State Hermitage Museum & Winter Palace
Bartolomeo Rastrelli's 1754–1762 imperial palace on the Neva embankment
Five interconnected buildings housing European painting, classical antiquities and Scythian gold.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Ideal: 3–4 daysBest: May–SepPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Saint Petersburg in 60 seconds
Laid out across the islands of the Neva delta from 1703, Saint Petersburg's UNESCO-listed historic centre is one of Europe's largest planned Baroque and Neoclassical ensembles. Walk from the Peter and Paul Fortress across the Trinity Bridge to Palace Square and the State Hermitage, follow the Fontanka, Moyka and Griboyedov canals beneath cast-iron footbridges, and pair the city with the Gulf of Finland fountains at Peterhof or Tsarskoye Selo.
Best for
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Architecture
- Museums
- Canals
- Culture
Known for
- State Hermitage Museum & Winter Palace
- Peter and Paul Fortress & Cathedral
- Saint Isaac's Cathedral & Senate Square
- State Russian Museum & Mikhailovsky Palace
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Official travel advisories currently warn against all travel to Russia.
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See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Peter and Paul Fortress & Cathedral
1703 island citadel and Domenico Trezzini's golden-spired Baroque cathedral
Marks the founding core of the city on Zayachy Island.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral & Senate Square
Auguste de Montferrand's nineteenth-century granite-columned cathedral
Its colonnade walkway commands a 360-degree view over the Neva, Admiralty and Bronze Horseman.
State Russian Museum & Mikhailovsky Palace
Carlo Rossi's 1825 neoclassical palace off Arts Square
Chronicles Russian art from twelfth-century Novgorod icons to Kazimir Malevich.
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
1883–1907 Revival church covered inside with over seven thousand square metres of mosaics
Stands directly on the Griboyedov Canal embankment.
Peterhof Grand Palace & Lower Park
Eighteenth-century gravity-fed fountain cascade overlooking the Gulf of Finland
Part of the broader UNESCO World Heritage serial property surrounding the city.