Top 10 Things to Do in St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg is Russia’s second largest and most international city. Here are the top things you should see and do while you are visiting.

On one our trips to Finland we decided to adventure a little and do a cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia. It turned out to be one of the most memorable trips we have ever done!

We did a St. Peter Line cruise to St. Petersburg with M/S Princess Maria. The ferry left from Helsinki in the evening and arrived at St. Petersburg early in the morning, which was perfect.

When you arrive in Russia by ferry, you are allowed to stay on shore for 72 hours without a visa. That is a big help because getting a visa to Russia is time consuming. And even in 72 hours, you will get to see plenty of things.

We visited St. Petersburg in the spring, right before Easter and it was perfect. No crowded places, no lines! We could even access the famous museums and churches with just ten minutes wait, and there was space to walk around and take photos without other people being in them. This was true luxury!

Just don’t forget that most of the museums and churches are closed on Mondays.

UPDATE! We did this journey in 2011. This St. Peter Line trip no longer exists due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Top 10 things you should do while in St. Petersburg

Snap a photo at the Palace Square

The Palace Square is a perfect place to start exploring St. Petersburg. It is the heart of the city and there is always some events or concerts happening there.

The most grandiose building at the Palace Square is the Baroque style, green and white Winter Palace which was built in 1762. It served as a home of the Russian emperors until 1917. Today it is part of the world famous Hermitage museum.

On the other side of the Palace Square you will see a yellow building which is a General Staff Building. A triumphal arch is built into it and dedicated to Russia’s victory over Napoleon. These empire style buildings were designed by Carlo Rossi.

In the middle of the square is a 155-foot (47 meters tall) red granite column called the Alexander Column that also honors Russia’s victory over Napoleon. It is one of the biggest monuments in the world that stands without any support.

Spend a Day in the Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum is one of the biggest and most well known art and culture museums in the world, and most definitely worth a visit! You can easily spend a whole day exploring the different rooms and buildings there.

The main building of the Hermitage Museum is the Winter Palace, but it also includes the Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Menšikov Palace.

The museum has art from all over the world spanning the Stone Age to modern days. Some of the most notable artists include Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci and van Gogh.

One of the most breathtaking rooms in the Hermitage is the Gold Drawing-room. It has a marble fireplace with jasper columns and a huge candelabra.

I was very excited to see the life-size peacock clock in the Pavilion Hall as I remembered it from my high school history classes. It was gifted to Empress Catherine II in 1781 and is made by the Englishman James Cox. It is not just a clock, but also a musical automaton.

Once a week the peacock spreads it feathers and plays music, and a little owl next to it will flutter its eyes and turn its head. Finally, at the very end of the show the rooster crows.

Visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the most visited sights in St. Petersburg. It was built by Alexander III between 1883 and 1907 in the exact spot where his father, Alexander II was assassinated. Hence the name of the church.

Since the church was dedicated to Alxander II, no regular services were held there until the after the Russian Revolution. Then it was diverted into a normal orthodox church.

In 1930 the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was closed and was later used as a morgue, storage and museum. It was opened to visitors again in 1997 and the first service after a long pause was held in 2004.

This church with all of the little details on it is just beautiful. It is said that it was the inspiration behind the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed in Moscow when it was built.

Climb up to St. Isaac’s Cathedral dome

After 40 years of construction, St. Isaac’s Cathedral was finally finished in 1858. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia.

The cathedral has the world’s fourth highest church dome as it rises up to 333 feet (101,5 m). Visitors can climb up 262 steps to the dome viewing area and see the city from up high.

The only churches with higher domes are Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and Santa Maria del Fiore in Florenze.

Explore The Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress was originally built to defend the city from attacks coming by sea. The first bastion of it was built in 1704, but the fortress wasn’t completed until 1733. It is considered the birthplace of St. Petersburg.

The Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter the Great and designed by Domenico Trezzini. It is a so-called star fortress and is located in Hare Island along the Neva River.

