Top 3 Things to do in St. Petersburg, Russia

I’m not sure if you know this – because I didn’t – but St. Petersburg is a huge city. As my plane made its decent into SBP around sunset, I was struck by the sheer size of the city and surrounding areas. This also made it difficult to decide on a place to stay, since there were well-priced hostels all around the city. In the end, my cousin suggested staying near Nevsky Prospekt, which turned out to be a great decision.

Though someone with much more time than me would undoubtedly find many more of the city’s gems, here are the top 3 things to do if you are on a short trip and spending most of your time near Nevsky Prospekt! All of these things are less than a 20-minute walk away.

1. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

This is my number one can’t-miss in St. Petersburg. This church reminds you that you’re in Russia with its quintessential, colorful onion domes. The story of this cathedral is an interesting one; it was built by Alexander III as a memorial to his father, right on the spot where he had been assassinated (hence the church’s… memorable… name). Its location next to the Griboedov Canal and the Mikhailovskiy Sad Park present great photo opportunities, even though its main dome is currently under construction.

These days, the Church on Blood is a museum and has not been used for religious activities in many years. Tickets for entry cost 250₽ for adults and 50₽ for children under 18, so about $3.75 and $0.75 respectively. You can buy tickets outside from the ticket desk or a kiosk – which I usually find has a shorter line! Once you’re inside, you can marvel at the intricate ornamentation and ceiling frescos. Photos are allowed throughout, which isn’t always the case in historical churches.

Opening hours: 10:30am-6pm every day; closed Wednesdays. But you can admire its gingerbread-style Russian Orthodox exterior any time, of course!

2. The Hermitage Museum

This is the second-largest art museum in the world, right behind the Louvre in Paris, but the Hermitage is even older. And the Hermitage is not solely an art museum; it also boasts important historical and cultural artifacts from Russia and beyond. The museum spans across a giant complex on the Palace Embankment, all of which are the former residences of Russian emperors. These buildings are the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre. Can you guess yet how they came up with the name “Hermitage Museum”?!

Your first look at it, from the Nevsky Prospekt area, will probably be from Palace Square, the most famous public square in St. Petersburg. Not only will you find the historic Alexander Column, but you’ll see the Winter Palace’s brilliant mint-green façade. Walk under its archways and you’ll find the museum entrance.

Entry to the museum costs more for foreign tourists than for citizens of Russia and Belarus, at ₽600 ($8.63) or ₽700 during the summer. (You can also buy your tickets at the ticket booth or a self-serve kiosk.) On the first Thursday of the month, entry is free for everyone. One thing I really appreciated was the free coat-check service offered on the basement level. Since the museum doesn’t allow you to bring your heavy coats or large bags with you through the exhibits, making the coat check free was the least they could do. Regular-sized backpacks are okay to bring with you, however.

This museum really is massive. I arrived around 2 p.m. and spent 2-3 hours there, but that was moving at a relatively quick pace, and I probably didn’t even see 1/10th of what’s there. Someone really interested in history could easily spend 6+ hours and still not see everything. Even if you only spend a short amount of time there, like I did, I still think it’s worth a visit! Don’t miss the Peacock Clock and the Crimson Room.

Opening hours: 10:30am-6pm every day; 10:30am-9pm on Wednesdays; closed Mondays.

3. St. Isaac Cathedral – Colonnade

I almost didn’t do this. It was my last day in St. Petersburg, and I stumbled upon yet another cathedral. But I remembered reading somewhere that climbing to the top would give you an unbeatable view of the city. The cathedral didn’t look very tall to me, so I was a little bit doubtful of this claim. I decided to do it anyway. (Lucky for me, when I went to the kiosk to buy my ticket, there was one already waiting in the receptacle!) If not for that, it would have cost ₽250 to enter the cathedral, and ₽150 to climb to the top – so ₽400 ($5.76) altogether.

As far as the church itself, St. Isaac’s is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth-largest church in the world. Throughout history, its purpose has changed; during the Soviet years, it was solely a museum, like the Church on Blood. In 2017, it was sold back to the Russian Orthodox Church, which has converted it back into a site for religious services once again. This was a controversial decision, with many residents of St. Petersburg protesting the change, but it seems that for now the cathedral has found a balance – while some worship activity takes place, tourists are still able to visit and learn about its history.

Now, the climb to the top: it’s 262 stairs in a spiral to the colonnade, and every 10 steps is numbered so you can track your progress. As someone who walks a lot but isn’t particularly in shape, I think I only had to stop and catch my breath twice. Once I got to the top though, I realized it really was a great view of the city! Being such a clear day, you could see for miles in every direction, gleaming onion domes and golden spires dotting the landscape. The walk back down the stairs was much easier, by the way.

Opening hours: 10:30am-6pm every day; closed Wednesdays. Between April 27-September 30, hours are extended until 10:30pm.

 

What are your favorite things to see and do in St. Petersburg? Let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to read about the 5 Things that Surprised Me About St. Petersburg.

-Cathy

Originally Published on January 2, 2019.