Saint Petersburg
Discover Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg (Russian: Са́нкт-Петербу́рг Sankt-Peterburg), known as Petrograd (Петроград) in 1914-1924 and Leningrad (Ленинград) in 1924-1991, is the second largest city of Russia, with 5.6 million inhabitants (2021), the fourth most populous city in Europe, the world's northernmost city of at least a million residents, and the former capital of the Russian Empire. Founded in 1703, it is not ancient, but its historical cityscape is remarkably well-preserved. The center of Saint Petersburg occupies numerous islands of the Neva River delta, divided by waterways and connected by huge drawbridges. Since 1991, it and some historical suburbs, including Peterhof, have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is part of the Silver Ring of cultural and historical centers of the Northwest of Russia. It is home to one of the world's largest museums of art, the Hermitage. Many Russians know the city as Piter (Питер), a diminutive of Saint Petersburg. Saint Petersburg was built by Peter the Great in 1703 on the Neva River, on the land he had just conquered from the Swedish Empire, outside the area then populated by the Russian people. Pre-planned almost from the very beginning, the city, called by Peter "my window on Europe", was designed to look European rather than Russian, was designed by many European architects. As the capital of the Russian Empire from the early 18th century to the early 20th century, the city grew steadily, saw many crucial events of the Russian history, and was a major cultural center. Many world-famous artists, scientists, writers and composers, such as Mendeleev, Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky, lived and worked here.
Taste of Saint Petersburg...
Tasty local offerings for street food/fast food include shawarma (шаверма) and pyshki (пышки). Shawarma is a decidedly Saint Petersburg phenomenon (you won't find much of it in other Russian cities), served mostly by Azeris, and is everywhere—in cafes and on the street. Pyshki are Russian doughnuts, wonderful with coffee, and are strongly associated with Saint Petersburg. Russian chain restaurants such as Teremok (Теремок), Kroshka Kartoshka (Крошка Картошка), and Dodo Pizza are common in Saint Petersburg. Булочные Ф. Вольчека is a chain of many bakeries with slices of cake or small tubs of ice cream for under RUB100. For restaurant dining, offerings are diverse. A pretty unique place to eat Russian cuisine would be the attractive restaurant on the grounds of the Peter and Paul Fortress. International, Western European, Asian fusion (Russified Chinese food is really good, but requires a culinary dictionary to order), etc. are just as easy to find as Russian, and sushi is very popular. Georgian cooking, despite its obscurity, is one of the world's great cuisines, is common in Saint Petersburg. The Central Asian, usually Uzbek, restaurants are a lot of fun too. Bars in Saint Petersburg generally have the best beer selection of any city in Russia. The main Baltika (Балтика) brewery is in Saint Petersburg, although there is political controversy surrounding the beer after the company was effectively seized by the government in 2023. Saint Petersburgers know how to party.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Saint Petersburg into what it is today.
Saint Petersburg was built by Peter the Great in 1703 on the Neva River, on the land he had just conquered from the Swedish Empire, outside the area then populated by the Russian people. Pre-planned almost from the very beginning, the city, called by Peter "my window on Europe", was designed to look European rather than Russian, was designed by many European architects. As the capital of the Russian Empire from the early 18th century to the early 20th century, the city grew steadily, saw many crucial events of the Russian history, and was a major cultural center. Many world-famous artists, scientists, writers and composers, such as Mendeleev, Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky, lived and worked here. In 1917, the city came under communist rule after the Russian Revolution. The significance of Saint Petersburg has declined somewhat after the transfer of the Russian capital to Moscow in 1918, but this allowed its cityscape to remain largely intact to this day. During World War II, the city was besieged by the Wehrmacht for 872 days, resulting in more than a million deaths, mainly from starvation. It remains the deadliest siege in world history. The city has undergone several name changes since its founding. Due to the German origins of the name "Saint Petersburg", its name was changed to the more Russian-sounding "Petrograd" in 1914 in the wake of World War I. Subsequently, its name was changed to "Leningrad" in honour of the founding leader of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin....
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Saint Petersburg.
If you are looking to study in Russia, Saint Petersburg State University, founded by Peter the Great in 1724, is one of Russia's oldest and most prestigious universities. Other prestigious universities in Saint-Petersburg include ITMO University (University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics), Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Saint Petersburg campus of the Higher School of Economics See Studying in Russia for a list of language schools in Saint Petersburg. ATMs accept Russian cards only. Ligovka is the best place to exchange currency; rates are published online. Do not exchange money on the street: the rate won't be any better, and you run a high risk of encountering any of numerous scams. Small cornerstores are not necessarily more expensive than larger stores. Churches often have small souvenir/religious shops with a large variety of items. The famous place to shop is of course on Nevsky Prospekt in the Center.
