In Russian, Saint Petersburg is written Санкт-Петербург, for the locals, it’s simply Peter. It used to be the Russian capital from 1712 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. In this post, we go to the minimum you need to visit in Saint Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. To make your life easier, I write the names in Russian in case if you need to ask for a local who doesn’t speak English. If you have time, you can also visit Veliky Novgorod and Peterhof, both cities located nearby Saint Petersburg.
How many days for Saint Petersburg?
If you consider visiting only the main attractions around the Nevsky Prospekt, one or two days is enough to visit Saint Petersburg. And if you have just one day, go straight to Nevsky Prospekt Avenue, where the main landmarks concentrate. But if you consider visiting museums, going to theaters and operas, and concerts, three or four days is the minimum for your itinerary.
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Walk by Nevsky Prospekt (Невский проспект)
Nevsky Prospekt is the main avenue of Saint Petersburg, literally the heart of the city. Concentrates stores, restaurants, bars, cafes, monuments like Kazan Cathedral. The avenue is also located next to the canals. Everything passes by Nevsky Prospekt. If you’re into books, including for learning Russian, there is an interesting bookstore near the Church of the Savior on Blood, Dom Knigi, the most famous bookstore in Saint Petersburg.
Church of the Savior on Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови)
One of the main postcards of Saint Petersburg, the Church of the Savior on Blood is one of the most beautiful churches you’ll see in your life. Built between 1883 and 1907, funded by the imperial family, in the place where the emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded by an anarchist conspirator. Its colorful architecture draws the attention from far away, combining a medieval Russian nationalism with baroque and neoclassical. This church may be one of the most Instagrammable attractions in Russia.
Boat tours in Saint Petersburg
Around Nevsky Prospekt, there are abundant offers of boat tours along the Neva and the canals (including Griboyedov Canal), passing by the main monuments of Saint Petersburg during the day and at night as well. The boat tours in Saint Petersburg work from May to October, due to the weather conditions. Taking a boat tour is one of the best experiences to appreciate the beautiful architecture of Saint Petersburg.
Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропавловская крепость)
Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, built between 1706 and 1740. It’s where the Czar Peter the Great declared war on Sweden and the Russian maritime power in the Baltic Sea had started. Moreover, Peter had more excuses to build the city of Saint Petersburg in this despotic way. It has been used as a governmental building, cemetery for the Russian imperial family, as a place for scientific experiments, and jail for political prisoners. Nowadays, it’s one of the landmarks where locals pass their free time in front of the Neva River and the historical buildings around.
Hermitage Museum (Эрмитаж)
The Hermitage Musem spans along 6 historical buildings and the most famous is the Winter Palace. At the Winter Palace, there are collections of Fine Arts, Greek, and Roman antiquities. The whole complex of the Hermitage Museum hosts the biggest collection of paintings in the world. If you have in mind to visit the Hermitage, reserve at least half a day.
Petersburg Free Tour
Petersburg Free Tour happens every day at 10:45h, with 2h30min of duration. The meeting point is the Alexander Column (Александровская Колонна), at the center of Palace Square ( Дворцовая Площадь). It’s essential to book on the website petersburgfreetour.com, without any need for prepayment and cancellation fees.
You can arrive in Saint Peterburg by train departing from Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, and other Russian cities. On my first visit to Peter, I took a bus departing from Tallinn, and you can also depart from Finland by train or ferry boat. If you wonder about what to eat when visiting Saint Petersburg, this post lists what to eat in Russia and affordable restaurant chains.
Originally posted 2017-10-23 15:11:51.
