Welcome to Russia! This incredibly opulent and ornate city is a far cry from Moscow, and indeed has been in serious competition with it for years. Everywhere you turn you'll see a sight to take your breath away. Ornate and grand buildings dominate the place, and loom over you. St Petersburg is formed from several small islands connected by bridges, the vast majority of the main sites being found on the middle island. Across this island traverses the mighty Nevsky Prospekt, the main street in St Petersburg, along which you'll find many of the most famous sites. Be warned in advance: the bridges all get put up during the night to let the ships through, albeit at different times. Do not get stuck on the wrong island with no way to get to the other side! For more information on the easiest way of sorting out your documentation to get into Russia, have a look at our article Russian Visas and Requirements.
Transport around St Petersburg
St Petersburg is actually very wide-spread, so walking the whole thing is not really practical. Fortunately it’s got a very good and not too confusing metro system, so you can use that to get from place to place. It uses actual tokens like coins, so don’t lose them! Each token equals one journey underground, no matter how far you go or how long it takes, and you can stock up with them if you reckon you’re going to be doing a lot of exploring.
Apart from that, you could get a taxi if you’re in a hurry. May we recommend that you get your hotel to call for one for you, having sorted the price out beforehand. You can end up having so much fun over the fare if you’re not careful.
To all you people who love to walk around cities out there, we’re not criticising your choice; we know it’s a great way to take things in, and St Petersburg is no exception. But just to give you an idea, walking from one end of Nevsky Prospekt to the other takes something in the region of 45 minutes, and that’s if you’re a fairly brisk walker. Your call.
Things to Do
There’s so much to do and see in St Petersburg! And there are things for everybody of every taste, with incredible architecture, cool museums, a couple of the world’s top art galleries, theatres, parks, bars... you get the idea. In fact, it was hard to pick only a few things to mention here so we listed quite a lot. Among the items below you’ll find the things that St Petersburg is most famous for, but also some slightly more quirky, non-quite-the-normal things to do for those who like variety. Hope you find it useful!
Ballet
Russian ballet was made extremely famous about 100 years ago by the celebrated Ballet Russes, so seeing a ballet in St Petersburg is a very popular thing to do. Of course, there are almost daily performances of Swan Lake, which, if you like things like that, might do. But there are many other ballets that aren’t quite so... sentimental, and you should find out what’s on when you get there. Needless to say, the whole of Russia is well and truly fed up with Swan Lake. Ballet tickets can be pretty expensive, but hey, it’s not often you get to see this kind of thing, and some of the theatres are beautiful.
St Isaac’s Cathedral – Isaakievskaya pl.
You really can’t miss the giant Golden Dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral glittering at you from on high. It’s an incredible and highly photogenic building with an interior of high, imposing domed ceilings. You can even pay a bit more and get up to the Colonnade for a bit of a wander round and a look at the view of St Petersburg. We take it upon ourselves to suggest that you definitely try to see inside the church, but that the Colonnade doesn’t give quite as sensational views as you might expect, so you can feel free to give it a miss.
Boat Trip on the Neva River
As you wander along Nevsky Prospekt, you’ll undoubtedly cross the bridges across the canals that add to St Petersburg’s picturesque fame. And while you cross them you can hardly fail to notice the people bellowing from loudspeakers about riverboat tours. Basically, you pay a fee (not too steep) and go for a cruise on the river for about an hour. If the weather’s nice, or even that beautiful icy crisp kind of cold with a blue sky and you’re wrapped up warm, this is a really nice thing to do. You’ll drift past some stunning buildings and down some beautiful streets. St Petersburg is gorgeous from the water.
Church of the Saviour on the Spilt Blood – Nab. Kan. Griboedova 2b
Quite a mouthful, eh? We can tell you’re dying to know, so allow us to inform you that the name comes from the fact that it was built on the spot that Tsar Alexander II received his fatal wound from an assassin in 1881. It’s one of St Petersburg’s most beautiful landmarks, and is built on the style of St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, but some very sensible soul chose far more aesthetically pleasing colours. It’s locally known as the mosaic church, because inside it is floor-to-ceiling mosaics, most of the individual tiles being no bigger than your little fingernail, and really is a work of art. Do not miss this place.
The State Hermitage – Dvortsovaya nab. 34 (Head through the gates in the big square)
The Hermitage is one of the world’s biggest and best art galleries, situated within the breath-taking Winter Palace. It has spread over five buildings these days and has over 3 million works of art from some of the most well-known names in the history of art. You’re probably not going to be able to take everything in, so one option is getting an audio guide which will talk you through the most well-known pieces. This is definitely one of the things you must do in Russia.
The tickets for foreigners are 350rbl or FREE for students with ISIC cards! And on the first Thursday of every month it’s free for everyone; the Russians clearly want to make art available for all. Good on ‘em.
