Excursions in St. Petersburg. What to visit in St. Petersburg?

As soon as St. Petersburg is not called! And the North Venice, and the city of bridges, and the brainchild of Peter, and the second capital of Russia ... Lenticular epithets and poetic nicknames can be cited from a dozen. After all, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region contain so many attractions that you will not see in a month. But what to visit in the city on the Neva River in three days? This article is devoted to our article. It is best to come to St. Petersburg in late June or early July. Long light day, when the light only for a moment the fire-breathing eye is closing, gives the opportunity to see more sights. But even in December there is something to visit in St. Petersburg. This is a museum, and theaters, and a variety of exhibitions. The only thing you need to take with a traveler - so it's comfortable shoes. After all, Peter is the second largest city in our country. It is inhabited by about five million inhabitants. But many attractions are located outside the city limits! So, go to our virtual three-day trip around the city on the Neva.

How to get there

In St. Petersburg there is an airport, five train stations, a river and a sea pier. It would seem that the fastest way to get to this city is by plane. However, this is true only for those starting points that are located far from St. Petersburg. If you start traveling from Moscow, you first need to get to one of the metropolitan airports (two hours before departure), spend time on check-in and waiting for the flight, and then go to the historic center of St. Petersburg. And if you use the high-speed train "Sapsan", which departs from the Leningrad station, then in the Northern capital you will be in three hours and forty minutes. Usually, tours to St. Petersburg are carried out by bus. This is the cheapest way to reach your destination. The ticket costs from five hundred rubles. And the bus arrives almost to the historical part of the city. And on the way you can see what and how the Russian remote places live.

Day one, morning. Sightseeing tour

Many people like to be accompanied by a guide in a foreign city - told about a particular landmark, covered its history. But such tours to Peter are very expensive. In addition, the traveler feels some discomfort due to the fact that he must coordinate his route with other people, and often loses time because of disorganization. Fortunately, in St. Petersburg, as well as in other major cities in the world, there was such a service as "City Tour". Beautiful red double-decker buses run on a hop-on-hop-off system. This means that you can go to any of the fifteen stops on the route, take a walk, inspect the landmark, and then continue the journey by presenting the driver a ticket. There is such a service of six hundred rubles for an adult. The ticket can be bought directly on the bus or on the CityBus website. All passengers are provided with headphones to listen to a taped excursion, and a map of the city. The bus travels almost the entire center of St. Petersburg.

The first day. After lunch

Bus "City Tour" travels all the important sights in St. Petersburg. You can decide what to visit on the go. The bus stops near the St. Isaac's Cathedral, Palace Square, the Savior on the Blood, the Summer Garden, the cruiser "Aurora", the Peter and Paul Fortress, at the point of the Vasilievsky Island. Of course, the sightseeing tour by bus does not cover such "hidden" sights of the city on the Neva, as the only Buddhist monastery in the European part of Russia, a porcelain vaulted mosque or the most beautiful chapel of the Order of Malta. But if you have only 3 days in St. Petersburg, then the above objects will be enough for you. Take advantage of your right to go out and enter the bus countless times a day. Look at at least a few places of interest. You can start acquaintance with the city from its temples. Three are required for the visit: St. Isaac's and Kazan's cathedrals, as well as the Ascension of Christ. The first of the list is the second highest Orthodox church in the world. It is worth paying money and climbing the viewing platform in its dome. Kazan Cathedral is nearby. It is easy to recognize by the beautiful arc colonnade. And finish the day excursion at the Savior's on Blood. Its official name is the Cathedral of the Ascension of Christ. The building with colorful domes and elegant decoration painfully resembles the capital's temple of St. Basil the Blessed. Be sure to look inside - there is a museum with a rich exposition. Next to the cathedral is the Mikhailovsky Garden. Go to the garden pavilion and use the services of a river tram that drives tourists through the canals in St. Petersburg.

What to visit the morning of the second day

Metro - the best transport for a tourist in this metropolitan area, bridged by bridges. Despite the efforts of the authorities to transplant the citizens to bicycles, traffic jams in St. Petersburg - an ordinary phenomenon. You can rent a two-wheeler - it's relatively inexpensive. The historical center of St. Petersburg has more than 90 stations where you can take or leave a bicycle. But the conditions for riding leave much to be desired. There are no bike paths, the sidewalks are loaded with people, and drivers in North Palmira are sometimes aggressive. We recommend starting the second day from the metro station "Gostiny Dvor". This is the famous Nevsky Prospekt. Passing along this main artery of the city, you will see the Gostiny Dvor itself - a long two-story building with columns. It was built in the middle of the XVIII century by Rastrelli and Wallen-Delamot. Opposite the Gostiny Dvor is the Armenian church. It is worth going inside to admire the most beautiful interior. Further we move towards the Admiralty's golden spire. Let's pay attention to the Duma building with the tower-tower and the church of St. Catherine. Cross the Griboedov Canal and pass the Kazan Cathedral. Behind him is the Bank Bridge, decorated with griffins. Here tourists like to take photos.

