Centre

4.5/5(2 area reviews)

Interesting museums, cozy cafes and churches are just a few top things to explore in St. Petersburg City Centre. A visit to Alexandrinsky Theatre or Catherine the Great Monument might round out your trip, and you can jump aboard the metro at Gostiny Dvor Station or Dostoyevskaya Station to get around town.

St. Petersburg City Centre
Вид из окна номера

Moskovskiy

Moskovskiy is well-liked for its breweries and churches. If you're hoping to get in some sightseeing, Victory Square and Heroic Defenders of Leningrad Monument are top spots, and you can jump on the metro at Zvyozdnaya Station or Moskovskaya Station to get around.

Moskovskiy
Alexander Nevsky Lavra showing heritage architecture and a park as well as a small group of people

Tsentralny

Consider a visit to Faberge Museum and take some time to enjoy the interesting museums during your time in Tsentralny. If you want to see more of the city, jump on the metro at Mayakovskaya Station or Dostoyevskaya Station.

Tsentralny
Peter and Paul Fortress showing a ferry and a river or creek

Petrogradskaya District

Petrogradskaya District is well-liked for its museums and architecture. If you're hoping to get in some sightseeing, Planetarium 1 and LabyrinthUm are top spots, and you can jump on the metro at Chkalovskaya Station or Petrogradskaya Station to get around.

Petrogradskaya District
St. Isaac\'s Cathedral which includes a church or cathedral and a city

Admiralteyskiy

Spend some time visiting places like St. Nicholas' Naval Cathedral while getting to know Admiralteyskiy, and be sure to check out the cozy coffeehouses. You can hop aboard the metro at Frunzenskaya Station or Tekhnologichesky Institut Station to see more of the area.

Admiralteyskiy
Nevskiy Prospekt which includes night scenes and a city

Nevsky Prospekt

Museums, theaters, and churches highlight some notable features of Nevsky Prospekt. Make a stop by Faberge Museum or Fontanka River Embankment while you're visiting, and jump aboard the metro at Mayakovskaya Station or Gostiny Dvor Station to get around town.

Nevsky Prospekt

Popular places to visit

Hermitage which includes a garden and heritage architecture

State Hermitage Museum

Immerse yourself in a collection of prehistoric artifacts, Middle Eastern jewelry and European art that spans 6,000 years in one of the world’s oldest museums.

State Hermitage Museum
St. Isaac\'s Cathedral showing a city and a statue or sculpture

St. Isaac's Cathedral

This cathedral has a commanding position in the St. Petersburg cityscape and the views from it are just as stunning as its decadent interior.

St. Isaac's Cathedral
Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood which includes heritage architecture

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

5/5(1 review)

This church has been used as everything from a warehouse to a refuse heap, but it is now back at its best as one of St. Petersburg’s premier religious buildings.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Peterhof Palace and Garden showing heritage architecture and a fountain

Peterhof Palace and Garden

Be amazed by the grandeur and opulence of this palace complex, a shining example of the lavish taste of the Russian czars.

Peterhof Palace and Garden
Catherine Palace and Park in Tsarskoye Selo showing heritage architecture and a park

Catherine Palace and Park in Tsarskoye Selo

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of St. Petersburg and explore this stunning palace and tranquil park.

Catherine Palace and Park in Tsarskoye Selo
The Mariinsky Theatre is known as one of the best venues for ballet and opera in the world. The audience will be made up of a complete cross-section of society from little girls in their best dresses, with parents in the tuxedos and bow tie, through to tourists in their jeans and polo shirts. The inside of the building is stunning, very traditional and old-school. It's worth paying the 150 roubles to hire the binoculars, as it allows you to skip the queue to the cloakrooms when you return them. The chairs aren't the most comfortable though. You shouldn't visit St Petersburg without a trip to see something here - it's such a part of the cultural heritage of the city.

Mariinsky Theatre

Enjoy a show at Mariinsky Theatre, a theater with a story to tell in St. Petersburg. Discover the area's entertainment choices and stunning cathedral.

Mariinsky Theatre
LKsAwayDays visited Peterhof just outside St Petersburg. We arrived Peterhof earlier than the opening time and our guide queued for us and told us to go and look at the gardens and fountains. It’s a beautiful place, the sun was shining down on all the golden statues. The garden led all the way to the Gulf of Finland We looked around the garden and took some photos and headed back to our guide. At opening time it was like Black Friday in America! a lot of people did try to push their way in, there was large amounts of large tourist groups queuing so let’s just say queuing etiquette went out the window, luckily having a local guide we were able to duck, dive, weave and Bob, I even dummied two guards and nutmegged a 3rd! Finally inside, shoe covers provided and placed on and we headed into the historic world of the Romonavs. A truly delightful excursion with so much history and story telling under one roof. If you have an interest in the Romonav dynasty this is a must visit. The Palace and Gardens were commissioned by Peter the Great and wanted something to resemble the Palace of Versailles.

Petergof

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