Things to do in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg · 1.4 km from downtown

1.4k reviews

The Winter Palace stands on the banks of the Neva River in Saint Petersburg. Construction began in 1754 under the architect Rastrelli. Its Russian Baroque facade—green walls, white columns, and gilded reliefs—stretches in a long row along the river. Long serving as the residence of the Russian tsars, the palace is now the core building of the Hermitage Museum. The museum's collection began with the private art treasures of Empress Catherine II and was continually expanded by successive tsars; it has been open to the public since 1852 and holds more than 3 million items, including paintings, sculptures, coins, furniture, and decorative arts, ranking alongside the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among these, ancient Greek vase painting, ancient Roman sculpture, and Western European painting are especially significant, and only a small portion is on permanent display. The palace contains over a thousand rooms, with more than three hundred galleries open to the public, and the exhibitions are arranged by category: primitive culture, ancient Greece and Rome, Oriental ethnic art, Russian culture, Western European art, coins, and crafts. The route linking the galleries is quite long, making it difficult to cover everything in a single day, so before entering you may want to first pinpoint the highlights you most want to see. Most of the museum's famous masterpieces can be found by gallery number: the ancient Egyptian mummies in Room 100, the gilded mechanical peacock clock crafted by 18th-century English artisans in Room 204, Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna in Room 214, the Raphael Loggias in Room 227 painted after the originals in the Vatican, Rubens's "Perseus Freeing Andromeda" in Room 246, Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" in Room 254, and Michelangelo's sculpture "Crouching Boy" are all worth a dedicated visit. Masterpieces by Matisse, Picasso, and other masters of the late 19th to early 20th centuries are mostly displayed in the General Staff Building exhibition area on the south side of Palace Square, so be sure not to go to the wrong place when seeking them out. The exhibition is divided into seven sections: primitive cultural history, ancient Greek and Roman culture and art, Oriental ethnic culture and art, Russian culture, Western European art history, coins, and crafts, arranged by region and chronologically across more than 350 galleries. The exhibition route totals 30 km in length, earning it the name of the world's longest art gallery. Must-sees: the Egyptian mummy (Room 100), the Peacock Clock (Room 204), Leonardo da Vinci's "Madonna" (Room 214), Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" (Room 254), Rubens's "Perseus and Andromeda" (Room 246), and the Raphael Loggias (Room 227). Rooms 333–350 on the upper floor house many artistic treasures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including major works by Matisse and Picasso, and are well worth a visit.

No. 4 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Catherine Palace

7.6

Pushkin · 602m from downtown

613 reviews

Catherine Palace, also known as Catherine Palace, is located about 25 kilometers south of St. Petersburg. It was the wife of Peter I in 1717, and his daughters Queen Elizabeth, Catherine II, Alexander I and Nicholas. The second favorite suburban palace. In order to show its identity, the area where the palace is located (including the Alexander Palace and the White Tower viewing platform, etc.) was called Tsar Village or Imperial Village after it was built. In 1937, it was renamed "Pushkin Village" to commemorate Pushkin's childhood. "Blonde" Appearance Ekaterina Palace is a two-story palace with a facade of more than 300 meters. It is mainly composed of blue, white and yellow. It is said that these represent the blue eyes of the hostess, White skin and blond hair. The architects added the palace church and the wing for administration, and the top was covered with five splendid and characteristic onion-shaped domes. The radiant interior is different from the fresh temperament outside the palace. The interior of the palace can be described as radiant and shrouded in golden light. From the entrance, go through the promenade on the first floor of the Yekaterina Palace to the main staircase leading to the second floor. The main staircase is more distinctive, with two-way lighting, and the decoration is a bit Rococo style. Marble sculptures "Sleeping Eros" and "Awakening Eros". There are also two exhibition halls at the entrance on the right side of the second floor, where various cultural exhibitions are often held. The magnificent reception hall is in the palace, and the splendid halls are one after another, forming a "golden corridor". Each room is named "Red Column Hall" and "Green Column Hall" according to different colors. The grandiose room in the palace was this spacious reception hall on the right hand side of the main staircase, where Elizabeth received her guests. There are large double-row windows on both sides of the hall, giant mirrors are set between the windows and on the walls on both sides of the hall, all decorations in the hall are gilded, and oil paintings are painted on the huge dome. Such designs are meant to confuse people's senses to cement Elizabeth's godlike status. This is not only her reception hall, but also her game room.

