Things to Do in St. Petersburg | Museums, Cathedrals & Russian Palaces

Things to do in St. Petersburg are too numerous to count, but planning a trip to Russia’s second largest city doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. The entire city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so that provides more than a day’s itinerary right there! Besides the mind-blowing awesome architecture in St. Petersburg Historic City Center, Russia’s cultural center also promises a host of knock-out art galleries, theaters and selfie ops. Travelers should brace to be wowed with sights like Savior on the Spilled Blood Church and Peter and Paul Fortress, both of which make St. Petersburg worthy of its nickname, Venice of the North.

1. Save a day to explore STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM

Housing the largest collection of paintings in the world, the State Hermitage Museum is one of the can’t-miss things to do in St. Petersburg. The museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, who needed a place to exhibit an enormous art collection she procured from a merchant in Berlin. The museum opened its doors to the public in 1852 and today is the second-largest art museum in the world. (The Louvre in Paris is the largest.)

State Hermitage Museum contains more than three million pieces of art, a third of which is comprised of coins and currency. The museum does not display all the items at once: the artifacts on display already fill 10 historic buildings, all of which are included in the museum tour.

The buildings of the main complex are located on The Palace Embankment, also known as Palace Square, and include Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and The Hermitage Theatre. Even more exhibits can be found in extension buildings dotted around St. Petersburg Historic City Center.

Expositions (extended buildings) of State Hermitage Museum

• General Staff Building, Palace Square
• Winter Palace of Peter 1, The Palace Embankment
• The Menshikov Palace, across Neva River near Saint Petersburg State University
• Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, Obukhovskoy Оborony Ave. 151 (25-minute drive south of Palace Square)
• The Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre, Zausadebnaya Ulitsa, 37 (15-minute drive north of Palace Square)

Tickets for State Hermitage Museum are 600 rubles (700 during summer) and include entry to all museum buildings. Tourists who want to see the Main Museum Complex (Winter Palace) only pay 300 rubles. Museum buildings are open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. The museum is closed on Mondays, as well as on New Year’s Day and Victory Day (May 9).

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2. Escape reality at dreamy PETERHOF GRAND PALACE

An exquisite display of maximalism, Peterhof Grand Palace consists of the stuff fairytales are made of. Commonly called “The Russian Versailles,” as its style is reflective of the Palace of Versailles in France, Peterhof Grand Palace was Peter the Great’s answer to his need for royal quarters. He built Peterhof, meaning “Peter’s Court,” on the western outskirts of the city. His daughter, Elizabeth, was so fond of the estate that she expanded the parks around it and the famous fountain system that now lures tourists from across the globe.

The Grand Palace is considered the main attraction, and it’s where tourists will find the Grand Cascade, or system of more than 150 fountains, considered one of the most impressive creations in all the world. Each fountain portrays a different theme, some of the most impressive being the Samson Fountain, Roman Fountains and Fontan Oranzhereynyy.

Guests are welcome to stroll through the compound gardens, which spans nearly five square kilometers, and stop in the 32 museums scattered throughout the property grounds. Admission to the Special Treasury Museum is extra. Needless to say, visitors should plan on spending at least a half a day at Peterhof Grand Palace.

Many exhibits at Peterhof Grand Palace are closed during winter. However, tourists enjoy free admission from mid-October to late-April. While the palace and fountains are closed during this time, guests still can take in the sights. Tickets during summer (May to mid-October), when all attractions are open, are 1,000 rubles for combined tickets. Different ticket packages are available. Guests can check online or ask at the gate for all ticket options. Hours also vary according to season, but during summer, Peterhof Grand Palace is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day but Monday. On Thursdays, the palace closes at 9 p.m.

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3. See how Russian royalty spent summers at CATHERINE PALACE

Another palace worth touring in St. Petersburg is Catherine Palace, a grand estate that served as the summer residence for Russian tsars. The Rococo-style palace sits on the museum grounds of Tsarskoye Selo in Pushkin, less than 18 miles (30 kilometers) south of St. Petersburg city center, and embodies some of the finest ornamental décor in all of Russia. The palace grounds now act as a museum that explains nearly 300 years of history and displays works of renowned architects popular during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and Catherine the Great.