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) – 3 University Emb.
One of the oldest and coolest collections in St Petersburg, this museum has exhibits from various cultures from all corners of the earth. And a very good and thorough job they’ve done, too, although we should point out that some rooms have lots of English notes and some have only Russian. On the other hand, since they’re mostly names, if you can read the alphabet you can usually work out what the culture is your looking at by the universal name. See if you feel a profound sense of achievement when you sound out “Samurai” and realise that’s what it says. But the real draw of this place has been the room of “curiosities”: a scarily large collection of deformed foetuses and animals, all soaking in huge jars of formaldehyde. Not something to do on a full stomach, as you will invariably feel queasy, but quite interesting, as you can readily see where legends of Cyclops’ and other mythical beings came into being.
Peter and Paul Fortress – Petropavlovskaya Kepost 3
Just on the other side of the river, with its golden spire towering over the fortress walls, you’ll find the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was actually the site of St Petersburg’s first settlement, and walking along the fortress walls offers beautiful views of the city, and this is free. Within the fortress is a collection of museums, including the Museum of Space Exploration and the Commandant’s House Museum. You’ll see locals swimming in the river and sun-bathing on the banks in the summer, but make no mistake: The water is freezing and many ships and boats go through it every day. It’s obviously up to you if you want to brave the river.
Russian Museum – Ul. Inzhenernaya 4/2
Open 10am-6pm Wed to Mon, Closed Tues, tickets 300rbl/150rbl And this is the “other” art museum, or at least the other big and brilliant one. The building itself is just as much of a work of art as the Hermitage and focuses specifically on Russian art. The pieces range from Russian iconography of the 1200s to the latest avant-garde stuff, and it’s all pretty wonderful.
Museum of Russian Vodka – Ul. Mayakovskogo 3-A
It’s the one thing that everyone associates with Russia (after communism, of course): Vodka. And now you can go on a vodka tasting session! There’s a €5 tour that includes a vodka shot and a snack, a €12 option that 4 shots and some food and other more expensive tours up to €50 that include all-you-can-drink options. The tours include folk-shows as well, which you’ll need to book for.
Erotic Museum – Ul. Furstatskaya 47/11 (entrance via ul. Potemkinskaya)
Open 9am until 8pm. There’s no entrance fee, but you do have to buy a souvenir if you’re not a patient.
This is a small museum that’s technically part of a clinic, the Prostate Centre. It’s got to be on the list of weird and wonderful things to see in St. Petersburg, if only because of its truly startling claim to fame: The Erotic Museum claims to be in possession of the pickled genitalia of Rasputin. Seriously. Rasputin, in case you don’t know, became known as the Mad Monk, and was largely famous for helping the Czar and his family with their various ailments, including haemophilia and epilepsy. It was quite convenient that Rasputin was surrounded by myths and rumours of the supernatural, for his reputation grew. One of the more established rumours about him focused on his non-too-professional involvement with the Tsarina Alexandra. And it may be due to this rumour that a museum has seen fit to display what they claim to be Rasputin’s genitalia. Still, as random as it is, the museum has other things of this nature. If they float your boat, off you trot.
Apraksin Dvor Market – Ul. Sadovaya 28-30
St Petersburg has no end of markets, but Apraksin Dvor is probably the most well-rounded of the lot. It has clothes, shoes, bits and pieces, household items and just about everything else you can name. It’s also absolutely packed most of the time and you should keep a tight hold of your wallet etc. But it’s a crazy and cool atmosphere and you’ll have a good time, and probably pick up some cheap trainers. Open 9am – 6pm, closed Mondays.
Restaurants and general eating
What we’ve never managed to figure out is how the Russian women, on their solid diet of carb, carb, meat and carb manage to stay so enviably slim. You will doubtless find the food quite stodgy and vegetable-free, but that doesn’t mean it’s not nice. St Petersburg, along with most of Russia, is quite an expensive place to eat, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done on a budget. Here are a few ideas...
Teremok – Nevsky Prospekt
Teremok (spelled Tepemok, by the way) is a very popular Russian pancake (blini) chain. There’s sweet pancakes, savoury pancakes, borsch, and various other traditional Russian foodstuffs. It’s good, cheap and yummy. Can’t go wrong. Its distinctive red and orange decor means you should be able to find them pretty easily. And it’ll definitely fortify you for hours of sightseeing.
Cafes
Down almost all the streets off Nevsky Prospekt you’ll find, if you look closely, what looks to be cafe/canteen-ish places. Usually you order your food straight over the counter, and in this way it’s fast-food, of a sort. But the food here is usually very Russian, good quality and these places are where the locals eat. Try and get one with an English and Russian menu (usually written up on the wall) to avoid stressful situations in which no one understands you.
