Five Days in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg (also called Sankt Peterburg) is the 2nd largest city in Russia. It's a vast northern city, lay on the banks of the Baltic...

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We used the metro and app-booked rides during our visit. Some of the driving we experienced was aggressive, so we preferred the metro when practical. Translation on our phone helped a great deal; prepare offline translation and maps as well.

We visited St Petersburg in 2018, when Liat was invited to speak at a university conference. It is a city of palaces, museums, rivers and canals, and five days felt like only a beginning. We stayed in the Vasileostrovsky district and followed the receptionist’s recommendation to Kvartirka on our first evening, a restaurant styled as a Soviet apartment. Russian dishes and vodka made an enjoyable start.

The next morning I walked Liat to the university and continued to Peter and Paul Fortress. Some interior attractions were closed during my visit, but I enjoyed the island, gates and river views. Check opening days for each building in advance.

I took a panoramic view from the top of the fortress's walls. Then, I used the same ticket to enter a very short but unique hidden tunnel that was just discovered and open for travelers a few years ago.

Peter and Paul Fortress - the Secret Passage

I remember that a few minutes before noon, I got an urgent phone call. While I was talking, I suddenly heard the noise of a loud explosion. It was horrifying. But I saw lots of people standing and looking at the wall. Then, I realized that this was the traditional cannon shot – every day at noon. Too bad I didn't have the time to get ready for it.

The Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps Museum displayed cannons, weapons, communication equipment and an exhibition about Kalashnikov. The labels we saw were in Russian, so we felt it was best suited to visitors with a particular interest in the subject. That reflects the exhibition we saw in 2018.

Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps

After this visit, I went back to the university to hear the lecture of Liat – which was terrific as usual. Finally, we closed the day with dinner at Neva Cafe on the bank of Neva River and went to sleep.

Liat joined me on the 3rd day for a few hours. Then, we took the metro to Gostiny Dvor station, named after the first shopping center of St. Petersburg and one of the oldest in the world, founded in the 18th century.

After a short walk in the mall, we went to see Eliseevy Merchants' Shop - a one-of-a-kind deli - with all kinds of chocolates, pastry, wines, and so on. Liat was very curious about a sugared pepper. Not my taste…

We started walking on Nevsky avenue towards Palace Square. On our way, we saw the monument of Catherine the Great, the Kazan Cathedral, The Singer House – once the home of the sewing machines company and now the largest bookstore of St. Petersburg. Besides its unique appearance, it's also a great place to visit the restrooms.

Catherine the Great Monument St. Petersburg

We spent roughly half a day exploring several Hermitage buildings. The Winter Palace’s halls were magnificent even without examining every artwork. We also visited the General Staff Building and Peter the Great’s Winter Palace. The abundance was impressive but eventually tiring; a two-day ticket did not suit Boaz’s pace. Choose the buildings and collections that interest you and check the ticket required for each.

The 2nd part is just across the Palace Square, in the General Staff Building. From the inside, it's a modern museum with lots of exhibitions.

The 3rd place we visited was the Winter Palace of Peter I – a fascinating peep to the living rooms. The kitchen, the dressing room, and the study of the Tsar.

We walked back to our hotel through the Spit of Vasilievsky Ostrov - the green tip of the island in front of the Ols St. Petersburg Stock Exchange and just between the two Rostral Columns.

We closed the day in a great restaurant called Joy & Spices, not far from our hotel.

The next day Liat went to her conference. I took the metro to Gorkovska station – names after the admirable Russian writer Maxim Gorky, who lived nearby. They place a statue there for his honor.

Just next to the station – the central Mosque of St. Petersburg. I got inside for a few minutes and headed to The Museum of Political History in St Petersburg.

The next day, Boaz passed the Maxim Gorky monument and the mosque before entering the Museum of Political History of Russia. It was fascinating. Two hours covered only part of the exhibitions; allow three to four if you want to explore more fully.

The Museum of Political History Lenin Study

I met Liat at noon. We were both starving, so we entered the closest place we found: the Old Customs House Restaurant. It was an exclusive chef's restaurant. Because of the low currency rate, we decided to check it out. They gave Liat a menu without prices… only the men get to see the prices in this kind of place. They gave us a complimentary Parmesan chocolate-coated ball. Marvelous. Then we got our order: Mushroom soup, ribs, and hot spinach. For dessert, we ordered a magnificent Crème Brulee. It was the most expansive meal we ate on this tour, but I must say that we would pay five times for such lunch in Israel.

The siege museum we hoped to visit was closed for renovation, so we visited Pushkin’s apartment instead. The poet was mortally wounded in a duel and died at home two days later in 1837. We continued to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, which impressed us greatly inside and out. Alexander III commissioned it in memory of his father, Alexander II, who was assassinated at the site in 1881.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was one of the buildings that impressed us most in St Petersburg. It stands where Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded in the 1881 assassination. His son, Alexander III, commissioned the memorial church, whose construction began in 1883.

Its domes and colours draw the eye outside, while extensive mosaics inside depict figures and scenes from Christian tradition. Allow time to look closely at the details.

That evening we travelled to the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad. Traffic made the journey slow, and the underground museum had closed by the time we arrived. The memorial itself was impressive. Locate the pedestrian underpass rather than attempting to cross the surrounding road.

We closed the day in a great restaurant near the square and headed back to our hotel.

I started the 5th day by visiting the house of the admirable writer Dostoyevsky. It was his last house before he died. Lovely home with six rooms. Using the audio guide, I learned a lot about Dostoyevsky and his family, his work habits, and I saw the study where he wrote the book "Karamazov Brothers." In front of the apartment, there is a small exhibition telling the story of his life. It's a lovely place, highly recommended for literary fans.

Peterhof was one of the most impressive places on our trip: expansive gardens, palaces and fountains in almost every direction. The complex began developing under Peter the Great and served the royal family until the revolutions of 1917. It is a collection of parks and buildings rather than a single palace, so allow plenty of time.

After the city’s many palaces, we chose to focus on the gardens and also visited the church. Rain left few opportunities to sit, and we ended up walking almost continuously for three hours. Comfortable shoes and suitable clothing matter as much as your ticket here.

Check the fountain season and admission arrangements before going.

Our next stop was a shopping mall, halfway to our hotel—just a typical mall, with all the familiar brands and prices. After five days of museums and palaces, it doesn't hurt to walk around a place that looks familiar.

The next day we left the hotel. We had a noon flight, so I took Liat to Peter and Paul Fortress. The Cathedral was open – the burial place of the Romanov dynasty. And we also had the chance to see the Canon fire. A lovely way to end our remarkable trip to the great city of St. Petersburg.