Things To Do St Petersburg

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Places To Visit In St Petersburg

Catherine Palace

The Catherine Palace is an absolutely mesmerising piece of architectural beauty, located 30km south of the city in Tasrskoe Selo, and is one of St. Petersburg's topmost tourist attractions. To say that the Catherine Palace is extremely grand would be an understatement. This huge, elaborate and magnificent summer palace was initially built for Catherine I by Peter the Great. But it was their daughter Empress Elizabeth which had it built to it's current grandeur. Every single detail of the Catherine Palace is staggering, starting with the fact that over 100 kgs of gold was used to beautify the palace exteriors, and the entire palace is painted in a soothing combination of blue and white. The most famous part and the starting point of the palace tour, is Bartholomeu Rastrelli's Golden Enfilade, or the Great Hall. The Enfilade is supremely decorated, with stunning painted ceilings and marble statues. The White Dining Room is also done up in quite the same style, both using the Russian baroque style. The most visually enticing feature is the Amber Room, in which nearly 450 kgs of amber was used to decorate the walls, along with intricate carvings and mirrors. Though it was destroyed by the Germans, it was restored at a cost of $12 million, over a period of 20 years and opened in 2003. Then, the Portrait Hall features several large portraits of Elizabeth and Catherine I, along with Natalaya Alexeyevna and Catherine II. The attractions in this palace go on and on, and the sheer attention to detail given by Rastrelli in everything he has touched in this palace is breathtaking. A definite must visit! Read More

This historic church was built on the location where Alexander II was fatally wounded, and is an absolute sight to behold. After initiating several reforms in Russia never taken before, Alexander II was subject to many assassination attempts. The one which succeeded was at the location of the church we see today, when he was mortally wounded by a bomb thrown at him. This imposing cathedral was funded solely by the imperial family and private donors, and is one of the most stunning structures in all of St. Petersburg. The architecture is unlike the Baroque and Neoclassical styles predominant throughout the buildings of that period, and was actually built in classical Russian architecture. The interior and the exterior of the church are so emphatically detailed with mosaics that is actually one of the largest collections of mosaics in the world. During the wars and the revolutions, the church was significantly damaged. After 3 decades of restoration, it was opened again in 1997 in all it's historical grandeur, and today serves as museum of mosaics, and is one of St. Petersburg's top attractions. Read More

Grand Maket Rossiya is a massive and interactive miniature model of many regions throughout Russia. This model representation of Russia is the largest such model layout in all of Russia and the second largest in the world. It is truly a fascinating display of everyday life in the country. Spread over 800 square metres, the model took 5 years to build, and is a really fun experience! The model is laid out with buses, cars, railways, monuments, houses, and basically everything you can think of. The fun part is that there are buttons and switches located throughout the layout which you can press and see the model come to life! It has a day and night function, where every 13 minutes, thanks to the help of LED lights scattered all over, the model goes into night mode for 2 minutes. Cars, buses and motor vehicles run throughout the model look as if they're moving on their own (remotely operated from under the structure), crossing each other, and even stopping at traffic lights! Even the trains are operated with a carefully planned system, with more than 2700 of them actually running in the entire layout. This is definitely one of the most unique show museums in the entire world, and one of St. Petersburg's top tourist attractions! Read More

A monumental museum situated across 6 buildings on the Palace Embankment. It is one of the largest and oldest museums of art and culture in the world, with a collection of over 3 million items! The Hermitage Museum is one of Russia's most important museums. It is home to one of the biggest collections anywhere in the world, and has a long history since it was established 1764 by Catherine the Great. The museum has several exhibitions dedicated to various styles and eras, such as the Italian Renaissance, the Italian and Spanish fine arts, the Impressionists and post-Impressionists and so on. The museum has acquired over the years several paintings of the greatest artists ever known to man - Rembrandt, Raphael, Anthony van Dyck, Holbein and of neoclassical, modern and post-Impressionists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Matisse among several others. The museum's collection is so huge that it is spread across 6 buildings on the Palace Embankment, of which 5 are always open to the public. And even then, it is only a small part of the collection that is displayed at any given time. This place is an absolute must, regardless of whether art is your thing or not. The entry is free for everyone on the first Thursday of every month. On other days, foreigners have to pay more than locals. Read More

Also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, this is a majestic cathedral built at the beginning of the 19th century. The Kazan Cathedral is an imposing structure constructed on the Nevsky Prospekt. It serves as an important symbol of the Russian victory over the French army of Napoleon after the war in 1912. It is the resting place of Russian Field Marshall Mikhail Kuzotov, who commandeered the most important campaign victory over the French. The cathedral itself is magnificent, made in semi circular shape around a garden and a small fountain. The inspirations of the structure were taken from the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome. Inside, the cathedral is adorned with massive columns throughout, just like the colonnade on the exterior. Various religious artwork occupies spaces inside the church, adding to the grandeur of the church. After the Bolshevik revolution, the cathedral's services were shut down and the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism was established inside. Although the cathedral has since resumed services, it still houses the museum, albeit with the ommitance of the word 'atheism'. Read More