One of the highlights of the Catherine Palace tour is the Amber Room, often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The original Amber Room, composed of several tons of the gemstone and gold fixtures, was gifted to Peter the Great in 1716 by the King of Prussia. The room was shipped in 18 large boxes from its original estate of Charlottenburg Palace in present-day Berlin to Winter Palace, where it was installed in 1716. Empress Elizabeth ordered the room to be moved in 1755 to Catherine Palace, where it was expanded to fit its new quarters. Following the renovation, the Amber Room was emblazoned with six tons of amber and semi-precious stones, which were backed with gold leaf panels. The entire masterpiece is valued between $142 to $500 million today.

Unfortunately, the Amber Room on display today is not the same one that Empress Elizabeth installed. The original room was stolen by the Nazis and shipped to Germany in 1941. Evidence of its existence is believed to have disappeared during bombings in 1944. The reconstructed room on display today, however, is worth more than $11 million, and stepping into it will certainly send a tingle down any tourist’s spine!

Tickets to Catherine Palace are 700 rubles for adults and 350 rubles for students. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from November to March and from noon to 5 p.m. from April to October.

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4. Pay tribute to Alexander II at SAVIOR ON THE SPILLED BLOOD CHURCH

By far, one of the best things to do in St. Petersburg is taking a tour of Savior on the Spilled Blood Church. This iconic landmark is one of the most recognized buildings in Russia, and while a photo of Savior on the Spilled Blood Church definitely speaks a thousand words, a tour of the awesome structure will leave visitors speechless. The church was resurrected during the reign of Alexander III as a tribute to his father who was killed by a grenade-wielding rebel in 1881 on the exact site.

Visitors can get picture-perfect views of the palace’s drool-inducing domes during a cruise along the Griboedov Canal, and a visit inside reveals more than 7,500 square meters of the most jaw-dropping, jewel-encrusted mosaics in the world. Guided tours of the church explain the elaborate décor, which went over budget by a million rubles, and the history of the building, which took 24 years to complete.

Tickets to Savior on the Spilled Blood Church are 250 rubles for adults and 50 rubles for students. Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Wednesday, when the church is closed. From April 27 to September 30, the church stays open until 10:30 p.m.

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5. Tour a prison, mausoleum & working mint at PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS

A mausoleum, cathedral and prison all rolled into one, Peter and Paul Fortress is a star attraction on the Neva River in St. Petersburg. The fortress is the centerpiece of exhibits offered by The Museum of Political History of Russia, which maintains the fortress building and its surroundings, except for the Saint Petersburg Mint (Sankt-Peterburgskiy Monetnyy Dvor), which shares a part of the island grounds on which the fortress is located.

Centered in the middle of the complex is Peter and Paul Cathedral. The church is admired for its 402-feet-tall bell tower that is topped with a golden angel, but it also serves as the burial grounds for every Russian tsar, except Peter II and Ivan VI. (Peter II is buried in the Cathedral of the Archangel in Moscow, and Ivan VI is buried at Oreshek Fortress in Shlisselburg.) Peter and Paul Cathedral was built between 1712 and 1733 and is connected to the Grand Ducal Mausoleum, which was added to the cathedral between 1896 and 1908. The mausoleum serves as a burial place for non-reigning Romanovs who were once buried in the cathedral.

Tourists also can visit the Trubetskoy Bastion Prison, where political prisoners were jailed from 1872 to 1921. Visitors can take guided tours of the 69 cells and learn how prisoners lived from day to day and how many of them eventually were executed.

Near the prison stands the Saint Petersburg Mint (Sankt-Peterburgskiy Monetnyy Dvor), which still operates and is open for public tours. Several other museums also operate on the fortress grounds, and guests who arrive by noon can witness the daily cannon shooting that takes place on the southern wall that overlooks the Neva River.

