Destination
Type of Activity
Editors Pick
Read MoreAurora Cruiser
The ship responsible for warning the city of the oncoming siege of the Winter Palace in 1917 is today docked in front of the Naval Academy. The ship was purposefully sunk until after the end of World War II in...
Read MoreCameron Gallery
Set within the park of the Catherine Palace are a series of buildings created by the Scottish architect Charles Cameron for Catherine the Great. The exquisite rooms, which include the famous Cameron Gallery and the Agate Rooms, are currently closed...
Read MoreCatherine Palace
This palace, located about 20 miles south of St. Petersburg, was built in the honor of Catherine I, by her daughter, Elizabeth, but was the favored summer home of Catherine II, or Catherine the Great. The Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli...
Read MoreChurch of the Spilled Blood
Officially named the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, but better known as the Church of Spilled Blood, this instantly recognizable attraction sits by the Griboyedova Canal on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. The Russian...
Read MoreDostoevsky Museum
Dostoyevsky’s last residence before his death, this apartment has been turned into a museum to honor the exceptional writer. The author wrote Brothers Karamazov in this space, and visitors who are familiar with his novels—and characters—will find a visit there...
Read MoreErarta Art Museum
The largest private museum of contemporary art in Russia is located in a former 1960s Communist headquarters on St. Petersburg’s St. Basil's Island. The museum, whose name refers to the multiple eras of art, displays works chronologically, with each floor...
Read MoreGrand Philharmonic Hall
Exceptional cultural performances in St. Petersburg aren’t just relegated to the two Mariinsky Theaters. The philharmonic hall, or Shostakovich Hall, set back from Nevsky Prospect, holds classical concerts.
Read MoreIndagare Tour: Military History at Kronstadt
History enthusiasts may want to visit the main naval base of Imperial Russia from the 18th to the 20th century. You can tour the military museum as well as take a boat to tour the fort from the water and...
Read MoreKazansky Cathedral
Paul I, Catherine the Great’s son, had this majestic cathedral built in the early 1800s. Today it sits at a busy section of the city's main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospect. Book a table at Terrassa to dine overlooking majestic views of...
Read MoreKschessinska Mansion
Home to Mathilde Kschessinska, the ballerina who was Nicholas II’s mistress, this stunning palace is another example of how the city’s history is layered—Lenin famously made many speeches from the balcony and today the building houses the Museum of Russian...
Read MoreLoft Project Etagi
This multi-purpose arts center, located in a renovated industrial space near St. Petersburg’s main train station is an example of the city’s burgeoning contemporary art scene. Two commercial galleries, multiple exhibition areas and a casual café share the vast building...
Read MoreMariinsky II
Located directly next door to the original Mariinsky (and connected by an elevated walkway) this new theater opened in 2013. Boasting 2,000 seats, the technologically advance space was designed in a distinctly contemporary style. Locals have varying opinions on the...
Read MoreMariinsky Theatre
The original Mariinsky Theatre is often referred to by its name during Communism, the Kirov Theatre. This legendary venue for ballet and opera iswhere Tchaikovsky debuted The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty and ballet greats such as Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev and...
Read MoreNabokov Museum
The author Vladimir Nabokov was born in this grand home, and often described it in his writings, particularly Speak, Memory. Today the stately building near St. Isaac’s Cathedral houses a museum honoring the writer and displays personal effects like his...
Read MoreNeva River, Canals and Bridges
Like many European cities, the river in St. Petersburg features prominently in the life of the city and its residents. The wide, cold Neva separates districts, flows into the city's multiple canals and makes use of its hundreds of beautiful...
The gates to New Holland Island, St. PetersburgRead MoreNew Holland
Built on a 19-acre islet surrounded by canals, on the remnants of a former Dutch settlement, New Holland re-opened in 2018 as a multi-use space that’s part park and playground (for both children and adults), part shopping and dining destination....
Read MorePavlovsk Palace and Park
Located a few minute's drive east of Catherine Palace, this majestic building was constructed to be the summer home of Paul I, Catherine the Great’s son. Catherine gifted the land to her heir and daughter-in-law in 1777. Paul and his...
Read MorePeter and Paul Fortress
Located on Zayachiy island on the northern side of the Neva River, the Peter and Paul Fortress is the city’s original citadel built in 1701 to defend the city from attack by Swedish forces (that never materialized). Today it is...
Read MorePeterhof
Located 20 miles west of St. Petersburg, Peterhof was the summer residence of the Russian royal family, built by Peter the Great to rival the palaces of Versailles. It is one of the most popular of the out-of-town excursions, but the...
Read MoreRosphoto
This state-sponsored photography museum celebrates and displays works from the past as well as those of contemporary and emerging artists. The collection features photographers from around the world but most visitors find the works of Russia painted by Russians, the...
Read MoreSt. Isaac’s Cathedral
The 80-foot tall, pure-gold dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral is a glinting landmark visible from most points in St. Petersburg. Originally built by Peter the Great in 1710 in honor of the saint whose birthday he shared, it was promptly...
Read MoreThe Hermitage
The State Hermitage collection started with the 225 paintings bought by Catherine the Great from a Berlin merchant in 1764, and today it encompasses almost 3,000,000 priceless works of art, 5 percent of which are on display. The six buildings covering...
Read MoreThe State Russian Museum
This sprawling museum set in Mikhailovsky Palace was founded by Nicholas II in 1898 to display Russian art. Today it holds works—many of which were taken from private homes and churches during the Revolution—that range from icons through to 20th-century...
Read MoreYusupov Palace
The Yusupovs, a very wealthy and important family in 19th-century St. Petersburg were landowners and had many properties in the region. Today this in-town palace is home to a good museum showing lifestyles of the early 20th century rich and...
