St. Petersburg is one of the greatest cities in Russia. This is not only an important economic center of the Russian Federation, but also one of the largest cultural megacities. It is worth noting that the unusual places of St. Petersburg attract tourists from all over the world all year round. Let's talk with you about where you should definitely go if you come to St. Petersburg.
What can be said about St. Petersburg
Many say that St. Petersburg is the most beautiful city in Russia. It is difficult to say whether this is true or not, but one thing can be stated with 100% certainty - there is something to see here, regardless of your financial capabilities and time of year. Here you will find huge drawbridges, imperial architecture, which has been perfectly preserved to this day, as well as a lot of museum streets, cathedrals and much more. You will also learn what the white nights of St. Petersburg are. However, for a tourist who does not know what and where is located, it will be very difficult to coordinate their actions. Therefore, we will now consider the most unusual places in St. Petersburg. Of course, it will not be possible to list everything, since there are a lot of them, so we will consider only the very best.
Museum of Illusions
On the Moscow Avenue there is a Begemot photo studio, where this interesting place actually is located. Having visited the Museum of Illusions, you find yourself in a completely different dimension, where there are visual as well as sound illusions. There are basketball players with the growth of a 6-year-old child, and you can also sit on a chair with just one leg. "How?" - you ask? Everything is based on optical illusion. Hollywood directors use these techniques to create gnomes and giants, unicorns and dragons. In this place you will find a full-fledged exhibition with holographic 3D objects, which partly drive our subconscious into a dead end, because it is sometimes difficult to understand how this can be, because in our usual life we practically do not encounter this. If we consider the most unusual places in St. Petersburg, then the Museum of Illusions is one of them. You must definitely go here. In addition, here you can touch the exhibits with your hands, test them, and take pictures.
Mirror Maze
If you like extreme sports to some extent, then why not visit the mirror attraction on 61 Nevsky Prospekt. You need to be here if only because it is the world's largest mirror maze with a length of more than 500 meters. It is located underground. You will be a true treasure hunter. Your goal is to find a precious treasure. On your way there will be more than a hundred tips, but they are all hidden in antique cabinets, chests and chests of drawers. And who knows what dwells there: skeletons, ghosts or some other monsters. But you will not be alone in your journey. Heroes from a wide variety of fairy tales will come to the rescue, for example, Alice, Cheshire Cat, Red Queen and many others. Especially memorable will be the path with colored ribbons, which can be anything. At the end of the journey, every adventurer will receive a valuable prize, but most importantly, a bunch of positive emotions and many beautiful photos. If you go to look for unusual places in St. Petersburg, do not forget to go into the mirror labyrinth, where adventures await you.
For lovers of the underwater world - the planetarium "Neptune"
This institution was opened in 2006. Please note that every year there are more than half a million people, half of whom are tourists. This is not surprising, because there is something to see. The total area of the aquarium is 5,000 square meters. Here you can find 41 aquariums, the largest holds 750 thousand liters of water. Here lovers of the underwater world will be able to find freshwater and exotic fish. In addition, you can see marine mammals, such as the long-faced seal. If you list all the unusual places of interest in St. Petersburg, the aquarium will be at the top of the list. There are sharks, moray eels, starfish, crabs, corals and other inhabitants of the deep sea.
Unusual places of St. Petersburg: a memory photo from the Botanical Garden
This place is considered one of the oldest in the country, therefore it is a real gem and attracts tourists from all over the world. The Botanical Garden was founded in 1714 by Peter I and was called the “Pharmaceutical Garden”. Today, this place in terms of the number of collections, as well as their importance, can be compared with the largest botanical gardens in Europe. In summer and autumn, visitors can observe the flowering of some of the most gigantic flowers in the world. Petals of water lilies can reach 2 meters in diameter and can withstand a weight of more than 60 kilograms. In late spring, you can see how the “Queen of the Night” is revealed - an exotic and very rare flower. Since such beauty can be observed only a few hours around midnight, the opening hours of the botanical garden are specially extended. Here you can take great memory photos that will remain with you forever. If you want to capture the color of camellias and azaleas, then you should definitely visit this place.
Ghost Village in St. Petersburg
If you are looking for unusual sensations from your travels, then be sure to visit “Russian America” - this is the second name of this unusual place, which is located in the vicinity of the village of Nazia. The history of this village is amazing and exciting in its own way. In 1930, American specialists came here to establish peat extraction. During the war, work was stopped and many left this place. After some time, part of Nazia was restored, and the other half was left destroyed and empty. Already in the 1960s, production was resumed here and peat was mined again, but after 20 years, reserves were exhausted, and most of the population left. In 2012, only 240 people lived in Nazia. If you are looking for interesting places for photos (St. Petersburg), then you need to visit the ghost village. Here you will find abandoned soldiers’ huts and towers, civilian houses, old factories, as well as storage facilities. In some places furniture is still lying, labels and newspapers are scattered.
Church of the Savior on Blood

As you can see, there are many interesting things in St. Petersburg. If you like to travel with a camera and think that a photograph is a must, then you need to visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Here are the best unusual places of St. Petersburg for photos. What is only that part of the pavement where Tsar Alexander II was killed. Every tourist wants to visit this place not only because of the huge size of the cathedral, but also its external and internal beauty. The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Blood is very similar to the Cathedral of St. Basil. You can photograph a large number of gilded domes, mosaics and engraved stones. The main interest for tourists is the inner part, where you can carry out full-fledged photography. The only thing you should not forget is that you cannot turn on the flash. Therefore, in order to get good pictures, you must have a decent camera. The hall is decorated in a mosaic style. By the way, you will probably be interested to know that here is one of the largest mosaic collections in all of Europe. The construction of the temple lasted for 24 years, the height of the building is more than 80 meters, and the capacity is approximately 1,600 people.
Unusual places of St. Petersburg in 2014
One of the most amazing places, according to tourists, in 2014 was the planetarium of St. Petersburg. Every year, a lot of people come here with one goal - to look at the sky. "Why is this an amazing place?" - you ask? This is because this planetarium consists of 6 full-fledged halls, each of which is of great interest to almost everyone. There are also special laboratories for conducting experiments in optics and mechanics, in general, it will be interesting for both adults and children. There is also a star room. This is where most visitors come. Here you can watch comets, meteor showers, planetary motion or just enjoy the starry sky. In fact, you can make a full journey into the open spaces. There is an observatory in the planetarium, where several powerful telescopes are located, with which you can observe a variety of space objects. The most valuable are night observations, which are carried out in an astronomical tower. This place is of great interest among tourists, and local residents sometimes do not mind looking here, especially since the price of a ticket for an adult is only 350 rubles, and for children and senior citizens only 150.
Conclusion
Now you know where the unusual places of St. Petersburg are and where you need to go. Do not forget to bring along a good camera and spare batteries for it. Believe me, there is something to see in this magnificent hero city. Huge museums, amazing monuments, greenhouses and botanical gardens. If you travel with children, then be sure to take them to the oceanarium or to the mirror labyrinth. In all these places you can get a lot of unforgettable impressions. We can say with confidence that it is almost impossible to visit all the unusual places in St. Petersburg, because there are hundreds of them. However, you need to start somewhere, and it is up to you to decide exactly what it will be.