Saint Petersburg
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The UK Foreign Office currently advises against travel to all or parts of Russia. This guide is for a safer time. Check the latest travel advice.
At a glance
- Country
- Russia
- Region
- Northwestern Russia
- Population
- 5.6 million
- Best time to go
- May to September
- Main airport
- Saint Petersburg Pulkovo (LED)
- Coordinates
- 59.93°N, 30.34°E
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Overview
Founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as a window on Europe, Saint Petersburg was built on marshland at the mouth of the Neva. Canals, pastel palaces and wide granite embankments give it an elegance unlike anywhere else in Russia.
This guide is written for a time when travel is advisable again; check the latest official advice before making any plans. When that time comes, the city's museums, theatres and summer White Nights are its great draws.
Things to see
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Photo: GAlexandrova, CC BY-SA 4.0 The Hermitage
One of the world's greatest art museums, filling the Winter Palace and its neighbours with treasures.
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Photo: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0 Peter and Paul Fortress
The city's original citadel on its own island, where the Romanov tsars are buried in a gilded cathedral.
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Photo: Je-str, CC BY-SA 3.0 Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Onion domes outside and every inch of wall covered in mosaics within, on the site of Alexander II's assassination.
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Photo: Florstein ( Telegram: WikiPhoto.Space ), CC BY-SA 4.0 St Isaac's Cathedral
A massive domed cathedral. Climb the colonnade for a view across the rooftops.
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Photo: A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0 Nevsky Prospect
The city's grand main avenue, lined with palaces, churches, bookshops and cafés.
Things to do
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Photo: Ninara from Helsinki, Finland, CC BY 2.0 Day trip to Peterhof
Gilded fountains and cascades tumble down to the Gulf of Finland in Peter the Great's summer palace grounds.
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Photo: AndreyWi, CC BY-SA 3.0 Canal boat trip
The rivers and canals show the city at its best, especially on a summer evening.
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Photo: Nikolai Bulykin, CC BY-SA 4.0 A night at the Mariinsky
Ballet and opera in one of the most famous theatres in the world.
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Photo: Onlysilence, CC BY-SA 4.0 Experience the White Nights
Around midsummer the sky barely darkens and the embankments fill with people watching the bridges rise.
Where to stay
Historic centre
Around Nevsky Prospect, close to the main sights and Metro.
Hotels in Historic centreVasilyevsky Island
Across the river, quieter, with good views and university buildings.
Hotels in Vasilyevsky IslandPetrogradsky Side
Residential and leafy, with art nouveau buildings near the fortress.
Hotels in Petrogradsky Side
Getting around
The Metro is efficient, though stations are deep and spaced far apart. Walking along the canals is often the best way to see the centre.
From Pulkovo, buses connect to the Metro at Moskovskaya, reaching the centre in under an hour; taxis take around 40 minutes.
When to go
June brings the White Nights and the best weather, but also the biggest crowds. May and September are cooler and calmer. Winters are dark, cold and long.
Plan your trip to Saint Petersburg
Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.