First Time in St. Petersburg
Description:
Planning a first trip to St. Petersburg can be difficult, only because there are so many landmarks, museums, restaurants, and other amazing sights to see that it is hard to choose between them all. Most of the best places to visit are within walking distance of the city centre, and the walks from place to place themselves are incredible with so many historic buildings and canals all over the city.
Author: JennyMM
Day 1 - St. Petersburg
The Pushka Inn is just a block north of the historic part of town, in an older but beautifully renovated building, and offers excellent service and a cozy feel. Start out with a visit to the Church of Spilled Blood, covered inside and out with mosaics, a must-see in St. Petersburg, and the Marinskii Palace, which is the site of the local assembly but also retains much of its historic architecture and decorations. Begin your exploration of St. Petersburg's restaurants with a trip to Staraia Tamozhnia for impressive Russian cuisine.
1
Khram "Spasa na Krovi" (Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood)
Location:
view in google mapsNaberezhnaia Kanala Gribeodova, 2b
Embankment of the Griboyedov Canal
190011 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 315 16362
Mariinskii Dvorets (Marinskii Palace)
Location:
view in google mapsIsaakievskaia Ploshchad'
190000 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 576 60943
Staraia Tamozhnia
Location:
view in google mapsTamozhennyi pereulok, 1
Old Custom's House
199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 327 89804
Pushka Inn
Location:
view in google maps14 MOIKA RIVER EMBANKMENT
191186 St. Petersburg, RU
Phone:
7 812 312 0913 / 7 812 312 0957Day 2 - St. Petersburg
The Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic exhibits the stories and artifacts of Russian and Soviet polar exploration. Grab a quick blini for lunch at Teremok and head across the Neva to explore the Peter and Paul Fortress, which contains the Cathedral, the Bell Tower, the Mint, and museums, and was the first structure built in St. Petersburg. Have an early dinner at Caviar Bar, and then take an evening cruise down the Neva River, underneath the many drawbridges that rise and fall at night to allow boat traffic to pass through. Some evening cruises have live jazz bands certain days of the week.
1
Muzei Arktiki i Antarktiki (Museum of the Arctic & Antarctic)
Location:
view in google mapsMarata ulitsa, 24a
191040 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 571 25492
Teremok
Location:
view in google mapsVladimirsky Pr. 5
Metro Vladimirskaya or Dostoevskaya
St. Petersburg, Russia
3
Petropavlovskaia Krepost' (Peter and Paul Fortress)
Location:
view in google mapsPetropavlovskaia Krepost' 3
197046 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 576 60944
Neva River
Location:
view in google mapsCenter of town
191 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 576 6094Day 3 - St. Petersburg
In the morning, go to the Museum of Ethnography for a fascinating history of the peoples of Siberia, eastern Europe, and central Asia. Have a great casual Russian lunch at Na Zdorov'e. Spend the afternoon on Yelagin island, which has the Yelagin Palace and is entirely covered with the leisurely Central Park of Culture and Rest, and previously was reserved as a vacation spot for the elite only. Make sure to catch St. Petersburg's famed ballet performances at either the Mariinksi or the Mikhailovski Theatres. If you choose the Mariinski, have dinner at Backstage, the attached theater-themed restaurant with great food. Stop by James Cook Pub for a drink and a snack after the show.
1
Etnograficheskii Muzei (Museum of Ethnography)
Location:
view in google mapsInzhenernaia Ulitsa 4/1
St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 576 60942
Na Zdorov'e
Location:
view in google mapsBolshoi Prospekt, 13/4
St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 232 40393
Elaginskii Dvorets (Yelagin Palace)
Location:
view in google maps4, Yelagin island
197000 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
+7 812 239 01414
Tsentralny Park Kulturi i Otdykha, Central Park of Culture and Rest
Location:
view in google mapsElagin Ostrov, 4
197110 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
+7 812 430 09 115
Mariinskii Theatre
Location:
view in google maps1 Teatralnaya Square
190000 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 326 41416
James Cook Pub and Cafe
Location:
view in google mapsShvedskii Pereulok, 2
191186 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 312 3200/ 7 812 571 1151Day 4 - St. Petersburg
The Renaissance Saint Petersburg hotel is also perfectly located for walking around town, but is just south of the city centre and offers another perspective on the city. Try to get a room on the 7th or 8th floor, with a view of St. Isaac's. The hotel also provides a pass to get into the Hermitage and bypass the line, which definitely comes in handy. Take a morning to see at least some of the many masterpieces the museum has in store, as well as the Winter Palace and Pavilion Hall. For lunch, Troitskii Most has fresh and delicious soups, salads, and sandwiches. Head west back to the city center, and walk around the city centre. Visit the St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Kazan cathedral, the Bronze Horseman, the Alexander Column, and the Admiralty. Walk north a few blocks to explore the Fields of Mars and the Summer Gardens. Have a delightful dinner at Orient Express, which has the feel of a luxury dining train car. The ambience and great food with an Eastern influence definitely make this worth a stop. Catch some live music at the premiere jazz club in St. Petersburg, JFC.
