St Petersburg

From palaces, art and baroque finery to austere architecture and icy vistas, Time Out goes island-hopping for an alternative experience in St Petersburg

Temperatures can reach -10C in February and March (© Baltic Travel Company)

You’d be forgiven for thinking that only one attraction exists on the St Petersburg tourist hitlist. We’re not for a second stating that the State Hermitage Museum is anything less than spectacular but there’s more to the world’s most northerly major city.

St Petersburg is circumscribed by the River Neva which, along with the canals laid out during the time of the city’s founder Peter the Great in the early 1700s, has 42 islands – all accessible by the city’s network of more than 500 bridges. Many islands also have metro stations and attractions ranging from genteel to ghoulish.

Krestovskiy Island, something of a secret to tourists, is where the new Russian middle class comes to play in the vast Primorskiy Park Pobedy. The Bolshoi Petrovskiy bridge on the south of the island is where Rasputin was thrown to his death in 1916. The noisiest aspect of Krestovskiy has moved up the river to the tiny Petrovskiy Island – which is just big enough to hold the new home of city soccer team Zenit St Petersburg. Games are on Saturdays and tickets, available on the day, start at around £10 (484 rubles).

Article continues

Vasilevskiy Island holds what’s commonly described as Peter the Great’s personal freak show. The Kunstkammer (open 11am-6pm, admission £3) was St Petersburg’s first museum. Rewards were given to Russians who donated the freaks of nature here, such as stuffed two-headed calves, and cyclopean and hydrocephalic embryos.

In winter, the far north west of Vasilevskiy Island is a chilling reminder that the city’s on the same latitude as Alaska. The view over the frozen tundra of the Gulf of Finland from the avenue of Morskaya Naberezhnaya is one of utter desolation. For a return to civilisation you can take a tram to Yelagin Island, known as the ‘Garden of Joy’ after the huge all-night parties held here during the ‘White Nights’, the last ten days of June when the night sky remains bright.

Alexanders I’s Yelagin Palace on Yelaginskiy Dvorets (open 10am-5pm Wed-Sun, admission £2 ) is the island’s centrepiece; a neoclassical gem furnished with antique furniture and art nouveau samovars. The sunset over the Gulf of Finland from here is spectacular – perfect before the nocturnal charms of vodka begin.

Local knowledge
Maria Hilkova is a local historian who travels around the world to speak about St Petersburg’s art and heritage
‘As a tourist, it’s very easy to get sucked into the pricey international haunts on Nevsky Prospekt, but there are some brilliant local places. I love to visit Tolstoy Frayer on Kirpichny Prospekt, a side road five minutes walk from the Hermitage. Part of it is designed like the inside of a submarine, and they do great house beer. For good-value food I would go to Paparazzi on Poohtampskaya Street. It has a very funny ’80s decor, there is a huge menu and the soups are fantastic. You must try the Savarov soup, full of salmon, cod, cream, mushrooms and potatoes at around £2.’

Speak Russian? Time Out St Petersburg is published fortnightly. See www.spb.timeout.ru for more.

Get packing
Getting there
Austrian Airlines flies from London to St Petersburg via Vienna with prices starting at £260.90 including all taxes. Baltic Travel Company (www.baltictravelcompany.com) offers a range of group and tailormade tours to Russia and nearby countries, and also assists with visas and flights.

Where to stay
The Hotel Dostoevsky (www.dostoevsky-hotel.ru) is situated just off the main drag of Nevsky Prospekt and offers rooms starting at £74 for a standard single including breakfast.

Money
The Russian ruble is currently just under 50 to the pound.

Climate
Winter and early spring is the best time to see St Petersburg, but bring your thermals: temperatures in February/March can plummet as low as -10C.

Rob Crossan