St. Petersburg is truly an amazing place to visit for all travelers as it contains some of the most spectacular places both natural sites as well as museums and artistic monuments. If you have time, even an entire month would not be sufficient to fully visit St. Petersburg. But as most of us are visiting for a few days, we have listed out the very best places to visit St. Petersburg
Here is a detailed review of the Top 20 Attractions in St. Petersburg:
- The Winter Palace – The Hermitage
- The Mariinsky Theatre
- Boat Rides to Explore Canals and Rivers of St. Petersburg
- Peterhof Grand Palace
- St. Issac’s Cathedral
- The Peter and Paul Fortress
- Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
- Tsarskoye Selo
- Opening Bridges
- Nevsky Avenue
- Bronze Horseman
- State Russian Museum
- Dostoevsky’s St. Petersburg
- Strelka
- Pushkinskaya 10
- Carlo Rossi’s Petersburg
- Kunstkammer – Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
- Ploshchad Pobedy and Moskovsky Prospekt
- Mikhailovsky Theatre
- Yelagin Island
The Winter Palace – The Hermitage
World-famous treasuries and art antiquities are on display in the Hermitage which also goes by another name i.e. The Winter Palace. The Hermitage Museum welcomes tourists with its vast yet unique collections of Roman and Greek Antiquities and much more. It is spread into five huge buildings with 360 rooms and was founded by Catherine the Great. Since 1852, it has been opened for visitors by Nicolas I and contains many paintings, sculptures, and more. Some of the popular artists including Da Vinci, Picasso, Van Gogh, Rembrandt etc. art works are on display. Everything you have ever dreamed of, you are going to find here from the Italian Renaissance to the Dutch Golden Age to 19th Century Russian Art in the Museum.
The Mariinsky Theatre
Across the country, the Mariinsky Theatre is considered one of the most prestigious cultural institutions. It was established in 1859 and since that time has hosted various opera and ballet from various renowned artists. So many popular and talented singers, musicians, and dancers have performed here over the years and have gotten recognition over such a huge international platform. If you are interested in arts and performances, you might also want to visit another similar place i.e. Mikhailovsky Theater. Equipped with state-of-the-art acoustics and stage technology, it offers best ever musical experience throughout the theatre.
Boat Rides to Explore Canals and Rivers of St. Petersburg
The best timing to visit St. Petersburg would be from May to October, it is mainly due to the vast stretch canals and boat rides in the city. It would be really amazing to explore the city through a boat ride as it will surely let you have the best ever experience in St. Petersburg. An evening cruise alongside the Neva accompanied by some Jazz music – nothing else is there to enjoy better than that! You can choose to ride smaller private boats or even get larger boats to explore these world famous canals with your friends/ family. Passing through the Fontanka and Moyka Rivers and also the Gribeodov and Kryukov canals must be on your list while boating in St. Petersburg.
Peterhof Grand Palace
You might already have the idea that St. Petersburg is popular mainly for majestic palaces and huge museums. Amongst many, the Peterhof Grand Palace is the most visited as well as mesmerizing throughout the city. It consists of many palaces and gardens inside the compound. It was built around 1709 to 1756 and later on various features were added by numerous architects. Most enchanting ones are the Throne Room and Chesme Hall. You will find many landscaped gardens decorated with cascades, fountains, statues and flowerbeds alongside it. It is also known as The Russian Versailles.
St. Issac’s Cathedral
St. Issac’s Cathedral is truly one of the largest cathedrals across the world, mainly due to its gigantic size – you are definitely going to be stunned. There is a gold plated dome which you can view from anywhere in the city. Since the establishment, it took almost 40 years to completely build the cathedral. Around it, many smaller domes have been built and there are approximate 100 massive columns. Just like on the outside, the inside of this cathedral is even more mesmerizing with its beautifully crafted style. It was turned into a museum during 1931 under the Soviet Government and is open for visitors since that time. While visiting, you can also purchase an extra ticket to climb up approximate 300 steps up to the Colonnade and witness the best ever sight of the St. Petersburg.
The Peter and Paul Fortress
This is the spot where St. Petersburg was founded initially and the Peter and Paul Fortress was built around 1703. It is situated on the banks of the river Neva and offers some of the most amazing views of the city and surrounding areas. Some of the nearby attractions include Trubetskoy Bastion, Peter and Paul Cathedral and more. The fortress hosts many popular events, concerts as well as interesting festivals throughout the year and attracts many locals as well as international travelers here. On sunny days, many people comes to the perfect sunbathing spot nearby the fortress on the river bank to relax and enjoy the surroundings
Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
This multicoloured church is one of the most beautiful places in St. Petersburg and is one of the must-visit places in the city. It has been designed in the traditional medieval Russian style and bright colours make it even more magnificent. In 1883, Alexander III built this church where his father was assassinated, two years before the establishment. Surprisingly, it took more than 20 years for this church to get completely built, due to many reasons – one of which was to get 7500 square meters of mosaics to cover the walls and ceilings, during those times. Unfortunately, it was damaged during the 1917 Russian Revolution and then it took more than 30 years for restoration. It has now been converted into the Museum of Mosaics.
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo consists of not one but two majestic 18th Century Palaces and many other monuments are situated surrounding these two palaces. Other than these two, The Rococo Catherine Palace is the most popular one due to its Amber room. Each of these palaces shows off the endless wealth and royalty of the Romanov Imperial Family. Established around the 18th and 19th centuries, each of these monuments represents greatness since historical times and stands still even today describing how great their cultural history and civilization represent their royalty.