No. 5 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Savior on the Spilled Blood

7.5

Saint Petersburg · 733m from downtown

629 reviews

The Cathedral of Spilled Blood is located by the Griboyedov Canal, adjacent to the Mikhailovsky Garden and the Russian Museum. It is a rare authentic Russian architecture in St. Petersburg. In 1811, Tsar Alexander II was killed by members of the "will of the people" due to the failure of the revolution. Between 1883 and 1907, the Cathedral on Spilled Blood was built on the site of the Tsar's death, hence the name. The design of the Cathedral on Spilled Blood draws on the style of the Cathedral of St. Basil's Ascension. The colorful "onion head" roof is very eye-catching. The height of the chapel is about 81 meters high, which is quite majestic. The chapel is also elegant in outline and richly decorated, inlaid with intricate and vividly coloured image patterns, accompanied by richly coloured patterned tiles and enamel bronze panels. Among them, the gilded onion heads are famous all over the world. The whole church can be photographed from the other side of the Riboyetov Canal. The interior of the Cathedral of Spilled Blood is decorated with more than 7,000 square meters of exquisite mosaics, mainly depicting scenes and characters from the stories of the Bible. These mosaics are exquisitely processed from Italian-made marbles of different colors and Russian-made gems. Nearly 30 artists participated in the production, which can be regarded as artistic masterpieces. A marble bust of Shatrov stands where the Tsar was killed, as a memorial to Alexander II. There is a small market next to the Cathedral of Spilled Blood, where there are many souvenirs about the Cathedral and Russian characteristics. Near the church is the entrance to the Mikhailovsky Garden, which also leads to the Russian State Museum. If you have enough time, you can visit.

No. 6 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Mariinsky Theatre

7.4

4.5/5

100 reviews

The Mariinsky Theater is a historic building in St. Petersburg, opened in 1860. It was a famous Russian musical theater of the late 19th century, with Tchaikovsky, Mossorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov Many of his works premiered here. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, the Mariinsky Opera and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra.

Saint Petersburg · 2.4 km from downtown

No. 3 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Russia

Catherine Park

7.2

Pushkin · 854m from downtown

145 reviews

This is the back garden of Yekaterina Palace, you can go in after visiting the palace. The layout of the garden follows the geometric layout of the Palace of Versailles. In summer, the scenery is particularly pleasant, with lush trees and green grass. The buildings in this artificial garden are all European classical style buildings. You can take a horse-drawn carriage in the garden, if you are interested, you can take a seat, as if you have traveled to the Middle Ages.