1
Ermitazh (Hermitage, The)
Location:
view in google mapsDvortsovaya Ploshchad, 2
Dvortsovaya Square
190000 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
+7 812 710 9625/ +7 812 710 90792
Zimnyi Dvorets (Winter Palace)
Location:
view in google mapsDvortsovaia naberezhnaia, 34
(entrance to Hermitage museum)
191186 St. Petersburg, Russia
3
Troitskii Most
Location:
view in google mapsMalaia Posadskaia Ulitsa, 9/2
St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 326 66934
Isaakievskii Sobor (St. Isaac's Cathedral)
Location:
view in google mapsIsaakievskaia Ploshchad', 4
Isaakevskaya Ploshchad
190000 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 315 97325
Letnyi Sad (Summer Gardens)
Location:
view in google mapsLetnii Sad
Entrance from Kutuzov Embankment (Naberezhnya Kutuzova) or Panteleimon Bridge (Panteleimonovsky Most)
191186 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 314 03746
Mednyi Sadnik (The Bronze Horseman)
Location:
view in google mapsPloschad Dekabristov
190 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 576 60947
Aleksandrovskaia Kolonna (Alexander Column)
Location:
view in google mapsDvortsovaia Ploshchad'
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
+7 812 576 7123(Tourist Information)8
Kazanskii Sobor (Kazan Cathedral)
Location:
view in google mapsKazanskaia Ploshchad, 2
Nevsky Prospekt
191186 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 314 5856/ +7 812 318 45289
Marsovo Pole (Fields of Mars, The)
Location:
view in google mapsDvortsovaya Emb. and Sadovaya Ul
190000 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 576 609410
Orient Express
Location:
view in google mapsUlitsa Marata, 21
19000 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 325 872911
Concerts at JFC Jazz Club
Location:
view in google mapsShpalernaia Ulitsa, 33
191123 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
+7 812 272 985012
Renaissance Saint Petersburg Hotel
Location:
view in google mapsPochtamtskaya Str 4
190000 St. Petersburg, RU
Phone:
7 12 3804000Day 5 - St. Petersburg
In the morning, visit the Kuntzkammer, St. Petersburg's first museum, which is full of artifacts collected first by Peter and then later by scores of international travelers, and don't miss the Globe museum, the world's first planetarium. Lunch is casual at Zoom, a popular literary cafe. You can't forgo a walk down Nevskii Prospekt, past the palaces, canals, and tons of shops and cafes. Stop in Kuznechy Market to taste the incredible array of spices and honeys for sale. The Botanical Garden is one of the largest and oldest botanical gardens in Europe, and there are over two dozen greenhouses as well as outdoor gardens to walk through. For an early dinner, Restoran is a perfect combination of historic and modern Russia, from the decor and ambiance to the food, which is classical Russian with a contemporary twist. And it's good. If you still have some energy, try one of the cocktails at the artsy, Dostoyevsky-inspired bohemian Idiot, such as the "Crime and Punishment".
1
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology
Location:
view in google mapsUniversitetskaia Naberezhnaia, 3
199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 328 0712/ +7 812 328 14122
Zoom
Location:
view in google maps22 Gorokhovaya Ulitsa
191186 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 972 18053
Nevskii Prospekt
Location:
view in google mapsNevsky Prospekt
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
4
Kuznechny Market
Location:
view in google mapsKuznechny Per. 3
Metro Dostoevskaya or Vladimirskaya
191002 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 312 41615
Botanicheskii Sad (Botanical Garden)
Location:
view in google mapsUlitsa Professora Popova 2
197376 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
+7 812 234 17646
Restoran
Location:
view in google mapsTamozhennyi pereulok, 2
St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
7 812 327 89797
Kafe Idiot
Location:
view in google mapsNaberezhnaia Moiki 82
190 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 315 1675Day 6 - St. Petersburg
Take the train or the hydrofoil out to the Peterhof for the day, to view the incredible palace, buildings, fountains, gardens, and more at "Russia's Versailles". Finish your St. Petersburg dining experience with the unreal seafood at the upscale Taleon Club, one of St. Petersburg best restaurants.
1
Peterhof
Location:
view in google mapsRazvodnaya Ulitsa, 2
Peterhof
198516 St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:
+7 812 420 0073/ +7 812 450 74252
Taleon Club
Location:
view in google mapsMoika River Emb 59
Taleon Imperial Hotel
191186 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Phone:
7 812 315 7645