Opening Bridges
Lake Ladoga meets the Baltic Sea through the Neva River and many important and huge cargo ships passes through here as it is one of the essential routes of trading in St. Petersburg. The bascule bridges across the river situated in the central city are frequently opened during late nights for these cargos to pass and are quite the sight to behold. Such bridge raising is still crown gathering even during midnight/ late nights throughout the winter too. Witnessing such local yet huge events would be the essence of cities like St. Petersburg.
Nevsky Avenue
The Nevsky Avenue is spread around in 4.5 km and is also the heart of the city, it was named after Alexander Nevsky Lavra monastery. It is also located on the same street as the avenue. Great Gostiny Dvor – one of the oldest shopping complexes in the world is also situated here and is one of the prime attractions for tourists. It was built around 18th century and an interesting place to visit and shop for local items. It contains many high-end branded stores as well as fancy restaurants and luxury hotels inside it. You will find many palaces and churches in the complex. Other than shopping, just viewing the lighting here would be such an exciting experience.
Bronze Horseman
When we think of New York, we think Statue of Liberty, while thinking of Paris we think of Eiffel Tower, similarly, when it comes to St. Petersburg the statue of Peter the Great is one of the most popular monuments of the city. It also happens to be the subject of one of the great poems by Alexander Pushkin i.e. The Bronze Horseman: a Petersburg Tale. It magnificently describes each and every detailing in Russian language. It took more than 12 years to complete the statue and was finally completed during 1782 and was built by French sculptor Etienne Maurice Falconet. The Thunder Stone of the monument is said to be the largest ever which was moved by man.
State Russian Museum
If you are interested more into Russian Art, a visit to State Russian Museum would enrich you with great knowledge about the same. It was established during 1895 and is located inside Mikhailovsky Palace. The palace itself happens to be such majestic art of work that will surely mesmerize you. It consist of many exquisite galleries and rooms inside it along with the Neoclassical building itself. Many unique collections on display are quite amazing and the portraits of princess makes it a must visit museum in St. Petersburg. Art lovers will find this place as the best place to visit in the city and can surely spend entire day here praising such arts presented here.
Dostoevsky’s St. Petersburg
You will have to spend a few hours here to fully explore the Dostoevsky’s along with the Dostoevsky Memorial Museum. Many great people spent their time studying literature and some of them even described the St. Petersburg through their unique ways of explaining. This place is just like the center to the city and as being visited by many local as well as tourists for its historical importance. You might be surprised to learn that almost everything here is same as old times i.e. not touched by the 20th century latest gadgets of any kind. Must visiting areas include Sennaya Ploshchad, Vladimirskaya Ploshchad and more.
Strelka
This place is just like a small island and is located exactly at the middle of the Neva River Delta. Located on the eastern end of Vasilevskiy Island, is one of the popular spots in St. Petersburg. Being like an island, Strelka offers enchanting views on all sides and is one of the must visit places of St. Petersburg. On each side, various popular monuments including Winter Palace, Trinity Bridges, the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac’s Cathedral are located. Many enthusiasts chooses this as the venue for their wedding parties. Many other popular spots at Strelka include Rostral Columns, temple of St. Petersburg Stock Exchange and more.
Pushkinskaya 10
Pushkinskaya 10 is located near Nevsky Avenue and it happens to be an old apartment building that was originally built for independent artists, musicians and other artists. It is also known by its other name i.e. Museum of Non-Comformist Art as the combination of studios space linked together side by side. Travelers who are interested into such independent arts and artists will surely like to catch a glimpse of this complex and learn more about old Leningrad Bohemia.
Carlo Rossi Petersburg
This Italian-born architect happens to be quite the figure throughout Russia and has built so many popular buildings in St. Petersburg. Some of the most popular works include the General Staff Building located in Palace Square, the Senate and Synod Building, the Alexandrinsky Theatre, the State Russian Museum and many more. The historic centre of St. Petersburg i.e. Golden Triangle here is quite popular and you are going to find Rossi’s work everywhere in St. Petersburg.
Kunstkammer – Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
Established in 1718, Kunstkammer happens to be one of the oldest museums of St. Petersburg. It was built mainly in memory of the great founder of the city and shows his endeavours and interests. It is located on Vasilevskiy Island, it is quite an impressive building attracting thousands of tourists each year. There are so many deformed fetuses which have been preserved in jars along with some other similar freaks. Some other interests are also here in display for visitors to know more about the great Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov.
Ploshchad Pobedy and Moskovsky Prospekt
You might have caught a glimpse of Ploshchad Pobedy and Moskovsky Prospekt during your route from Pulkovo airport. Those who have interests into Stalin-era architecture will definitely find this place most awesome. The monumental House of Soviets holds many historical moments in it. The Great Patriotic War in Park Pobedy as well as on Ploshchad Pobedy memories are still there into the atmosphere surrounding the complex. It also happens to be the home of popular Heroic Defenders of Leningrad monument.
Mikhailovsky Theatre
Other than Mariinsky Theatre, there is one more popular theatre i.e. Mikhailovsky Theatre which surely would be a treat for arts lovers. You are surely going to enjoy various opera and ballet performances while you are here. Many visitors come here especially during White Nights Festival to attend and enjoy amazing performances by many world-renowned artists. This theatre happens to be of great importance, especially for those who have been given the opportunity to perform and make the best of their career.
Yelagin Island
To reach Yelagin Island you can get a metro ride of 20 minutes and reach to the Kirov Central Park of Culture and Leisure. You can say, that not all tourists come to visit Yelagin Island, which they most probably should because of the many attractions here. The Imperial palace by Carlo Rossi, boating into the lake during winter and summer through a calm evening will surely make you feel refreshed. You can even enjoy skating during winter here. The Museum of Glass Art is also one of the places to visit here. The Island would be the perfect place to enjoy a calm and nice evening walk in greenery.
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