Peter and Paul Fortress is open for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday. The grounds are closed on Wednesday. Tickets are 750 rubles for adults and 400 rubles for students.

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6. Take a jaw-dropping panoramic photo from the ST. ISAAC’S CATHEDRAL tower

Situated behind Palace Square on the Neva River is stunning St. Isaac’s Cathedral. While services are conducted at different times of the year, the cathedral has served chiefly as a museum since 1931 when the Soviet government declared it as such. St. Isaac’s Cathedral is most famous for its golden dome, but tourists also fall head over heels for its elaborate décor and showstopping views. Guests can climb up to the dome to take in a panoramic view of St. Petersburg and the Neva River.

Blueprints for St. Isaac’s Cathedral started in 1818, but constructed was not completed until 1858. By that time, more elaborate features were figured into the design, the most noted being 100 kilograms of gold leaf that was used to cover the dome, which looms 71.5 feet (21.8 meters) over the St. Petersburg skyline.

Tickets for St. Isaac’s Cathedral are 350 rubles. The museum complex is open from 10:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday. St. Isaac’s is closed on Wednesday.

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7. Make stops at the most historic stations of ST. PETERSBURG METRO

When construction of the St. Petersburg Metro system started in 1955, the city went to great measures to ensure that stations were as easy on the eyes as they were on convenience. Today, the original seven stations (an eighth station opened in 1956) continue to draw as many spectators as passengers. The St. Petersburg Metro is one of the deepest underground metro stations in the world, with the deepest station, Admiralteyskaya (2011), measuring 282 feet (86 meters) below the surface. While the metro has expanded significantly during the last century, making intentional stops at a few of the most historic stations along the Red Line remains one of the best things to do in St. Petersburg.

Most historically significant stations on the ST. PETERSBURG METRO (Red Line)

• Avtovo Station – with columns made of marble and decorated with glass, Avtovo Station feels more like an art gallery than a public transportation hub. The station also features a large mosaic at the end of the platform, and visitors should note that the station is themed after the defense of Leningrad (former St. Petersburg) during its siege of World War II.
• Narvskaya Station – marked by a USSR-style arched entryway, Narvskaya Station pays tribute to the common laborers of the USSR.
• Ploshchad Vosstaniya – a beauty at night, Ploshchad Vosstaniya takes its inspiration from the October Revolution of 1917, which eventually led to the execution of the Russian tsar and the creation of the Soviet Union. The name of the station means Square of the Revolt, and visitors will find three bas-reliefs (shallow sculptures) of Lenin at the end of the station along with one depiction of the Cruiser Aurora. (The real Cruiser Aurora has been converted to a museum and currently sits in the Neva River near the Fountain at the Nakhimov School (Fontan U Nakhimovskogo) along the Petrogradskaya Embankment.)
• Kirovskiy Zavod – providing direct access to nearby Kirov Factory, Kirovskiy Zavod honors the industries of the former Soviet Union. Visitors will find tributes to electric, oil, coal mining and metal industries as well as an elaborate grey-marble interior.
• Pushkinskaya – the last of the original stations to open its doors, Pushkinskaya contains a monument dedicated to poet Alexander Pushkin. It is the first USSR metro station with a memorial located underground.

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8. Step on deck of the undefeated and still active Russian Navy CRUISER AURORA

Cruiser Aurora is one of three Pallada-class cruiser ships built for service in the Imperial Russian Navy in the early 1900s. Besides the Aurora, the elite fleet also contained the Pallada and Diana cruisers. All three ships served in the Russo-Japanese war, but only the Aurora survived battle and returned home. She also is credited for firing the first shot that signaled the 1917 attack on Winter Palace.

Today, visitors can learn the story of the Aurora, which has been converted into a floating museum on the banks of the Neva River. Guided tours recount the battles of the fleet as well as the Aurora’s role in the October Revolution. Cruiser Aurora is the oldest commissioned ship of the Russian Navy and is still manned by an active service crew.

Cruiser Aurora is open for tours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are 600 rubles for adults and 400 rubles for students.

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