Asian food
Brilliantly, much of Eastern Europe has a few Chinese (or similar) restaurants which charge surprisingly low prices, and Russia is no exception. You have to work pretty hard to find them, but we can recommend Khua-Chao – Nab. Reky Fontanky 23. Just to let you know, not much in the way of English or Russian is spoken here, so be prepared to be open minded about what you eat. Apart from that there’s Tan Zhen – Ul. Gorokhovaya 48, a well-known and good quality Chinese food chain. Or you could try Tyan Tszyan – Ul. Chaikovskogo 75, which has an English menu and everything.
Supermarkets
The old backpacker standby is just as valid here as it is anywhere else; get yourself down to the local supermarket (ask your hotel where the nearest one is), get some rolls, cheese, ham and fruit, and head over to one of the parks to munch your lunch. Or you could sit on the wall overlooking the river and the Winter Palace for a nice view.
Korchma – Nab. kan. Griboedova 69
We felt that we should give you at least one proper restaurant option that was still within a reasonable budget. Korchma should do the trick. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way your tastes run), the evenings seem to have turned into Russian strip dancing nights. Interesting. But during the day and before this all kicks off, the atmosphere is great in this underground tavern-like affair, and the food is high-quality at affordable (not cheap, mind, but affordable) prices.
Yolki-Palki – Nevsky Prospekt 88
Another good Russian chain. It’s cheap and has both a staple menu and a huge buffet with tons of food choices. Very good if you’re on a budget.
Bars and general drinking
Again, the nicer, more upmarket bars are pretty pricey, but the local ones are better. Proper pubs tend to be imitation British and Irish efforts, some of which work better than others. Also remember that Russia does not yet have the smoking ban and probably won’t get it for the foreseeable future, so unless the place is ventilated it’s going to be smoky! You should also bear in mind that many of the clubs, no matter how straight down the line and legit they are, will have strip dancers and certainly prostitutes. Welcome to Russia. We’ve listed a few choices below. Just remember to time your night out with the bridges being raised!
Bars:
Cynic – Goncharnaya ulitsa 4
Bit scruffy, maybe, but relaxed and a good place to sip on your vodka. Nice atmosphere.
Propaganda – Fontanki reki naberezhnaya 40
Where many of Russia’s beautiful and new rich people hang out and generally display their beauty to the world. The place is done out in Soviet style, just to remind you where you are, we presume. Mixed reviews about service; but this is Russia, so what do you expect?
Derzhis – Ul. Mayakovskogo 56
This is one for the cocktail lovers. There’re over 400 to choose from, and the bar staff are usually up for experimenting with a few more. It’s quite a showy place with bar dancing and the like, so definitely a good atmosphere. They often have themed nights which can get pretty manic (think “Feather night” – exactly what you’d imagine), so be prepared! It gets busy, so get here early (it opens at 4pm) or reserve a table.
Piyanni Soldat – Ul. Nekrasova 44
If you fancy something a little artsy and creative, come along to the Drunken Soldier. The bar girls wear military uniforms and carry rifles and suchlike. The theme is continued with parachute bags attached to the backs of the chairs. They also do food which is very good. Somewhere to go if you fancy something a little bit different.
And some of the good Brit bars (you’ll see a theme with the names):
Liverpool – Ul. Mayakovskogo 16
Dickens – Nab. Reky Fontanky 108
Hemingway – Ul. Lomonosova 3
Mollie’s Irish Pub – Ul. Rubinshteina 36
Oliver Twist – Ul. Belinskogo 3
Shamrock – Ul. Dekabristov 27 (Teatralnaya pl.)
Clubs:
Marstall – Nab. Kan. Griboedova 5
Pretty well-known and popular, you’ll find a lot of ex-pats here, possibly because admission is free for foreigners, although you’ll need to take your passport along to prove this. Don’t lose it! The building itself used to be a stable in the days of the Tsars. Mostly house music, there’s quite a bit of prostitution and many strip dancers.
Money Honey – Ul. Sadovaya 28-30, Apraksin Dvor (the market mentioned above) 13
In case you were wondering about the name, it comes from the well-known phrase, “No money, no honey”, and so you’d think it would be quite a trendy, wealthy place to be. Nope. This is Russia’s rock scene, or you could even go so far as to call it rockabilly, given that some of the locals go dressed as, um, cowboys. There’s live music, cheap beer and a cheerful, young crowd. What more can you ask?
Konnyushenny Dvor – Griboedova 5
If you’re into your cheesy pop and would like to experience some Russian cheesy pop, here is the place to be. It’s loud, it’s boisterous and it’s cheese. Should do the job.
Red Club – Ul. Poltavskaya 7
Usually guaranteed to provide some decent music acts, this place has two floors plus a separate balcony level, dance-floor, sofas, all sorts. It does have an admission fee (500rbl) but on the other hand it’s open until 6am, and the bridges will definitely be up by then. Make sure you get your money’s worth.