2026 Europe 50 - Family-friendly Attractions

Peterhof Palace

7.2

Peterhof · 582m from downtown

860 reviews

The magnificent summer palace is located in the quiet forest on the southern bank of the Gulf of Finland. It was built by order of Peter the Great in 1714, so it is also called Peterhof. Because of its luxurious and magnificent architectural style, the Summer Palace is also known as the "Russian Versailles". The Summer Palace is an early building in St. Petersburg. In the early 18th century, many large-scale balls, court celebrations and other activities were held here. Peter the Great would come here every summer before his death. The best way to visit the Summer Palace is to take a bus to the entrance of the Upper Garden, visit the Upper Garden, then visit the Lower Garden, and then leave by boat, while enjoying the beauty of the Gulf of Finland along the way. The Summer Palace consists of a French-style upper garden, a lower garden with more than 200 fountains, and many ingeniously designed fountains in the garden, with the Grand Palace in between. There is no need to buy a ticket to enter the upper garden, so tourists who come from land can enjoy the upper garden and buy a ticket to enter the lower garden. There are large grass gardens and sculptures in the upper garden. There are some small fountains here are sculptures depicting fairy tales. When the weather is good, you can see many locals strolling here, children playing, and newcomers shooting wedding dresses here. According to. At the end of the upper garden, you can see the great palace of Peter the Great. In front of the palace is the more striking golden waterfall fountain of the Summer Palace. Although the fountain is only open from May to October every year, no matter what Season, the exterior of these gilded sculptures looks so glorious and beautiful. The famous main fountain is called "Samson Fighting the Lion". In this golden sculpture with a height of 5 meters and a weight of 3 tons, Samson forcibly opened the mouth of a male lion, and its forceful gesture can be described as lifelike. . Behind the waterfall fountain is the grand palace of the Summer Palace. The interior and exterior are very ornately decorated, with gilded domes on both wings. The palace has a celebration hall, a banquet hall and a palace room. At that time, Peter the Great lived on the first floor, and Empress Catherine lived on the second floor. The second floor was luxuriously decorated. The upstairs was very ornately decorated. The columns of the ballroom were decorated with Venetian mirrors. Photography is not allowed in the palace. The overall size is much smaller than that of the Ekaterina Palace and the Winter Palace, and the decoration style is very similar. In addition, additional fees are charged, so many group tourists do not enter the inside to visit, but spend more time. in the lower garden. After coming out of the Grand Palace, we entered the Lower Garden, which spreads out in a fan shape towards the Gulf of Finland by the Grand Palace. Going down from the Grand Palace is a square. The lawn on the ground of the square is trimmed like a fine carpet. Gold-plated sculpture, glittering and lifelike. In the middle of the square is a river, and on both sides of the river are forests with towering trees. About one kilometer down the river is the vast Gulf of Finland. There are men and women in medieval costumes posing in many of the attractions in the lower garden, and you can choose to pay some money to take pictures with them as a souvenir. In addition, there is also the Marry Palace by the seaside of the lower garden, which is the private living place of the tsar.

No. 11 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Peter and Paul Fortress

6.9

Saint Petersburg · 2 km from downtown

407 reviews

Peter and Paul Fortress is located on the Neva River in the city center and is an iconic ancient building in St. Petersburg. The fortress was laid by Peter the Great on Rabbit Island in 1703, where Peter the Great broke ground earlier to build St. Petersburg, and has stood for more than three centuries. The Peter and Paul Fortress has buildings such as Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Bell Tower, St. Peter's Gate, Peter the Great's Boathouse, the Mint, the Arsenal, the Kronwerk Fortress, and the December Revolutionary Monument. The most famous of them is the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which has a solemn appearance and a magnificent interior, with copper-plated chandeliers and colored crystal chandeliers. The interior walls of the church are decorated with 43 intricately carved woodcut statues. The church houses the tombs of the Russian tsars from Peter the Great to Alexander III, and many princes are also buried here. The gleaming spire of the church's tall bell tower is a symbol of Russian domination on the Neva River and the Baltic Sea Territory. First pass through the Ivanov Gate. The gate leading from the square to the fortress castle is called Petrov Gate, and it is decorated with a double-headed eagle in relief. The rear wall surrounding the fortress is 12 meters high and 2.5 to 4 meters wide, and there are also 6 bastions. Among them, the Nafushkin Fortress facing the Neva River will launch an empty shell into the air at noon every day to announce the time to the residents of the city. On the south side of the fortress are several military-related buildings, which have now been converted into museums. The St. Petersburg History Museum is also located here. This is a large-scale and rich museum that displays historical materials in the area from the Stone Age. It also uses small models, videos, etc. to display, which is very interesting. In addition, scattered along the battlements of the fortress is also a good way to visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, with amazing views of the Neva River and the cityscape on the opposite bank.

