Saint Petersburg sights, attractions and museums

Peter and Paul Fortress

This is the heart of the city, and a building that was originally built for military purposes, but became the country’s main political prison.

Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg, historical building (main scene)

Mariinsky Theater

Founded as the “Bolshoi Theater” in the 18th century (not to be confused with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow), it was then renamed the Mariinsky Theater. It is the most famous and most frequently...

Smolny Cathedral and Smolny Convent of the Resurrection in Saint Petersburg

Smolny Cathedral and Smolny Convent of the Resurrection

This is one of the most outstanding cathedrals in Saint Petersburg, both in terms of its well-known appearance and architectural design. It was also built in the style of Elizabethan baroque. It...

Dostoevsky Apartment Museum in Saint Petersburg guided tour

Dostoevsky Apartment Museum

A small museum was opened in the writer's apartment, which ended up being his last address.

Fabergé Museum collection in Saint Petersburg

Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg

This is one of the news private museums in the city (opened in 2013), and its cornerstone is the collections of masterpieces by the renowned Russian jewelry craftsman, Carl Faberge, which was then...

Kunstkammer, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in Saint Petersburg

Kunstkammer, guided tour of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in Saint Petersburg

Kunstkammer (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography) in Saint Petersburg

This is the first museum in Russia that was founded by Peter the Great; he organized it in 1714.

Museum of Leningrad Defense and Blockade

State Memorial Museum of Leningrad Defense and Blockade (Siege)

The exhibits showcased in this museum are dedicated to the tragedy that befell St. Petersburg ("Leningrad" in Soviet times), which survived an 872-day blockade during World War II. Here, you can see...

Museum-Apartment of Anna Akhmatova, Saint Petersburg

Museum-Apartment of Anna Akhmatova in Saint Petersburg guided tour

Museum-Apartment of Anna Akhmatova at the Fountain House

This is a very interesting museum, and one which will tell a lot about the life of this poet, who lived in difficult times that are embodied in her creativity and fate itself.

Alexander Nevsky Monastery (Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra)

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

This is Saint Petersburg’s first monastery, almost as old as the city itself, founded in 1710. It always played an important role in city life right up to 1918, when it was phased out. It resumed...

Masters of Arts Necropolis (Tikhvin Cemetery) at Alexander Nevsky Monastery

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Grave in Tikhvin Cemetery

Alexander Dargomyzhsky's Grave in Tikhvin Cemetery

Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Grave in Tikhvin Cemetery

Masters of Arts Necropolis (Tikhvin Cemetery)

This is located in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and is certainly quite interesting, both in terms of the people whose path through life wound up taking them here (Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-...

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg

Tomb of Peter the Great at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral

The first cathedral in St. Petersburg, it was laid down by Peter the Great, along with the Peter and Paul Fortress. It was important for the emperor to set the church off against Moscow – both in...

Saint Nicholas Naval Cathedral in Saint Petersburg

Saint Nicholas Naval Cathedral

This cathedral was done in the so-called Elizabethan baroque style, built in the middle of the 18th century. It owes its name to its purpose – serving the Russian navy. The cathedral was erected in...

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral

This is one of Saint Petersburg’s calling cards, and helps shape its skyline. Its appearance contrasts sharply with traditional Russian religious architecture. The spectacular panoramic view from the...

Kazan Cathedral

This cathedral, built in the beginning of the 19th century as a sort of “replica” of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, primarily due to its massive colonnade. One of the most prominent features of...

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

This church was built in the place where Alexander II, who was the czar and a reformist, was mortally injured; he repealed serfdom in Russia. This cathedral is often compared to – and confused with...

Mikhailovsky Opera and Ballet Theater, Saint Petersburg

Mikhailovsky Opera and Ballet Theater

(other historical names were Maliy and Mussorgsky)

Yusupov Palace on Moika in Saint Petersburg, a guided tour

Yusupov Palace on Moika

This is a famous palace owned by one of the oldest and most powerful princely families – the Yusupovs. The palace is renowned for its interiors and for the fact that in these walls Rasputin was...

Museum of Political History in Saint Petersburg, Matilda Kshesinskaya mansion

Museum of Political History of Russia

An interesting museum that contains a large number of exhibits that provide a specific, and not just an abstract, understanding of many pivotal events in Russian history.

Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg – the General Staff Building (collection of impressionist)

Boulevard Montmartre, 1897, Camille Pissarro, Hermitage General Staff Building

Hermitage - General Staff Building

In 2014, they moved a collection of impressionist artwork that was in the Winter Palace before.

Hermitage Museum guided tour in Winter Palace (main collection), visit in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German

Hermitage Museum private tour in Winter Palace (main collection), visit in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1668, The State Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum guided tour (Winter Palace)

The Hermitage is the most visited museum in Saint Petersburg. It is the absolute leader in terms of the number of visitors (3 million per year), and in terms of the size of the...

Saint Petersburg sights and attractions