The Mariinsky Theatre formally opened in 1860, and is home to the internationally reputed Mariinsky Ballet, Opera and Orchestra companies. The Mariinsky Theatre is one of Russia's most historic opera and ballet theatre, right alongside the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The Mariinsky became St. Petersburg's prime theatre after the structural integrity of the Bolshoi Kamenny was thought to be failing. The Opera Company of the Mariinsky has become one of the most reputed in the world, especially since Valery Gergiev took over in 1988. Setting up ties with famous opera companies around the world, the exposure of the Mariinksy has grown exponentially, and it has added many dimensions to the company. Many international opera festivals are held here, such as Stars of the White Nights festival, which hosts the premieres of the companies performances for the upcoming season. A second stage was added to Mariinsky Theatre in 2013, a 2000 seater which cost a staggering EUR 500 million! Read More

The Neva River is an iconic part of the St. Petersburg layout. It's embankments are the foundation of many attractions, and boat rides on the river offer some spectacular views. The Neva River is one of Europe's largest rivers by volume, and the layout of the city was centred heavily around the Neva. So much so, most of the important buildings were built along the river. The various embankments on the Neva River provide the foundations for many historic structures such as Winter Palace, the Summer Garden, and the Split of the Vasilievsky Island. Throughout the summers, and some warm winters there are hundreds of boats that operate on the river, providing some fabulous panoramic views of the city and it's magnificent attractions. Read More

Palace Square is St. Petersburg's largest public square. Quite like Moscow's Red Square, it is adorned with a collection of hugely important structures and events. Palace Square is St. Petersburg's favourite public space. It is home to some of St. Petersburg's most popular tourist attractions. The Winter Palace was actually the first building on the square, completed in 1862 and since then served as the residence of the Tsars. Opposite the Winter Palace is the General Staff Building. This quite imposing building is built in a semi-circular shape, and is divided into two sections. A large section of both of these buildings today is home to the Hermitage Museum's collections. At the centre of the square is Alexander's Column. This 47 metre tall granite tower is set so firmly into it's foundation that there is no base. The Square is also the most popular space in St. Petersburg for national events and also concerts and festivals. St. Petersburg's Memorial Day Parade takes place in the square, and it has also hosted concerts of international artists such as AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and more recently Shakira, Madonna and Sting. Read More

Peterhof Palace is a large and truly magnificent ensemble of palaces, gardens and fountains, created by Peter the Great and further expanded by the Tsars that followed. It is a World Heritage Site. Often regarded as the 'Russian Versailles' (Peter the Great initially built the model based on Versailles in France), this majestic estate serves as one of the biggest tourist attractions of St. Petersburg, with a countless number of attractions within it. Of the several palaces that dot this estate, the Grand Palace is the largest and the most famous. Inside it are several fascinating rooms. The Chesma Hall is adorned with 12 large paintings, depicting the Battle of Chesma (a Naval war between Russia and Turkey). The Picture Hall, displaying a total of 368 paintings which almost fully cover it's walls. The East and West Chinese cabinets house objects which were imported from China, and there are several replica works by Russian craftsmen exhibited as well. The Monplaisir, Marly Palace, and the Hermitage are other palaces of interest. The estate is known for it's numerous beautiful gardens and fountains. The Samson Fountain is the most popular of these, which shows Samson tearing open the mouth of a lion, and a 20 metre high fountain shoots out of it's mouth. It is symbolic of Russia's victory over Sweden in the Great North War. The Lower Gardens also house several of the fountains, many of which are notoriously designed to soak the visitors. As you walk along the gardens, you will discover many fountains with distint features and creativity, as well as the beautiful French formal gardens. There is so much to discover and explore at the Peterhof Palace, and you should definitely spend a good few hours here! Read More

St. Isaac's Cathedral

St. Isaac's Cathedral is the largest orthodox basilica in the world, with stunning Russian-Byzantine architecture and a fully gold plated dome. It serves as both a cathedral and museum today. This magnificent cathedral was completed in 1858, after 40 years of detailed work. The faade of the cathedral is adorned with intricate work, and massive granite columns, a total of 112 of which are used in the entire church. The gold dome at the top is surrounded by 12 statues of angels, which were made by a technology called electrotyping, which meant they are extremely light and thin yet sturdy. This was the first such use of electrotyping at that time. The interiors of the church, as you'd expect, are elaborately decorated with mosaics, along with a huge stained glass window of the 'Resurrected Christ' inside the main altar. In 1931, it was turned into the Museum of Religion and Atheism by the new communist regime. Though after the fall of USSR the church resumed it's regular worship services, it is still used as a popular tourist museum today. Read More