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St Petersburg
Russia

Things to do in St Petersburg

1,064 attractions · Russia

Photo: Виктория Стрижова, CC BY-SA 4.0

Northwestern Federal District, Russia · 59.937, 30.314

About St Petersburg

St. Petersburg serves as Russia's cultural capital, constructed on a network of islands and canals in the Neva River delta. The city is renowned for its imperial architecture, best represented by the expansive State Hermitage Museum and the adjacent Winter Palace. Visitors often congregate at Palace Square to witness the neoclassical design of the city center. Meanwhile, the Savior on the Spilled Blood offers a distinct contrast with its traditional Russian mosaic-clad domes, while the Peter and Paul Fortress stands as the city's original citadel.

Good to know

  1. 1

    The city's historical center and related monument groups are collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the integration of Baroque and Neoclassical architecture.

  2. 2

    During the summer months, the city experiences the 'White Nights,' a phenomenon where the sun barely sets, resulting in continuous twilight.

  3. 3

    The city's transit system contains some of the deepest metro stations in the world, with several stations built over 80 meters below the surface.

  4. 4

    St. Petersburg was constructed on reclaimed marshland, requiring the driving of millions of wooden piles into the soft ground to support its heavy stone buildings.

  5. 5

    The city's canal system, often called the 'Venice of the North,' features over 300 bridges connecting its various islands and river banks.

Plan your visit to St Petersburg

Best time to visit

June to early July, to coincide with the White Nights and the most favorable temperatures for canal exploration.

How many days

4-5 days, providing enough time to explore the major museums and nearby palace complexes.

Getting around

The city features an extensive metro system supplemented by an dense network of trams, trolleybuses, and marshrutka minibuses.

Where to stay

Stay in the Admiralteysky or Tsentralny districts to be within walking distance of the primary imperial sites and major transit hubs.

Budget

Mid-range; while luxury accommodation is available, local dining and public transport options are generally accessible for various budgets.

Top things to do in St Petersburg

The 1,064 most popular places in St Petersburg.

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  1. 391 Pamyatnik Sobake Gavryushe
    Places of interest Known locally

    Pamyatnik Sobake Gavryushe

    Pamyatnik Sobake Gavryushe is a bronze memorial sculpture dedicated to a stray dog named Gavryusha who lived in the cour...

  2. 392 Teatr Yunosheskogo Tvorchestva
    Venues Known locally

    Teatr Yunosheskogo Tvorchestva

    Teatr Yunosheskogo Tvorchestva (TYuT) is one of Russia's oldest and most renowned youth creative theaters, founded in 19...

  3. 393 Apartment Museum Mikhail Zoshchenko
    Museums Known locally

    Apartment Museum Mikhail Zoshchenko

    The Apartment Museum Mikhail Zoshchenko in St Petersburg preserves the writer's final home on Malaya Konyushennaya Ulits...

  4. 394 Khram Svyatitelya Nikolaya Chudotvortsa
    Temples Known locally

    Khram Svyatitelya Nikolaya Chudotvortsa

    The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Ulitsa Akademika Lebedeva is an active Russian Orthodox parish church loc...

  5. 395 Podvor'ye Svyato-Troitskogo Zelenetskogo Muzhskogo Monastyrya
    Temples Known locally

    Podvor'ye Svyato-Troitskogo Zelenetskogo Muzhskogo Monastyrya

    This site serves as the urban mission house or 'podvorye' for the remote Holy Trinity Zelenets Monastery, located in the...

  6. 396 Stroganov bridge
    Places of interest Known locally

    Stroganov bridge

    The Stroganov Bridge crosses the Chernaya Rechka river in St Petersburg, connecting Primorsky Avenue to Akademika Krylov...

  7. 397 Apartment Museum AI Kuindzhi
    Museums Known locally

    Apartment Museum AI Kuindzhi

    The Apartment Museum of Arkhip Kuindzhi preserves the residence where the renowned landscape painter lived and worked fr...

  8. 398 Skver Krasnogo Kursanta
    Parks Known locally

    Skver Krasnogo Kursanta

    Skver Krasnogo Kursanta is a compact urban pocket park located in the Petrogradsky District of St. Petersburg. The site...

  9. 399 Mvts "Peterburgskiy Khudozhnik"
    Museums Known locally

    Mvts "Peterburgskiy Khudozhnik"

    The Museum and Exhibition Center "Petersburg Artist" (Mvts "Peterburgskiy Khudozhnik") is dedicated to preserving and ex...

  10. 400 Most Belinskogo
    Places of interest Known locally

    Most Belinskogo

    Belinsky Bridge crosses the Fontanka River in central Saint Petersburg, connecting Belinsky Street and Manezny Lane. The...

  11. 401 Kanonersky park
    Parks Known locally

    Kanonersky park

    Kanonersky Park is a unique green space situated on Kanonersky Island in Saint Petersburg, flanked by industrial maritim...

  12. 402 Church of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land
    Temples Known locally

    Church of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land

    The Church of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land is a modern Orthodox church located on Moskovsky Prospekt in St...

