As soon as they do not call St. Petersburg! And Venice of the North, and the city of bridges, and the brainchild of Peter, and the second capital of Russia ... Flattering epithets and poetic nicknames can be cited with a dozen. After all, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region are fraught with so many attractions that you can’t even see in a month. But what to visit in the city on the Neva in three days? This article is dedicated to our article. It is best to come to St. Petersburg in late June or early July. A long daylight, when the light only momentarily closes the fire-breathing eye, makes it possible to see more attractions. But even in December there is something to visit in St. Petersburg. These are museums, theaters, and various exhibitions. The only thing a traveler needs to bring is 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, we set off on 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, river and sea berths. 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 the journey from Moscow, you first need to get to one of the capital's airports (two hours before departure), spend time checking in and waiting for the flight, and then go to the historical center of St. Petersburg. And if you use the Sapsan high-speed train, which departs from the Leningrad station, then you will be in the Northern capital in three hours and forty minutes. Usually, tours to St. Petersburg are carried out by bus. This is the cheapest way to get to your destination. A ticket costs from five hundred rubles. And the bus arrives almost to the historical part of the city. And along the way you can see how and how the Russian outback lives.
The first day, morning. Sightseeing tour
Many people like to be accompanied in a foreign city by a guide - telling about this or that attraction, covering its history. But such tours to St. Petersburg 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 due to disorganization. Fortunately, in St. Petersburg, as well as in other large cities of the world, a service such as City Tour has appeared. Beautiful red double-decker buses run on the hop-on - hop-off system. This means that you can go to any of the fifteen stops on the route, take a walk, see the attraction, and then continue the journey by presenting a ticket to the driver. Such a service costs six hundred rubles for an adult. Tickets can be bought directly on the bus or on the CityBus website. All passengers are equipped with headphones to listen to the recorded tour, and a map of the city. The bus goes around almost the entire center of St. Petersburg.
The first day. After lunch
The City-Tour bus travels around all significant sights in St. Petersburg. What to visit - you can decide on the go. The bus makes stops near St. Isaac's Cathedral, Palace Square, at the Savior on Spilled Blood, the Summer Garden, the cruiser Aurora, the Peter and Paul Fortress, at the arrow of Vasilyevsky Island. Of course, a 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 mosque with a porcelain arch 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 leave and enter the bus countless times a day. See at least a few sights. You can start exploring the city from its temples. Three are required to attend: St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals, as well as the Ascension of Christ. The first from the list is the second highest Orthodox church in the world. It is worth paying money and climb to the observation deck in its dome. Kazan Cathedral is located nearby. It is easy to recognize by its beautiful arc colonnade. And complete the day excursion at the Savior on Spilled Blood. Its official name is the Cathedral of the Ascension of Christ. The building with multi-colored domes and elegant trim painfully resembles the capital's temple of St. Basil. Be sure to look inside - there is a museum with a rich exhibition. Near the cathedral is the Mikhailovsky Garden. Go to the garden pavilion and use the services of a river tram that carries tourists through canals in St. Petersburg.
What to visit on the morning of the second day
Metro is the best transport for tourists in this metropolis-bound bridge. Despite the efforts of the authorities to transfer the townspeople to bicycles, traffic jams in St. Petersburg are common. You can rent a two-wheeled vehicle - this is 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 driving leave much to be desired. There are no bike paths, sidewalks are busy, and drivers in North Palmyra are sometimes aggressive. We recommend starting the second day from the Gostiny Dvor metro station. This is the famous Nevsky Prospect. Passing along this main artery of the city, you will see Gostiny Dvor itself - a long two-story building with columns. It was built in the middle of the 18th century by Rastrelli and Wallen-Delamot. Opposite the Gostiny Dvor is the Armenian Church. It is worth going inside to enjoy the beautiful interior. Then we move towards the prominent golden spire of the Admiralty. Let us pay attention to the Duma building with a tower-tower and the church of St. Catherine. We cross the Griboedov Canal and pass Kazan Cathedral. Behind it is the Bank Bridge, decorated with griffins. Here tourists love to take photos.
