The Imperial Palaces: Where the Tsars Held Court
Start at the Winter Palace on Palace Square, where the Romanov dynasty ruled Russia from their winter seat. The building itself is the draw—an enormous, opulent stage for imperial power—but it also houses the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's finest art collections. You don't need to be an art lover to spend hours wandering these vast rooms; the palace alone rewards a full day of exploration. The sheer scale and detail of the interiors convey the extreme wealth that concentrated at the top of Imperial Russia.
Cross the Neva River to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the first brick and stone building of Saint Petersburg, laid down in 1703 on Hare Island. Beyond its fortress walls lie the tombs of the Romanov Tsars and a history as a feared political prison. The setting itself—surrounded by water, with views back across the river—makes this one of the city's three essential sights.
For the full measure of imperial extravagance, venture to the suburban palaces. Peterhof's Bolshoi Palace and the palaces at Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo) are on the scale of Versailles—skipping them is like visiting Paris without leaving the city center. Pavlovsk Palace and Strelna offer more of the same grandeur if time allows.
The Canals and Grand Streets: A Walk Through Centuries
Stroll the palace-lined banks of the Moika, the Fontanka, and the Griboedov Canal in the historic center. These waterways are lined with the wealth of centuries, and walking their embankments is as close as you can get to stepping directly into the city's imperial past. In summer, book a channel tour for views from the water, or take a budget riverbus along the Neva—tiny boats that zigzag through the city's arteries like water taxis.
Walk Nevsky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg's main avenue, lined with shops (including the historic Gostiny Dvor mall), theaters, and more palaces. The massive Kazan Cathedral stands here and is still functioning, so you can enter without lines or fees. Nearby, the Church on the Spilled Blood rises near the Mikhailovsky Garden on the Griboedov Canal—a nineteenth-century, whimsical structure covered in mosaics and instantly recognizable. Its spectacular setting on the canal makes it one of the city's most photographed monuments.
Museums Beyond the Hermitage
The Russian Museum sits on the Square of the Arts, away from Nevsky's crowds. If you care about Russian art, this is essential; even if you don't, the building and its collections command attention. The Kunstkamera on Vasilievsky Island holds Peter the Great's cabinet of curiosities—a genuinely strange and wonderful collection of ethnological oddities. At the Strelka, the tip of Vasilievsky Island where the Rostral Columns stand, cross to the Old Stock Exchange to visit the Naval Museum, arguably the finest of its kind on the planet.
For deeper dives: the Yusupov Palace, where Rasputin was killed, sometimes hosts performances in its theater. The Museum of the Defense and Blockade of Leningrad documents the city's siege during World War II. The Menshikov Palace (run by the Hermitage) on Vasilievsky Island, the Military Museum on the Petrograd Side, and the Mining Museum round out the museum circuit. Don't miss the sphinx statues from the Theban Necropolis—some over 3,300 years old—that sit quietly in the city.
Opera, Ballet, and Theater
The Mariinsky Theater is one of the world's most beautiful performance venues. See a performance if you can—opera and ballet are central to Russian culture—but even a tour of the building itself is worthwhile. The city has many theaters beyond the Mariinsky, and tickets are sold at theater box offices and kiosks called Teatralnaya Kassa throughout the city. Blocks of tickets sometimes sell out at kiosks but remain available at the theater itself, so check both if you have a specific performance in mind. The classical, jazz, and pop music scene is equally diverse, with concerts happening several times weekly.
The Historic Center and Neighborhoods to Explore
The historic center inside the Obvodny Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the core sights cluster here: the Admiralty and the Bronze Horseman statue near Palace Square, the neoclassical Summer Gardens, Alexander Nevsky Monastery, the Tauride Palace and Gardens, Mikhailovsky Castle, and the Marble Palace. The Mars Field holds the Memorial to the Revolutionary Fighters and the Eternal Flame. Saint Isaac's Cathedral offers impressive balcony views across the city. Literary enthusiasts can follow Dostoevsky's "Murder Walk" from Crime and Punishment, tracing the path from Raskolnikov's imagined apartment to the scene of the crime.
On the Petrograd Side, past the Peter and Paul Fortress, stand the Saint Petersburg Mosque, the Botanical Gardens, and the museum-ship of the Cruiser Aurora. Southern Saint Petersburg holds the Narva Triumphal Arch, the Moscow Triumphal Gate, and the candy-colored Chesme Church. The Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad and Moscow Victory Park commemorate the city's role in World War II. In the north, Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery honors the fallen of the Siege of Leningrad. Kronstadt, the naval fortress on Kotlin Island, is now reachable by road and makes for a significant day trip.
Saint Petersburg opened as a vision of Peter the Great to create a European seaport and a new capital, and that ambition shaped every street. The city has endured as capital, siege, and revolution, yet the palaces, canals, and grand streets remain. Begin with the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress, add time for the canals and Nevsky Prospekt, then decide whether to spend extra days exploring the suburban palaces or diving deeper into the museums and theaters. The white nights of summer (when darkness doesn't fully fall for a month) and the city's role as the birthplace of Russian imperial culture make this a singular experience.