Saint-Petersburg Tours and Excursions

St Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia, a city of world significance and one of the most visited settlements in the country. It offers hundreds of museums, galleries, parks, theatres, monuments and cathedrals. Of course, you can also explore these sites on your own, but taking a guided tour will be much more fun.

What are the best tours in St. Petersburg?

There are many different excursions in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region - walking, bus, water, air. Our selection will help you choose the best of them.

Bus city tour

This is a great choice for your first city tour. It lasts from 1,5 to 3 hours. During this time you will have time to see the main sights of St. Petersburg - the Palace Square, Admiralty, The Bronze Horseman, the Winter Palace, Nevsky Prospect and Kazansky. A professional guide will tell the history of their appearance, and during stops you can take photos.

Walks on rooftops

Private rooftop tours are one of St. Petersburg's trademarks.

All routes are equipped with safety bollards and most 'tourist' rooftops have a slight angle of incline.

The average tour lasts about 1 hour. This is just enough time to enjoy the incredible views of the city, listen to the guides' entertaining bikes and take great pictures.

Tours of unusual courtyards and stately homes

Exciting guided walking tour where you will get acquainted with the most interesting courtyards and gala buildings of St. Petersburg. You will walk along the unknown streets of the city with your guide, learn about the destiny of its buildings and their inhabitants, learn the history of tenement houses, peek into the well yards and go through the intricate mazes of Petersburg.

It's the best way to see the city for what it really is.

Take a boat trip on the Neva River

St. Petersburg's sights will look totally different on a boat trip along the city's rivers and canals. An especially popular evening experience is the illumination of facades and the opening of St Petersburg's bridges.

Boat tours are available on a variety of waterways. You can spend the evening on a huge ship or cross the water surface on a speedboat.

Take a tour of the suburbs

If you've already toured St. Petersburg far and wide, get ready for an outing to its environs. The Leningrad Region is filled with architectural, cultural and historical landmarks that are considered the jewels of Russia. Tours to Kronstadt, Peterhof, Karelia, Vyborg, Gatchina, Strelna, Pavlovsk and other world famous places are waiting for you.

Trips to museums with a personal guide

There are an enormous number of museums in St. Petersburg, and the best way to see their treasures is with an experienced guide. Firstly, it is the only way to see the Hermitage, Kunstkammer or Russian Museum without waiting in line at the box office. Secondly, this way you won't miss the most interesting things.

What's to see in St. Petersburg?

The northern capital is often referred to as an open-air museum, as the city and its surroundings are home to a huge number of sights. But if you only have a few days to spare, be sure to include these top 5 sites in your itinerary.

The Hermitage (The Winter Palace).

The most famous museum in St. Petersburg. It takes up six huge buildings but the Winter Palace is said to be the most important one.

The former residence of the Emperor, it has more than a thousand rooms. There is a unique collection of paintings by famous international artists. You can also find sculptures, coins, works of applied art, and interesting archaeological artefacts in the museum collection.

The building itself is also worth a visit. It has a majestic architecture and a sumptuous interior. There is a lot of stucco, gilding, engravings, vases, ancient antique statues and expensive draperies. The façade of the palace is adorned by two rows of white columns, which create a complex and very beautiful pattern.

St. Isaac's Cathedral

The biggest orthodox temple in the city. Built in the style of late classicism. The building currently serves as a museum, so church services are almost non-existent. But if you're lucky enough to attend one, you can get in without paying a fee.

The temple has many different artefacts such as mosaic paintings, icon painting, coloured stonework and natural marble elements. The main reason to visit St. Isaac's Cathedral is the observation deck on a 43-meter high colonnade. There's a gorgeous panoramic view of the city streets from here. It is especially good at sunrise and sunset.

Peterhof

St. Petersburg is the acknowledged leader in the number of suburban palace museums, but Peterhof is called the best. The former summer residence of the imperial family is about 30 kilometres from the city. It is not difficult to get there, and with a guided tour it is even easier and more pleasant. Most tourists come to Peterhof in the summer, when they turn on the fountains.

Peterhof Palace itself was built in the mid-18th century. At that time it included several buildings, gardens and 173 fountains. The interior of the 'Russian Versailles' is beyond praise: its halls are richly decorated with marble, gilding, fireplaces and large mirrors.

Russian Museum

The Russian Museum comprises several buildings covering an area of 30 hectares. These are the Benoit Exhibition Building, Mikhailovsky Castle and four palaces - the Marble Palace, the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Stroganov Palace and the Mikhailovsky Palace. The latter is considered the main palace and houses the main retrospective exhibition.

Today the Russian Museum holds the fullest collection of Russian art from the twelfth century icons to socialist realism. There are over 300 thousand exhibits of graphic art, sculpture, painting, crafts and folk art within its walls.

The founder of this collection is said to be Alexander III. After the October Revolution it was enriched by many valuable items taken from the nobility. In later years, items from the Hermitage and the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo were transferred to the Russian Museum.

Peter-Pavel's Fortress

One of the most visited attractions in St. Petersburg is the Peter and Paul Fortress. The fortress was originally a fortified area that protected Russia from enemy attack.

Since it was founded in 1703, the fortress has undergone significant changes and has become much larger. Although there have never been any hostilities, there are many grim moments in the history of the building. This is primarily due to the fact that during the Bolshevik Revolution it was used as a prison and convict's quarters.

Today, the Peter-Pavel's Fortress is part of the St. Petersburg State Museum of History. Inside its walls, picturesque gardens have been planted and paths have been laid out. There are also several buildings - a working mint, a city museum and the 18th-century Peter and Paul Cathedral. The latter is famous for being the last resting place of Russian emperors.

Tips for travellers

For a vacation in St. Petersburg to bring you only positive emotions, take heed of these helpful tips.

When it's best to visit St. Petersburg

The high season in St. Petersburg is early autumn, summer and winter holidays. Each period has its own way of life:

• Summer. During this time, the city hosts such world-famous festivals as Scarlet Sails, Geek Picnic, Sensation and others. And best of all, the end of June/beginning of July coincides with the White Nights. However, the cost of living in local hotels will be much higher (if compared to February, then 3-4 times). In addition, because of the tourist influx, airline tickets and hotel rooms must be booked in advance.
• New Year's holidays. In winter it's quite cold in St. Petersburg, and there's a freezing wind blowing from the Gulf of Finland. It's not ideal for exploring the city on foot or sailing ships or yachts. But winter is a better time to visit museums and enjoy the many activities. During the New Year's Eve there are a huge number of concerts, theatre productions, parties and festivities. If you wish, you can celebrate the New Year in a special sightseeing bus or order a festive dinner in a hotel restaurant.
• Golden Autumn. Tsarskoe Selo celebrates its autumn at the end of September and beginning of October. When it arrives, Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk, Gatchina and Petrodvorets become even more beautiful and the number of tourists begins to diminish. Sadly, the fountains are no longer running, but the ships are still sailing through the canals.

How many days to go to St Petersburg

You'll need at least a week - or better still, 10 days - to see all of St. Petersburg's major sights. But you can manage 3-4 days if you need to - most sites are in the city centre and not far from each other.

As for out-of-town excursions, you should allow an extra day for each. If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg and you don't have much time to spare, leave them for later.

How much money to bring

An example of a budget for one person for 7 days:

• Accommodation - $180;
• Travel by public transport - $20;
• Meals and food - $50-70;
• Excursions and activities - $20+.

The total is about $250-280 excluding activities and sightseeing tours.