The fortress was never actually used fo defensive purposes, but it has served as a prison, and is now a museum.

Go see The Peter and Paul Cathedral

The Peter and Paul Cathedral is inside the Peter and Paul Fortress. The cathedral is the oldest landmark of St. Petersburg and has the world’s tallest bell tower of any Orthodox Church. The bell tower is 402 ft (122.5 m) tall.

The cathedral was also designed by Domenico Trezzini just like the fortress, and it was built  between 1712 and 1733. Today it is the resting place for almost all Russian emperors and empresses like Peter the Great, Catharina the Great and Nicholas II.

Walk along the Nevsky Prospekt to Kazan Cathedral

One of the most notable buildings in St. Petersburg is the Kazan Cathedral. It was first built to be the main Orthodox Church in Russia and is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1801 and lasted for over ten years. After the war in 1812 the cathedral became a monument to the Russian victory over Napoleon. It later became a popular place to hold demonstrations and was turned into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. In 1990s it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

It is said, that the Helsinki Cathedral which we have also visited, has gotten some inspiration from this neoclassical-style cathedral. The Kazan Cathedral itself however, has copied its massive bronze doors from the Florence Baptistery in Italy. Some copies also exist in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

Kazan Cathedral is located on Nevsky Prospekt, which is the main road cutting through St. Petersburg. Along this road you will find several churches, department stores, restaurants, the Russian National Library and many businesses. It is great for those looking for shopping opportunities or some nightlife.

Find the Egyptian sphinxes

A signature of St. Petersburg, the two Egyptian sphinxes that grace the front of the Academy of Fine Arts Museum date to the 15th century B.C. They are originally from the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and were discovered in the 1820s.

The sphinxes were first sold to France even though Nikolas I, the Emperor of Russia, tried to acquire them from the very beginning. Finally, during the French Revolution the French government decided to sell them to Russia.

Recently there has been a discussion of moving the sphinxes in to Hermitage in order to protect them from the harsh winter weather. But at this moment they are still at the University embankment.

Cross the birdge to Vasilyevsky Island

Vasilyevsky Island is located in Neva Bay, right across the river from the Winter Palace. It is connected to the mainland by two bridges: Palace Bridge and Annunciation Bridge.

One of the landmarks of Vasilyevsky Island are the red rostral columns meant as beacons for two channels in the island. On public holidays they light the gas torches on top of the rostrals.

Try some Local Foods

Russian cuisine is known all over the world and you should definitely try out all the local delicacies while you are there. Everyone knows about Borscht, Beef stroganoff and Pirozhkis, but there is so much more to it.

Russian dishes very often consist of potatoes, cabbage, beetroots, mushrooms and berries. Anything that will grow during the short summer. One local dish worth trying is Pelmeni which are Russian dumplings. Also, for everyone who likes fish I would recommend Ukha, a fish soup consisting multiple types of fish.

Blinis are wheat pancakes usually eaten with caviar, sour cream and onion, or with jam. They resemble crepes served elsewhere in Europe. Blinis are especially served during spring time and Easter.

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Springtime in St. Petersburg is full of all kinds of events. Many of them are related to Easter, but there are also other celebrations and many concerts that are held during the spring months. If you would like to see local traditions or enjoy different kinds of festivals, spring is the best time for that in St. Petersburg. It is also less crowded than in the summer time.

St. Petersburg is an amazing city with so much to see! It is a paradise for those who are into history and historical buildings. And wow, there is so much gold in abundance in those places.

We have also done a cruise through Saimaa Canal to Vyborg in Russia which was a totally different experience.

Vyborg used to be part of Finland and still has ties and many Finnish buildings, so we thought it would be interesting to visit. Unfortunately though, it is not as well kept and thriving like St. Petersburg is.

Although we felt like we saw so much during our time in St. Petersburg, we still want to see more. We are hoping that we will be able to go back there again soon!