30 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN SAINT PETERSBURG

In your trip through Russia you can not miss a step through its ancient capital, and to make the most of those days, we will tell you the best 30 things to see and do in St. Petersburg.

Founded in the early 1700s by Peter the Great, who understood that looking towards Europe was essential for the development of his beloved Russia, St. Petersburg It is one of the great jewels of the country. Petrograd before, Leningrad after, the history of the city is relatively recent, but not boring at all. Peter the Great wanted to gather here the best of Europe, so he had excellent architects and artists to create the most beautiful city in the world. The result is an open-air museum, monumental and elegant, which almost overwhelms the visitor.

Now, this is what we recommend you to visit in St. Petersburg:

1. The Hermitage Museum Not only is it one of the biggest attractions of the city, but it is one of the best museums in the world. In its innumerable rooms (for which you are likely to get lost several times) you can admire millions of works of art, from the Egyptian, Greek or Roman times, to paintings of the Italian Renaissance. The Hermitage is in the Winter Palace, the former residence of the czars of Russia, and just by visiting the palace itself is worth entering, since all its rooms are authentic masterpieces. Calculate at least 3 hours for the visit and be careful because on Mondays it closes.

Admission is relatively cheap: it costs 700 rubles, about € 10 to change. You can buy online, to avoid queues, but you have to know that it costs a lot more (we went in the afternoon and did not have to queue buying at the automatic machines). It is also recommended the option of guided tour in Spanish (with skip-the-line ticket included).

2. If Moscow has the Red Square, St. Petersburg has the Palace Square, a huge esplanade with the beautiful green facade of the Hermitage. It is one of the key places in the history of Russia: it was at this point that the Bolshevik Revolution began, when the people, tired of the privileges of the tsars, changed the fate of Mother Russia.

3. From the Plaza del Palacio, one of the most important shopping streets in the city and its main artery: Nevsky Prospekt. Run it up and down a few times, and remember to enter the Singer House that inside hides a beautiful bookshop with cafeteria. Tip: from there the views of the Kazan Cathedral are a pasote.

4. In the same street there are also Yeliseev Warehouses, a gastronomic shop that deserves a visit, especially if you want to buy some typical product, such as caviar or vodka (although it also has a cafeteria and an irresistible candy section). And if you feel more like shopping, go to the nearby Passage galleries They will not have the charm of the GUM galleries in Moscow, but they are a bit of history of the city.

5. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood It is the religious protagonist of the city. Remember the Cathedral of San Basilio, thanks to its domes in the form of colored onions, although if you visit them until 2021 you may take a small disappointment: it is under construction and some parts are covered with scaffolding. What a pity! Curiosity: did you know that he got up to pay tribute to Tsar Alexander II right in the same place where he was killed? That's where his name comes from.

One tip: on the outside it is beautiful, but on the inside it is a pass (the entrance costs 350 rubles). It is full of extraordinary mosaics that really leave your mouth open. It is one of the most beautiful churches we have ever seen.

6. But this is not the only remarkable temple, in St. Petersburg there are great churches and very different from each other. One of them, of orthodox religion, is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, that with its impressive colonnade of 96 columns, an air is given to Saint Peter of the Vatican. It is the main church of the city and in its interior an icon of the Virgin of Kazan is revered with fervor.

7. There is another cathedral that competes in dimensions with the previous one, we talk about the St. Isaac's Cathedral. What is most striking is the characteristic golden dome (they say in fact that it is the largest golden dome in the world), which rests on a huge circular colonnade with a panoramic terrace, which can be climbed. It is not the typical Orthodox cathedral, since inside it is austere and has dark tones. Entering costs 250 rubles and for an extra price you can climb to the terrace (it is not at the top).

8. But not only the cathedrals and Orthodox churches live the city ... one of the most amazing things to see in St. Petersburg is a mosque! The St. Petersburg Mosque It has an imposing and at the same time delicate appearance, with its mosaics of blue and green tones, its high minaret and an amazing dome. You can enter to visit the prayer area for free.

9. Some people call it the Barbie church, others say it looks like a wedding cake ... Chesme Church, with its white and pink tones, it is at least different from the rest. It is a remote tad, so you will have to arrive by public transport.

