Saint Petersburg itinerary — 2 days
Day 1 — Saint Petersburg
7 stops · ≈ 7 h 8 minThe central public square of Saint Petersburg and a masterpiece of Russian neoclassical urban planning. The square is framed by the baroque Winter Palace by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the sweeping crescent of the General Staff Building by Carlo Rossi, and the 47.5-metre Alexander Column. The monolithic red granite column stands without internal anchoring, held solely by its enormous weight.
One of the world's greatest art and culture museums, founded by Empress Catherine the Great in 1764. The main museum complex on Palace Embankment comprises five interconnected historic buildings, centered on the Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian tsars. The collection boasts over three million works of art, including paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, the Jordan Staircase, and the Peacock Clock.
The official winter residence of Russian monarchs from 1762 to 1917 and the monumental heart of the State Hermitage Museum. Designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in Elizabethan Baroque style, it features turquoise-and-white facades, the gilded Jordan Staircase, the Malachite Room, and the Great Throne Hall. The War Gallery of 1812 displays 332 portraits of generals painted by George Dawe. Timed entry tickets are booked online.
Saint Petersburg's most iconic equestrian statue of Peter the Great, presiding over Senate Square by the Neva River. Created by French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet on the order of Catherine the Great and unveiled in 1782, it depicts the Tsar reining in his rearing steed atop an undulating cliff while trampling a serpent. The colossal pedestal is the Thunder Stone, a single 1,250-ton granite monolith moved from the Gulf of Finland.
The largest Orthodox cathedral in Saint Petersburg and a masterpiece of late Neoclassicism, built over 40 years (1818–1858) to Auguste de Montferrand's design. Rising 101.5 metres high, it features 112 monolithic red granite columns and a golden dome gilded with 100 kg of gold. The lavish interior is adorned with malachite, lapis lazuli, and intricate mosaics. The colonnade offers a panoramic view over the Neva.
St Petersburg's cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt, built between 1801 and 1811 to Andrei Voronikhin's design in Empire style. A semicircular colonnade of 96 columns embraces the square and became one of the city's architectural symbols. General Mikhail Kutuzov is buried here, and after the 1812 war it kept trophy keys from European cities. It is an active church: entry is free, with modest dress and quiet requested.
One of Saint Petersburg's most iconic bridges, carrying Nevsky Prospect over the Fontanka River. The three-arch stone crossing is world-famous for its four dramatic bronze sculpture groups, 'The Horse Tamers', sculpted by Peter Clodt to depict man's triumph over wild nature. The ornate cast-iron railings feature mythical sea horses and mermaids designed after drawings by German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
Reserve
5If you have time left — worth it too.
The imperial seaside residence founded by Peter the Great on the Gulf of Finland to commemorate Russia's Baltic triumph. The estate is celebrated for its gravity-fed fountain network that powers over 150 jets without a single mechanical pump: the glittering Grand Cascade with Samson tearing open the lion's jaws, intimate coastal pavilions like Monplaisir and Marly, and the gilded Grand Palace rebuilt by Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
Surrounding the grand Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, this sprawling park is a masterpiece of 18th-century landscape design. It merges a formal French garden planned under Peter the Great with a picturesque English landscape park encircling the Great Pond. Strolling along tree-lined alleys reveals imperial pavilions such as the Cameron Gallery, the Hermitage, marble bridges, and monuments celebrating Russian naval victories.
One of Europe's largest English-style landscape parks, covering approximately 600 hectares along the Slavyanka River in suburban Saint Petersburg. Conceived at the turn of the 19th century by Charles Cameron, Vincenzo Brenna, and Pietro Gonzaga, the park seamlessly merges romantic northern woods with classical pavilions, such as the Temple of Friendship and Apollo Colonnade, ornate bridges, and friendly squirrels.
Opened in 2006 inside the Planeta Neptun complex in Saint Petersburg, this was the first modern public oceanarium in northwest Russia. Its 50 aquariums hold 1.5 million liters of water, sheltering over 2,000 marine animals from around the globe. The highlight is a 35-meter underwater acrylic tunnel with a moving walkway, allowing visitors to watch sand tiger sharks, moray eels, and rays glide overhead. Daily feeding shows are hosted.
One of the oldest botanical gardens in Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1714 as the Apothecary Garden on St. Petersburg's Aptekarsky Island. Its crown jewel is a monumental glasshouse complex of 26 interconnected greenhouses spanning nearly a kilometre, housing over eight thousand exotic plants. Visitors explore tropical and subtropical routes featuring centenarian palms, desert cacti, and the giant Victoria amazonica water lily.
- Keep some cash on hand, as not all places accept cards.
- Learn a few basic Russian phrases, as not everyone speaks English.
- Use a reliable map app for navigation, but be aware of potential data costs.