No. 6 of Night Attractions in Russia

St. Isaac's Cathedral

6.8

Saint Petersburg · 1.6 km from downtown

249 reviews

St. Isaac's Cathedral, also known as Isaac's Cathedral, is the largest church in northern Russia. The entire church has a magnificent architectural shape and is regarded as an outstanding work of late Russian classical architecture. It is one of the four cathedrals in the world. The church's altitude of about 100 meters is equivalent to the height of a 30-story building, and its golden "onion head" dome can be seen even in the distance. The entire church space can accommodate nearly 12,000 people at the same time. The majestic and grand architectural style is vividly interpreted. There are more than 10 huge stone pillars on each of the four sides of the church, each stone pillar weighing 120 tons, supporting the carved gables in double rows. The exterior wall of the church is veneered with gray marble, and the interior is decorated with precious minerals such as colored marble, malachite, and lapis lazuli. The gold used for decoration alone amounts to 410 kilograms, including about 100 kilograms used for gilding the outside of the dome. Since its completion in 1858, the church has not been re-gilded, but the dazzling posture of the dome is still enough to amaze visitors. The church was severely damaged in World War II, and it took more than 20 years to restore it to its present appearance after the war. On the polished granite pillars, bullet-riddled imprints can still be seen, which were not repaired during the restoration project, in order to warn future generations not to forget the past.

No. 9 of Best Things to Do in Saint Petersburg

Kazan Cathedral

6.2

Saint Petersburg · 590m from downtown

485 reviews

Kazan Cathedral is an Orthodox cathedral located next to Nevsky Prospect. Designed by architect Voronikhin, construction began in the early 19th century and took 10 years to complete. The side of the cathedral facing the street features an iconic semicircular colonnade: nearly 100 Corinthian columns arranged in several rows embrace the square in front, making this curved colonnade one of the most recognizable structures on Nevsky Prospect. The cathedral is named after the Our Lady of Kazan icon enshrined within, which has long been a center of worship for believers. The main dome is painted with an image of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by sculptures and murals of biblical figures, creating an interior that is both magnificent and solemn. It also serves as a war memorial: Field Marshal Kutuzov, the commander of the Russian army during the 1812 war, is buried inside. Trophies such as captured French military flags are displayed near his tomb, and bronze statues of Kutuzov and another marshal, Barclay de Tolly, stand in the square in front of the colonnade. The cathedral remains an active Orthodox place of worship. When visiting, you will often see flickering candlelight and people praying before icons, and you may sometimes catch a service in progress. As it is a religious site, please remain quiet and dress appropriately when entering. The semicircular colonnade and the marshals' bronze statues in front are classic photo spots. A convenient route is to walk around the colonnade, then head inside to see the dome murals and Kutuzov's tomb.

No. 10 of Best Things to Do in Saint Petersburg

Cruiser Aurora

6.2

4.0/5

199 reviews

Cruiser Aurora is a Russian Imperial Navy cruiser launched in Saint Petersburg in 1900. Its name is derived from the Roman goddess of the dawn, meaning "dawn" or "daybreak." It measures over 120 meters in length with a displacement of nearly 7,000 tons. Its service career spanned the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, and World War II: it survived the brutal Battle of Tsushima in 1905, broke through to Manila where it was interned, and only returned to the Baltic Fleet after the war ended. During the Siege of Leningrad, the ship's guns were removed for city defense, and the hull was damaged by bombing and shelling. It was only preserved to this day after being salvaged and extensively restored following the war. What truly made it world-famous was the night of the October Revolution in 1917, when a blank shot fired from the ship served as the signal to storm the Winter Palace. Because of this shot, it is regarded as an iconic witness to that history, and its silhouette was even minted on the Order of the October Revolution. Today, the Cruiser Aurora is permanently moored on the banks of the Neva River in Saint Petersburg as a museum ship. It has been open to the public since the mid-to-late 1950s and is a branch of the Peter the Great Central Naval Museum. After boarding, you can first stop by the various naval guns, including the 152 mm guns, displayed in their original positions on the deck. Then, follow the steep gangways into the ship to visit the captain's cabin, which retains its early 20th-century furnishings, the engine room with its steam engines and boilers, and the exhibition rooms that recount the ship's history through historical documents, photographs, and artifacts. The light on the river is soft around sunset, making it the perfect time to photograph the ship's silhouette. The corridors inside are narrow and the stairs are steep, so wearing comfortable, non-slip shoes will make your visit easier. After your visit, consider taking a stroll along the riverbank and adding the nearby Peter and Paul Fortress to your itinerary.

Saint Petersburg · 2.4 km from downtown