10. If you are not very convinced to get there, there is another reason that can make you change your mind. Very close to this church is the House of Soviets, a building in the purest Stalinist style, which today houses administrative offices. In front of him, in the huge Moskovskaya Ploshad square (Moscow Square), a huge 17-meter statue of Lenin, apparently the largest in the city. Tip: from this square a line of shuttles goes out and goes to the Catherine Palace, so you can spend the same day and kill two birds with one stone.

11. Did you know that in St. Petersburg you can visit a warship? Is he dawn that not only did it perform its warlike function during the Japanese Russian War, but since it fired the cannon shot that started the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Nowadays it can be visited since it has been converted into a naval museum.

12. It is well known that the Moscow metro has the most beautiful stations in the world, but in St. Petersburg you can visit a few that are not too far behind (in addition the St. Petersburg metro is the deepest in the world, more 80 meters underground on average). It is the case of the stations of Kirovsky Zavod, Admiralteyskaya, Avtovo or Pushkinskaya. You can visit them for free (obviously hehe) or sign up for a guided tour to learn all their secrets and charms.

13. St. Petersburg is known as "the Venice of the North", for its many canals and bridges (over 300!). Take advantage of it to make yourself a Neva river cruise and its canals. Ideally, do it at sunset to enjoy the last rays of sun (if you are lucky like us and you have a great day) ... It is a very good experience and nothing expensive! Check out the offers.

14. An original plan is to make the cruise, but at dawn! It is a illuminated drawbridge route! Yes, you heard correctly, in the months between April and October, there are several bridges that rise to allow passage to large ships. Why only between April and October? Because during the other months, the Neva River is usually more frozen than an anchovy in the Arctic. You can approach yourself on foot (these are the bridges that rise) or sign up for a cruise like this.

15. An excursion to Peterhof Palace It is a must to do in St. Petersburg. What was one of the official residences of the rulers of Russia until the fall of Tsarism in 1917, is today a museum where you can freak out with the beauty, elegance and luxuries that surrounded the life of the czars. Do not miss its gardens, they are full of fountains, flowers, sculptures and places that fall in love. The Palace is about 35 km from St. Petersburg and can be visited for free or on a tour like this.

Eye: if you go in August like us, get ready in long lines. In the end we decided to go on Monday, when the Palace closes and focus on visiting the gardens (there were still many people but well, you could find completely empty corners). Here we give you a few tips to visit Peterhof (coming soon).

16. Near the Peterhof Palace is the beautiful Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, with the domes of colors so peculiar to the Russian architectural style. People often do not visit it, but apparently it is very worth a stop. And we say "apparently" since when we went, in August 2019, it was practically all covered with scaffolding. A shame.

17. If you think Peterhof was the only residence of the Czars, you are wrong: they soon decided to build another impressive and lavish summer resort, the Catherine Palace. And no, nothing had to envy the previous one. But nothing, nothing. So much so, that in the Nazi occupation in the II GM, they took some of their treasures, among other things the Amber Chamber, which by the way, is still missing. That before destroying it, so all we see today is a thorough reconstruction of how the Palace was in its time of splendor.

Like the previous one, it is located on the outskirts of the city, and can be reached and visited for free or on tour. Here we give you more information on how to visit Catalina Palace for free (coming soon).

18. Do you want something sweet? Then you have to get one (or more) Pyshechnaya donuts, a legendary establishment that sweetens the lives of city dwellers. Donuts (pyshki) are also very cheap: they cost around € 0.20. It is located at 25 Bolshaya Konyushennaya street. Here we recommend a few restaurants to eat in St. Petersburg well and cheaply (coming soon).

19. The Mariinsky Theater is the answer petersburg to the Bholsoi Theater in Moscow. If you have time (and a little money) get the tickets of a work and enjoy one of the most impressive Russian experiences. There are other less famous theaters scattered around the city, such as the “Mini Bolshoi”, in front of the Fontanka canal.

20. One of the most emblematic places of the city is the Fortress of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, since it is the exact point where the city was founded in 1703. In this walled citadel on the other side of the Neva there are several interesting visits, such as that of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, where the remains of several tsars and their relatives, the State Museum of History, that of the State Exploration or the old political prison of the city, where they passed prisoners of the likes of Dostoevsky or Gorky.