Second day

We return along the canal to Nevsky Prospekt. There you can have a snack in one of the many cafes. Next, you should go along the Griboedov Canal to the second church - the Savior on the Blood, on the way to see the Italian bridge. Here you should make a detour and see the monument to Ostap Bender. On one of the twelve chairs it is recommended to sit - for money luck. Another fifty meters - and you are on the Square of Arts with a monument to Pushkin in the center. Mikhailovsky Castle is seen behind the monument of the great Russian classic. This is the residence of Paul I, who did not want to live in the Winter Palace, for fear of a conspiracy. Having rounded Mikhailovsky Castle, you will see a horse monument to Peter the Great. This is not the famous Bronze Horseman, established by Catherine II. Horse sculpture was hoisted by the order of Paul I. Where to go in Petersburg, if the day turned out to be hot? Near the monument is the embankment of the Moika River. On the other side of it is the famous Summer Garden. Walk along the avenues, admire the sculptures that adorn this popular place of rest of the townspeople. If there is time, look into the summer house of Peter I.

The evening of the second day

The Champ de Mars is adjacent to the garden. In the center of this huge memorial there is an eternal flame. All excursions in St. Petersburg, as well as photo shoots of newlyweds include the Field of Mars in their itinerary. Then continue the traffic on Millionnaya street. In its very beginning stands the Marble Palace. It is worth looking into his yard to see the monument to Alexander III. Further Millionnaya street intersects with the Winter Canal. View from the bridge to the Neva is one of the most replicated photos of St. Petersburg. The street leads us to the Palace Square. Inspection of the outside of the Winter Palace, better known as the Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg), the Alexander Column and the Arc de Triomphe, we conclude our second day in St. Petersburg. The evening can be held at the Mariinsky Theater.

The morning of the third day

We begin our route from the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya". To the right of it passes the pedestrian zone of Andreevsky Boulevard. Here you should pay attention to the monument to the horse and the house of Troekurov (under number 13) - one of the few that survived from Peter's times. At the corner of the boulevard and the Bolshoy Prospekt stands the St. Andrew's Cathedral. This oldest temple of the city stores a unique iconostasis of the 18th century. Cross the Great Avenue and move on until we reach the banks of the Neva. Here we turn left. Beyond the bridge of the Annunciation we will see the famous sphinxes. They are five thousand years older than the city! We pass Rumyantsev's garden and go out to Menshikov's palace. Behind him is the Manege. Still further - the palace of Peter II. We'll go a little further and approach the building of the Kunstkamera. If there is a place to go to Petersburg in an unimpressive way, then it is in the oldest museum. If the kind of alcohol-bitten infants does not attract you, follow along the embankment further - bypassing the Palace Bridge, to the famous Spit of Vasilievsky Island.

The third day in St. Petersburg: what to visit after lunch

If you pass through the Exchange Bridge and turn right, you can go to the Peter and Paul Fortress. It is necessary to visit this stronghold on the Hare Island. At least in order to see the tomb of Russian tsars, which is located in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Exit the fortress through the Ioannovskie Gate. Pass Aleksandrovsky Park to get to the Trinity Bridge. Behind him is the house of Peter I. If you follow along the embankment farther, the path will lead to the cruiser "Aurora". Having inspected the floating museum of the October Revolution, we will return through the Troitsky Bridge to the metro station "Gorkovskaya".

The evening of the third day

The Hermitage (St. Petersburg) is the largest museum in Russia. The exposition occupies six buildings, the main one being the Winter Palace. You already admired it from the outside. Now it's time to visit the majestic halls. Of course, to see the entire exposition, numbering three million exhibits, not enough for a week. We will confine ourselves only to masterpieces such as "The Madonna of Benoit" by Leonardo da Vinci, "The Holy Family" by Raphael, "Saint Sebastian" by Titian, "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Rembrandt, "The Apostles Peter and Paul" by El Greco. And finish the day on the Senate Square, admiring the Bronze Horseman - another visiting card of St. Petersburg.

If there is extra time

Historical Petersburg, like Rome, and Florence, and Paris, is on UNESCO's honorary list. That's why you just have to wander around the Northern Venice. In addition to the bus "City Tour", operates a similar program on katerki. In St. Petersburg there are about seventy rivers, channels and canals that divide the city into forty-two islands. It is worth seeing the Northern capital from the water, admiring its 580 bridges, twenty of which are drawbridges.

Peterhof

If time permits, you should also look at the country palaces. Peter the Great was a big fan of the European way of life, and in 1715 he ordered to build a residence for himself, so that it would not be worse than Versailles. So the Palace of Fountains appeared in St. Petersburg. Park ensemble was formed until the beginning of the twentieth century. To see the numerous palaces, fountains, sculptures, stairs and gardens, it will take a full day. It is advisable to visit the museum in the open air in summer and on a day off.

Other suburban palaces of St. Petersburg

Very popular with tourists is Oranienbaum - the Grand Palace Menshikov, which is located in the town of Lomonosov. Many excursions in St. Petersburg go to the Pushkin settlement, the former Tsarskoye Selo. There is the Catherine Palace with the Amber Room. The park complex in Pavlovsk is very popular among St. Petersburg residents and guests of the city. A special attraction in the vicinity of the northern capital is Gatchina. There is the palace of Paul the First.