The 13 essential things to do in St. Petersburg

Visit St. Petersburg: what are the best things to do and see in the second largest city of Russia?

St. Petersburg, the imperial capital, now a gigantic metropolis, attracts many visitors by its majesty, its grandeur, its incredible brilliance. With more than 340 bridges, its canals and its imposing river – the Neva – the city is often compared to Venice. But visiting St. Petersburg is also discovering wonderful treasures of culture and art: museums, theatres, palaces, religious buildings, not to mention the different festivities that begin in the spring, this city will charm you from the first minutes of your stay. But do you know where to go and what to do to enjoy 100% of this incredible destination that is St. Petersburg? Here is a small overview of the best things to do in St. Petersburg!

1. The Nevski perspective

Why not start walking around the streets of the city centre to impress you with the atmosphere of the city? With the Nevski perspective which is the main artery of the city, and surely the most famous in the world, you will go to discover the most beautiful treasures of architecture, between Art Nouveau and Orthodox churches.

2. The islands

St. Petersburg is full of small islands that each have a special attraction and a singular cachet. Discover Elagin Island for its relaxing parks and green areas and Divo Ostrov Island with its amusement park.

3. Channels

Compared very often to Venice for its many canals, St. Petersburg offers you to explore its various neighbourhoods by taking a tour of one of them. Regardless of the channel chosen, organized circuits are offered. A different way to apprehend the charm of this city.

4. The Hermitage Museum

Just arrived in Saint Petersburg, enter your program the visit of this museum out of standard. Indeed, this museum has a wonderful collection of artistic jewels such as Egypt’s ceramics, jewellery, a selection of paintings by Picasso, Raphael, Michelangelo, Gauguin and Van Gogh. The building itself is to be discovered, it is a museum in the museum: ceilings, windows, furniture, are all works of art in its own right.

The place is huge and with 6 main buildings (Palais d’Hiver which is the former of the Russian tsars, Vieil Ermitage, New Ermitage, Ermitage Theatre, etc.), it serves – with the Prado – one of the world’s largest museums. The Hermitage Museum is simply the oldest and largest museum in the world with more than 60,000 exhibited pieces and nearly 3 million more stored on reserve.

5. The Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur-sur-le-Sang-Versé

While Tsar Alexander II was murdered after abolishing slavery at the end of the 19th century, his son decided to erect a memorial at the scene. The work will last 24 years and this is how the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur-sur-le-Sang-Versé is born and the origin of its name is understood. The church is slightly advanced towards the canal so that the altar is exactly where the tsar was assassinated. With its twisted domes, its religious frescoes, its faience tiles, its golden bulbs, the cathedral is listed in the pure neo-Russian style.

6. Hotel Belvedere-Nevsky

This building belongs to the list of historical monuments of the city, dating from the 19th century. The neighborhood is very pleasant, the staff is extremely welcoming and will do everything to make you feel at home. A relaxing, magical place.

7. The Cathedral of Saint Isaac

One of the most beautiful monuments in St. Petersburg is surely St. Isaac Cathedral. Built under the reign of three tsars, built by French architect Auguste Ricard, this imposing church struck by its beauty and impressed by its interior rich in decorations and frescoes. A pearl to discover without hesitation.

8. Castle Mikhailovsky (or Castle of Engineers)

This castle is not far from the Champ de Mars and has always been the subject of several legends and superstitions. Some think the castle is simply haunted for example. Many exhibitions are on its program throughout the year.

Enjoy it to stroll around the Mikhailovski garden. It is located south of the summer garden, between the church of Saint-Sauveur-sur-le-Sang-Versé and Mikhailovski Castle. This large wooded park is presented as a garden in English, paradoxically designed on the backdrop of a French garden.

9. The Mariinsky Theatre

It is the most famous opera and ballet theatre in St. Petersburg, a majestic building that was built in the middle of the 19th century. The scene of this theatre is so huge that it has changed the history of choreography: then it was necessary to think a new way of moving into space to occupy the stage. Probably one of the best scenes in the world.

10. The Winter Palace

It is one of the most important monuments of St. Petersburg: an imposing baroque-style building on the banks of the Neva River. It was the residence of the Russian tsars in winter. The palace houses part of the collection of the Hermitage Museum, including the Treasures, namely jewellery, jewellery. The legend tells us that if you had to stop in front of every work of art in the palace, you would need 8 whole years to embrace it.

11. Smolny Cathedral (or Resurrection Cathedral)

Reflecting on the waters of the Neva, this cathedral is one of the jewels of the city, it is part of the whole monastery Smolny. Its construction lasted about a century until the end of the 19th century. During the Soviet era, it was transformed into a concert hall and exhibition, and it was only in 2010 that it was returned to the Orthodox Church and that restoration work was begun to restore it to the old cachet.

12. The fortress Pierre-et-Paul

Amid a cathedral where the Romanovs are buried, a former prison and various exhibitions, this great defensive fortress on Zayachy Island is the nucleus from which St. Petersburg turned into the city it is today. History lovers will enjoy and you will love the panoramic view from the top of the fortress walls, at the foot of which is a fine sandy beach on the river, a privileged place for sunbathing in the summer.

13. Other ideas for visits to Saint Petersburg and its surroundings

• The Griboïedov channel dock
• Millionnaya Street (Millionaire Street) with its many restaurants
• The place of the Deembrists with its Bronze Horseman and the breathtaking view of the Neva
• Issaakievskaya square to climb on the colonnade
• The Moika docks to take a well-deserved coffee break
• Shopping in Nevsky Prospekt
• The Mytninskiye Bani, the oldest hot bath in the city, heated by a wood oven. It also has one parilka (hammam) and a deep basin
• A visit to Pouchkine, a small town 25 km south of St. Petersburg. When her name was Tsarskoïe Selo, she was a place of summer residence of the tsars
• Visit of Peterhof Palace, located about 30 km from St. Petersburg in the Gulf of Finland. Its architecture is inspired by that of Palace of Versailles.

How to get to St. Petersburg?

Before considering any stay in Saint Petersburg, you must first ask about the visa . For this, just read our article how to get his visa for Russia .

There are daily connections between different cities of France (Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse, Marseille...) with different companies, low-cost or not (Lufthansa, Aeroflot, airBaltic, Vueling Airlines, Air Moldova, Air France). Lufthansa offers 3 daily flights to St.Petersburg but with a stopover in Frankfurt, Munich or Düsseldorf. Without a stopover, you have to count about 3h15 of flight and 4h30 with a stopover.

From Helsinki (Finland), it is possible to take a train or bus to Saint Petersburg. You can take a low-cost flight to Tampere for example, and finish the bus ride. It will of course be longer, but perhaps less expensive. For all your flight bookings, feel free to use the price comparison Skyscanner .

Where to stay in St. Petersburg?

Accommodation in Saint Petersburg costs relatively expensive. For small budgets, you can find beds in hostels. This is the cheapest solution and it allows you to get your registration (see visa). For the rest, use this Compare hotels to compare the offers according to your dates of stay.

Have you visited St. Petersburg?