There is a combined entrance of 750 rubles that allows the visit to all attractions, although you can walk inside for free. Curiosity: it is the second most visited place in St. Petersburg, after the Hermitage.

21. One of the best places to have beautiful views, both of the Fortress and the Hermitage and the Neva River, is on the Stock Market Square. On the back we will have the old building of the Stock Exchange, and in the same square two red Rostral columns stand out. It is located on Vasilievsky Island, where you can also visit a few museums.

22. Surely you heard about Rasputin: the healer who knew how to make friends with the czars, who came to influence his decisions. He was a very controversial figure ... and of course hated by many powerful. So hated was that a group of nobles orchestrated his murder. It took place in the beautiful Yusupov Palace, which today can be visited, and as toooodo what surrounds the figure of this monk-healer, is shrouded in mystery: they say they poisoned him (and the cyanide did not take effect), that he shot him a few shots (and still alive) and finally tied and thrown into the frozen river (and then yes, died of cold).

If you are interested in the figure of this dark monk and his power to embellish the ladies (even smelling like a tiger 3 km away), in the Erotic Museum It exposes what, apparently, are his generous genitals.

23. If the weather accompanies you and you want to surround yourself with green and flowers without leaving St. Petersburg, the Summer garden You'll love it. Here was the first summer residence of Tsar Peter the Great and he created the gardens himself. Across the street, you can also visit another park (Field of Mars), in whose center the Eternal Flame burns since 1957.

24. To the south of these two parks the San Miguel Castle (or Mikhailovsky in Russian), by order of Tsar Paul I, feeling unsafe in the Winter Palace. The play did not go well at all, because 40 days after moving he was murdered in his offices. The castle was surrounded by the 4 sides of water and the construction is quite large. Today you can enter the courtyard for free and hosts some exhibitions.

25. Arriving at our apartment and looking through the window we saw huge blue domes with gold stars, and of course, we looked at the map to see what it was. Was the Holy Trinity Cathedral, in front of which stands the Column of Glory, on the remains of the cannons used in the war against Russian-Turkish. Curiosity: in 2006 a terrible fire ended with a large part of the Cathedral, luckily the restoration was relatively fast since it was reopened in 2010.

26. If you have time, approach the Cathedral and Convent of Smolny. It is an impressive set, in the Elizabethan Baroque style, that will drive more than one crazy. The strong point is the cathedral, which during the Stalin era, was sacked and used as a warehouse.

27. Vodka is the typical Russian drink and on your visit to St. Petersburg you have to try it at least once. But if you want to learn more about the curiosities, the history and the elaboration of this drink, we recommend you visit the Vodka Museum. The entrance with tasting costs about 500 rubles. We visited the one in Warsaw and it was a very entertaining visit. By the way, vodka was invented in Poland!

28. And speaking of museums, one very curious to visit in St. Petersburg is the Fabergé Museum, famous for having the largest fabergé egg collection in the world. Don't you know what it is about? They are jewels from the era of super-priced tsars, egg-shaped and made of gold and precious stones. Inside they hid unique gifts such as jewelry, photo frames and more surprises. Did kinder eggs get inspired by them? The museum is located inside the Shuvalov Palace.

29. Did you know that the Moscow Triumphal Arch Is it in St. Petersburg? It is called that because it is placed where the road that goes to the Russian capital begins. It was built to celebrate the victory of Russia over the Turks, in 1834. Curiosity: it is not the only arch of the triumph of the city, there is another ... that of Narva, which was made to commemorate one of Russia's most celebrated victories, the of the Patriotic War, against Napoleon Bonaparte's troops.

30. Thanks to the wanderonworld boys, we discover that about 20 km from the city there is an almost exact replica of the famous Kizhi church, one of the most spectacular in all of Russia. We approach by bus and freak out in colors: the Church of the Intercession (Покровская церковь) made of wood and with its onions domes so peculiar, it is one of the prettiest we have ever seen. And inside we liked it even more! We also visited her almost alone, it was one of the best moments of the trip.

Here is a map with the places you have to visit on your trip to St. Petersburg:

So far our recommendations of things to see and do in St. Petersburg, they are the 30 most important, but surely there are many more! Which is your favorite? Do we forget any? Leave us a comment 😉

Video: St Pete & Clearwater: Top Ten Things To Do (April 2024).