Walking Around the City: A Walking Tour of St. Petersburg

Friends, today we are going for another walk through the wonderful city of St. Petersburg. This time, I want to introduce you to a one-day route around the city for someone visiting St. Petersburg for the first time. What would be the best route to get acquainted with the rich history of the Northern Capital? These reflections led me to create my own one-day travel plan for St. Petersburg. I must clarify that it is impossible to see everything in one day, so I’ve only included the most famous landmarks. Let’s go!

Distance: About 10 kilometers

Travel time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Peter and Paul Fortress and Trinity Bridge

The Peter and Paul Fortress is inseparably linked to our city, and its construction start date, May 16 (27), 1703, is traditionally considered the founding day of St. Petersburg. Once used as the main “state prison” of the Russian Empire, today it is a favorite place for both locals and tourists to relax. There are many diverse thematic museums here, among which the historic Peter and Paul Cathedral, with the tombs of Russian emperors, including the founder of the city, Peter the Great, stands out.

Commandant's Wharf: View Towards the Winter Palace

Nearby, you will find the "Gorkovskaya" metro station, from which I began my walk. Depending on your available time and budget, you can either take a leisurely stroll through the fortress grounds, head to the Neva River for views of the city center, or explore the various museums located here.

Mars Field and the Summer Garden

Crossing the Trinity Bridge, we head toward the Palace Embankment. Here, you will find the famous Mars Field and the equally famous Summer Garden. There were rumors in the city that after the coronavirus restrictions, entry would become fee-based, but as of today, the garden remains open to all.

The Summer Garden, the oldest city garden, was founded in 1704. Today, it is one of the main tourist attractions in the city. You can relax here, take some beautiful photos, or visit Peter the Great’s Summer Palace. If you enter the garden from the Neva side, pay attention to its fence, which is rightly considered a masterpiece and one of the unofficial symbols of the city.

Fontanka River Embankment

Next, we head to the Fontanka River embankment, heading towards Nevsky Prospekt. The first building you will notice after exiting the Summer Garden is the huge and unusual Mikhailovsky (Engineer's) Castle. The building was erected between 1797 and 1801 by order of Paul I. It was here that the emperor was assassinated. If you look closely at the facades of the castle, you will see that each one is different from the others.

Not far from here is one of the most famous tourist attractions — the monument “Chizhik-Pyzhik.” Every time you pass by, you’ll see a few people trying to throw coins onto the tiny pedestal. By the way, this year, a small shop appeared on the embankment where you can buy a souvenir — a replica of “Chizhik.”

We continue along the embankment, crossing the Belinsky Bridge to the opposite bank of the Neva. Here we encounter the ancestral estate of the Sheremetev family — the Sheremetev Palace (Fountain House). Once, Anna Akhmatova lived in one of the palace wings, and today tourists can visit the poet’s memorial apartment. The main building of the palace now houses the Museum of Music.

In the distance, the Zinaida Yusupova Palace on Liteyny Prospect can be seen

Nevsky Prospekt

We arrive at the main tourist street of St. Petersburg — Nevsky Prospekt. The first thing we see is four sculptural compositions with the famous horses by Peter Karlovich Klodt. On the opposite side of Nevsky, there is the beautiful Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace with powerful figures of Atlases.

One could write endlessly about the attractions along the city’s main avenue. If you are here for the first time, just stroll towards the Admiralty and Palace Square. Visit places that catch your eye and make a note of other attractions for future visits. Along the way, you will encounter many architectural landmarks, including Gostiny Dvor, the Singer Company building, Kazan Cathedral, the Duma Tower, Yeliseyev’s grocery store, Alexandrinsky Theater, and Anichkov Palace.

Palace Square, the Hermitage, and the Atlases

After house No. 18 on Nevsky Prospekt, we turn right, walk under the arch of the General Staff Building, and enter the heart of St. Petersburg — Palace Square. Here, in the Winter Palace, is the main museum of the city — the world-famous Hermitage. Today, it holds a collection of more than a million works of art.

We walk across the square and turn onto Millionnaya Street. On the portico of the New Hermitage, you can see another symbol of the city — the majestic Atlases. Nearby is the Winter Canal, a spot that is probably photographed by every tourist who visits St. Petersburg.

The Spit of Vasilyevsky Island

The final point of the route is the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. You can reach it from the Hermitage by crossing the Palace Bridge. On your way, you will see the Admiralty, the Academy of Sciences, the Twelve Collegia, the Kunstkamera, and the dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral.

The Spit’s design was created in the early 19th century by the famous architect Jean-François Thomas de Thomon. The Exchange Building, located in this area, can be called the architect's main creation. From here, you get a beautiful view of the central part of the city. You can descend to the water and take several photos of the Rostral Columns.

Ships in the Neva River. View from Palace Embankment

From the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, you can clearly see the Peter and Paul Fortress, where we began our journey today. You can head to the metro, return to the fortress and visit a couple of museums, or continue exploring the city. Depending on your available time and physical endurance, you can split this walk into two or three days.

In this material, I’ve described just a small portion of the remarkable places you will encounter along the way. Believe me, even walking this route for the hundredth time, you will continuously discover new and interesting corners of St. Petersburg. The number of attractions in our city is simply incalculable.

Have a nice trip!