  13. 403 Dom Gorodskikh Uchrezhdeniy
    Historical places Known locally

    Dom Gorodskikh Uchrezhdeniy

    The Dom Gorodskikh Uchrezhdeniy, or House of City Institutions, is a prominent example of Art Nouveau architecture locat...

  14. 404 Greek Square
    Parks Known locally

    Greek Square

    Greek Square in St Petersburg is a compact urban green space located near 2-Ya Sovetskaya Ulitsa in the Tsentralny Distr...

  15. 405 Dom Politkatorzhan
    Places of interest Known locally

    Dom Politkatorzhan

    Dom Politkatorzhan, also known as the House of Political Convicts, is a prime example of Soviet Constructivist architect...

  16. 406 Vorontsov Palace
    Places of interest Known locally

    Vorontsov Palace

    The Vorontsov Palace on Sadovaya Street in St Petersburg is an 18th-century Rococo landmark designed by architect France...

  17. 407 Muzey-Kvartira L'va Gumileva
    Museums Known locally

    Muzey-Kvartira L'va Gumileva

    The Lev Gumilev Apartment Museum is a memorial site dedicated to the life and scholarly work of the historian and ethnol...

  18. 408 Finland Railway Bridge
    Places of interest Known locally

    Finland Railway Bridge

    The Finland Railway Bridge, also known as the Finlyandsky Railway Bridge, is a vital steel arch bridge spanning the Neva...

  19. 409 Tserkov' Smolenskoy Ikony Bozhiyey Materi
    Temples Known locally

    Tserkov' Smolenskoy Ikony Bozhiyey Materi

    The Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is a prominent architectural landmark located on Vasileostrovsky Is...

  20. 410 Church of the Epiphany at Gutuevsky Island
    Temples Known locally

    Church of the Epiphany at Gutuevsky Island

    The Church of the Epiphany at Gutuevsky Island in St. Petersburg is a striking Russian Revival temple distinguished by i...

  21. 411 The monument to Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
    Historical places Known locally

    The monument to Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov

    The monument to Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov in St Petersburg honors the renowned Russian composer, who stands in...

  22. 412 Sankt-Peterburgskiy Muzey Igrushki
    Museums Known locally

    Sankt-Peterburgskiy Muzey Igrushki

    The Saint Petersburg Toy Museum is located at 32 Karpovka River Embankment in a historic Art Nouveau building. Establish...

  23. 413 Pamyatnik F. M. Dostoyevskomu
    Historical places Known locally

    Pamyatnik F. M. Dostoyevskomu

    The bronze statue of Fyodor Dostoevsky by sculptor Lyubov Kholina and architect Petr Petrov stands on a granite pedestal...

  24. 414 Dvorets Velikogo Knyazya Mikhaila Aleksandrovicha
    Museums Known locally

    Dvorets Velikogo Knyazya Mikhaila Aleksandrovicha

    The Palace of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich is a historic Neoclassical residence located on the English Embankment in...

  25. 415 Tsentr Sovremennogo Iskusstva Imeni Sergeya Kurokhina
    Museums Known locally

    Tsentr Sovremennogo Iskusstva Imeni Sergeya Kurokhina

    The Sergey Kuryokhin Center for Contemporary Art is a prominent St Petersburg institution dedicated to avant-garde cultu...

  26. 416 Dom R. G. Vege
    Historical places Known locally

    Dom R. G. Vege

    Dom R. G. Vege is a notable example of the Northern Art Nouveau style, constructed between 1912 and 1914. Designed by ar...

  27. 417 Literary Museum of the Institute of Russian Literature
    Museums Known locally

    Literary Museum of the Institute of Russian Literature

    The Literary Museum of the Institute of Russian Literature, widely known as Pushkinsky Dom, is housed within the histori...

  28. 418 Pushkin left
    Historical places Known locally

    Pushkin left

    The monument located at Savushkina St, 1, is a sculptural tribute to Alexander Pushkin situated in the Primorsky Distric...

  29. 419 Tserkov' Ikony Bozhiyey Materi Vsekh Skorbyashchikh Radost'
    Temples Known locally

    Tserkov' Ikony Bozhiyey Materi Vsekh Skorbyashchikh Radost'

    The Church of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Joy of All Who Sorrow' on Shpalernaya Ulitsa in St. Petersburg is a functio...

  30. 420 Музей «Разночинный Петербург»
    Museums Known locally

    Музей «Разночинный Петербург»

    The Museum of Raznochintsy Petersburg is located in Bolshoy Kazachiy Pereulok in St Petersburg and focuses on the histor...

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Frequently asked

How many attractions are there in St Petersburg?

Aventuro lists 1,064 curated attractions in and around St Petersburg, sorted by popularity.

What's the top attraction in St Petersburg?

Palace Square is the most popular place to visit in St Petersburg right now.

What kind of attractions does St Petersburg have?

The largest category is museums, with 279 places to explore.

Which other cities are worth visiting nearby?

Travellers also explore Moscow, Kazan, Novosibirsk.