St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North - tips for experiencing St. Pete

St. Petersburg
– the Venice of the North

Some tips for experiencing St. Pete ;)
(in Finnish: http://tanjan-matkamittari.blogspot.fi/2013/09/mitahan-sita-keksis-aikansa-kuluksi.html)

Churches:

If you visit just one church, go for this:
Church of the Savior on Blood: http://www.spas-na-krovi.ru/ (in Russian)
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Savior_on_Blood (in English)

St Isaac’s Cathedral was built over 30 years. If you climb up to the tower, you have very good sight over the city. St Isaac’s Cathedral: http://eng.cathedral.ru/

Kazan Cathedral you can visit for free: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan_Cathedral,_St._Petersburg (picture below)

Museums

The most popular and the biggest museum in St. Pete is Hermitage: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/

Russian Museum is great too: http://www.rusmuseum.ru/eng/home/

Here is list of museums in St. Pete (more than 200 museums, and it is not even all), but the list is only in Russian: http://www.museum.ru/mus/location.asp?map=ru&region=3.

One of the newest museums is Faberge Museum: http://www.faberge.com/news/142-fabergstpetersburgmuseum.aspx

One of the weirdest ones is Kunstkamera: http://www.kunstkamera.ru/en/museum_exhibitions/2floor/1st_collections/

Other interesting:

Vasilyevsky Island: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasilyevsky_Island

Peter and Paul Fortress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_Paul_Fortress
and sightseeing flights over St. Petersburg by helicopter (http://www.baltairlines.ru/en/)
(pictures below)

Metro (subway), metro is the best way to move in this big city, metro stations are beautiful, metro by night can be visited as a guided tour.

Walks on Roofs, guided tours: Walks on Roofs Spb

Art Center Loft Projekt Etagi + cafe on the roof, good view over St. Pete from the highest roof – good place to hang around and have good time with friends. I would go for this for the rooftop places.

Center of Contemporary Arts Erarta: Erarta

Boat trips on rivers, canals, and Neva, also at nighttime. Take one of these (you can book from Nevski prospect or straight from a boat stand), if the weather is warm enough. Photo above.

”Shoe Street” Zagorodnyi prospekt (near metrostation Vladimirskaja/Dostojevskaja)

Slum’s walk and other guided theme walks, bicycle rides and so on: http://www.peterswalk.com/. I love these tours with Peter’s Walk. Guides speak fluent English.

Planeta Neptun: Inside you will find Oceanarium, science cafe called Trans-Force and salon of horror’s and legends of St.Pete

Guided bus tours: http://citytourspb.ru/en/. I would probably take the tour of the city like this, if the weather is warm enough.

 
The oldest shopping center in the city, Gostinyj Dvor: Gostinyj Dvor (in Russian)
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gostiny_Dvor (in English)

Miniature of Russia, Grand Maket:  https://grandmaket.ru/en/

Beautiful Palace and Fountain area outside St. Pete, Petergof: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petergof (by hydrofoil, local train, minibus)

Mariinsky Theatre: http://www.mariinsky.ru/en

Dom knigi, “the house of books”, the biggest book store in St. Pete:
http://www.spbdk.ru/ (in Russian)
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer_House

Junona (a market place outside of the city center)

Apraksin Dvor (a market place in city center): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apraksin_Dvor

State Circus: http://www.circus.spb.ru/en/

Circus in Avtovo: http://petersburgcity.com/family/theatres/avtovo/)  

Retro Tram tour: http://petersburglike.ru/2014-05-09/raspisanie-i-marshrut-retro-tramvaya/ (in Russian only). Photo below.

Ballet (many theatres around the city)

Concerts (around the city)

Jazz-clubs

Jazz filharmonic hall: http://www.jazz-hall.com/

Nightlife:


Club Metro: http://www.metroclub.ru/eng/

Club Griboedov: http://www.griboedovclub.ru/en/

Dune Club and the other small clubs in area of Ligovskij Prospekt 50

Some clubs in St. Pete: St. Petersburg Times 

Russian show (and dinner) for example in restaurant Troika: http://www.troika-spb.ru/contacts/index.html (or in other restaurants) (photos below)

Food and drinks:

“Bar Street” ulitsa Rubinsteina

“Club Street” ulitsa Dumskaja

Georgian restaurants, you should try at least once Georgian food in St. Pete:
Tbiliso: http://triton-restoran.ru/en/restaurants/tbiliso/about
Hotchu Hartcho: http://en.ginza.ru/spb
There are plenty of Georgian restaurants around the city! Some are expensive, some quite cheap.

Different experience: Dinner in the dark: Dans Le Noir: http://st-petersburg.danslenoir.com/index.en.html. Go for it! ;)

Ginza restaurants Terrassa ja Mansarda (quite expensive fine dining)

Vegetarian restaurant Cafe Idiot: http://idiot-spb.com/eng/ (interesting and cozy place)

Champagne Breakfast in Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge. Photo below.

Russian eateries:

Teremok: http://www.teremok.ru/. Eat pancakes here (blini in Russian).

Stolle: http://www.stolle.ru/en/menu/saint-petersburg

Chainaya Lozhka:  http://www.stay.com/st-petersburg/cafe/15081/chainaya-lozhka-teaspoon/. Eat pancakes here (blini in Russian).

More tips, see for example: St. Petersburg in Your Pocket