Second day
We return along the canal to Nevsky Prospect. There you can eat in one of the many cafes. Next, you should head along the Griboedov canal to the second temple - the Savior on Spilled Blood, on the way visiting the Italian bridge. Here you should make a detour and see the monument to Ostap Bender. It is recommended to sit on one of the twelve chairs - for monetary luck. Another fifty meters - and you are on the square of Arts with a monument to Pushkin in the center. Behind the monument to the great Russian classic, Mikhailovsky Castle can be seen. This is the residence of Paul I, who did not want to live in the Winter Palace, fearing a conspiracy. Rounding the Mikhailovsky Castle, you will see the equestrian monument to Peter the Great. This is not the famous Bronze Horseman established by Catherine II. Equestrian sculpture was erected on the orders of Paul I. Where to go in St. Petersburg, if the day turned out to be hot? Very close to the monument is the embankment of the Moika River. On its other shore is the famous Summer Garden. Walk along the alleys, admire the sculptures that adorn this popular resting place for citizens. If you have time, look at the summer house of Peter I.
Second day evening
The Garden of Mars adjoins the garden. In the center of this huge memorial, an eternal flame burns. All excursions in St. Petersburg, as well as newlyweds' photo shoots, include the Field of Mars in their itinerary. Then we continue driving along Millionnaya street. At its very beginning is the Marble Palace. It is worth looking into his courtyard to see the monument to Alexander III. Further Millionnaya street intersects with the Winter Canal. The view from the bridge to the Neva is one of the most popular photos of St. Petersburg. The street leads us to the Palace Square. Looking outside the Winter Palace, better known as the Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg), the Alexander Column and the Arc de Triomphe, we are completing our second day in St. Petersburg. The evening can be spent at the Mariinsky Theater.
Morning of the third day
We start our route from the Vasileostrovskaya metro station. To the right of it is the pedestrian zone of St. Andrew's Boulevard. Here it is worth paying attention to the Konke monument and Troekurov's house (no. 13) - one of the few surviving from Peter's times. At the corner of the boulevard and Bolshoi Avenue stands St. Andrew's Cathedral. This oldest temple of the city keeps a unique iconostasis of the 18th century. We cross Bolshoy Avenue and move on until we reach the bank of the Neva. Turn left here. Behind the Annunciation bridge we will see the famous sphinxes. They are five thousand years older than the city! We pass the Rumyantsev Garden and go out to the Menshikov Palace. Behind it is the Manege. Even further - the palace of Peter II. Let’s go a little further and get closer to the Kunstkamera building. If there is much to go to Petersburg to unimpressive natures, it’s the oldest museum. If the type of alcoholic ugly babies you are not attracted to, follow the embankment further - bypassing the Palace Bridge, to the famous Strelka of Vasilyevsky Island.
The third day in St. Petersburg: what to visit after lunch
If you go along the Birzhevoy bridge and turn right, you can go to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Must visit this stronghold on Hare Island. At least in order to see the tomb of the Russian tsars, which is located in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Leaving the fortress follows through John’s Gate. Pass Alexandrovsky Park to get to the Trinity Bridge. Behind it is the house of Peter I. If you follow along the promenade further, the path will lead to the cruiser Aurora. Having examined the floating museum of the October Revolution, we will return across the Trinity Bridge to the Gorkovskaya metro station.
Third day evening
The Hermitage (St. Petersburg) is the largest museum in Russia. The exposition occupies six buildings, the main of which is the Winter Palace. You already admired him outside. Now it's time to visit the majestic halls. Of course, a week is not enough to see the entire exposition, which has three million exhibits. We confine ourselves to masterpieces, such as “Madonna Benoit” by Leonardo da Vinci, “The Holy Family” by Raphael, “Saint Sebastian” by Titian, “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt, “Apostles Peter and Paul” by El Greco. And we will finish the day on Senate Square, admiring the Bronze Horseman - another visiting card of St. Petersburg.
If there will be extra time
Historical Petersburg, like Rome, Florence, and Paris, is included in the honorary list of UNESCO. Therefore, you should just wander around Northern Venice. In addition to the bus "City Tour", there is a similar program on boats. 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 movable.
Peterhof
If time permits you, it is worth visiting the country palaces. Peter the Great was a big fan of the European way of life, and in 1715 he ordered a residence to be built so that it was no worse than Versailles. So the Palace of Fountains appeared in St. Petersburg. The park ensemble was formed until the beginning of the twentieth century. It takes a full day to explore the numerous palaces, fountains, sculptures, stairs and gardens. It is advisable to visit the open-air museum in the summer and at the weekend.
Other suburban palaces of St. Petersburg
Very popular with tourists is Oranienbaum - the Menshikov Grand Palace, which is located in the town of Lomonosov. Many excursions in St. Petersburg go to the village of Pushkin, the former Tsarskoye Selo. There is the Catherine Palace with the Amber Room. The park complex in Pavlovsk enjoys great popularity among Petersburgers and guests of the city. A special attraction of the vicinity of the Northern capital is Gatchina. There is the palace of Paul the First.