Climate
The city's position at 60°N makes for huge seasonal variation in day length. Days are less than 6 hours long at the end of December, but it never gets darker than twilight during the White Nights season in June. Not only are the days very short in late autumn and early winter, but the weather may be overcast for weeks, without a hint of blue sky, which may feel depressing. However, when the sun does shine through in December, the light of the low sun, not more than only seven degrees above the horizon at its zenith, bathes the city and its snow-covered landmarks, canals, and neoclassical architecture in an enchanting, diffuse, golden light. The driest season with least precipitation is early spring. July and August are usually the rainiest months, though the difference is usually not big enough to worry about. But if you care about this, it is a good idea to have an umbrella or raincoat handy.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsRussian visa requirements are complex but are not hard to manage with some online research. See the Get In section of the article on Russia for information. Tickets can be bought at the train stations or online. Long distance train tickets are generally more expensive if bought close to the date of travel. See Russia#By train 2 for more details on travelling in Russia by train. There are five principal train stations in Saint Petersburg: Tickets for travel originating in Russia can be bought at the train stations or online. Long distance train tickets are generally more expensive if bought close to the date of travel. See Russia#By train 2 for more details on travelling in Russia by train. Sapsan high-speed trains (4-5 hours, 6 per day, 3,000 руб for economy class if bought over 2 months in advance, 7,500 руб for economy class if bought over a week in advance, usually sell out) make travel between downtown Saint Petersburg and downtown Moscow very easy....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Except during the winter, the 9 low bridges in St. Petersburg are drawn during the night to allow for the passage of boat traffic. Therefore, if you don't make it to the side of the river where you are staying before the bridges are drawn and there are no high bridges to cross, you will be stuck until the bridges are lowered. There are "breaks" when some of the bridges are lowered in the middle of the night for approximately 30 minutes to briefly allow everyone to get home. The bridge schedule is particularly noteworthy for those staying on Vasilyevsky Island, which is unreachable at certain times of the night. Seeing the bridges drawn in the middle of the night is a must for all visitors to the city! The Bolshoy Obukhovskiy Most, 14km south of the Alexander Nevsky Bridge (Мост Алекса́ндра Не́вского), is never drawn, allowing for 24-hour crossing of the Neva River. However, the bridge is out of the way and taxi fares will be higher than a direct route.
Where to Stay
The best area for a tourist to stay in is generally considered to be near the Nevsky Prospekt Metro. You'll be able to walk to most of the main attractions, and there are many restaurants, shops, cafes, clubs, etc. right on Nevsky. Staying off Nevsky along one of the beautiful canals is also a fabulous idea. If you want to sleep further from city centre, it is good to keep close to the blue line, as you can easily change to any other metro line from there, or transfer to the airport connection on Moskovskaya station, and it stops by the most popular tourist attractions too. As Petersburg is a huge city and most of its interesting sights are in the centre or to the south of the city, avoid staying in northern or eastern suburbs, even if you have metro nearby, as you will spend way too much time commuting to make good use of your stay - about half hour to reach the centre, not including walking to the metro station, which can easily double it.
Money & Budget
ATMs accept Russian cards only. Ligovka is the best place to exchange currency; rates are published online. Do not exchange money on the street: the rate won't be any better, and you run a high risk of encountering any of numerous scams. Small cornerstores are not necessarily more expensive than larger stores. Churches often have small souvenir/religious shops with a large variety of items. The famous place to shop is of course on Nevsky Prospekt in the Center. The streetfront shops there, Passazh, and the historic mall at Gostiny Dvor skew upscale, but there are street markets just off Nevsky, most notably Apraksin Dvor (south on Sadovaya from Gostiny Dvor) where you can get anything on the cheap (especially cheap if you speak Russian).
Language & Talk
The language spoken in Saint Petersburg is Russian, as in most parts of Russia. English is usually taught in schools and universities, so younger people are supposed to understand it to some extent, but the chance of finding anybody who is fluent in English on the streets is, though better than elsewhere in Russia including Moscow, still not that great. Average people will probably be able to point out a direction, but don't expect much more. The signs and labels in most places, especially off the beaten path, are still in Russian only, with a notable exceptions of metro (subway) and street signs in the city centre. It may be a good idea to get familiar with the Russian Cyrillic alphabet before the travel, as this is easy and lets you recognize street names and so on.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
As with most other major cities, do not get into altercations with drunks. If traveling at night, it is recommended to stay on the main sidewalks and avoid any dark alleys or yards. Gypsy cabs are not recommended under any circumstances, especially those that linger near bars where expatriates and tourists congregate. The average street policeman cannot speak any foreign language, but if you look like a tourist, you could be a target for bribes. Don't panic! Always ask for a receipt and the names of the officers. Guards at metro stations require random passengers to show carry items and inspect their backpacks. They may even ask you to boot your laptop or show phone screen. Take care of money, documents, cameras, mobile phones, and anything of value because of pickpocketing. Especially watch out on the Metro during busy times, as people start pushing at the train doors, and pickpockets are frequent, particularly (but not only) at Gostinyy Dvor Metro Station.