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Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 26 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Jennifer Eremeeva

St. Petersburg’s history is also that of the Romanovs, the dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917. For two centuries these lavish and colourful rulers left their indelible imprint on the city and its environs, beginning in 1613 with Peter the Great. His yearning for access to the Baltic Sea determined the city’s strategic location at the mouth of the Neva River, and it was his fascination with Western Europe which gave the city its look and feel.

Peter’s daughter Elizabeth took a city made of stone and gilded it with gold. This expansive empress, famous for her 5,000 dresses, many lovers, and frequent bouts of religious guilt, commissioned Italian Bartolomeo Rastrelli to design some city’s most iconic Baroque buildings, including the Hermitage, Smolny Cathedral, Peterhof, and the Catherine Palace.

Catherine, Elizabeth’s successor, and those that came after her, maintained the city’s place at the forefront of trade, creating a glittering social scene and cultural hub, until the downfall of Nicolas II at the hands of the Russian revolution in 1917.

Bronze Horseman

St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia

Peter the Great on horseback statue

Celebrating the city’s founder, Tsar Peter the Great, this impressive equestrian statue is one of the city’s most loved, and was opened to the public in 1782.

Best for ages 13+

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Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the Spilled Blood

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Large cathedral with domed towers by the canal

One of the city’s only traditional Russian churches, built on the spot of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II  1881, it is also the most beautiful, with jaw-dropping gold-leaf interiors.

Adult price: £5

Best for ages 14+

Catherine Palace

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Grand exterior of palace in daytime

A summer palace that’s a showcase for the grandeur of Imperial Russia, and a fascinating insight into the gilded lives of the Tsars.

Adult price: £10

Best for ages 13+

Faberge Museum

St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Faberge Museum

Discover the art of Peter Carl Faberge, creator of the Imperial Easter Eggs, in the museum dedicated to his craft.

Adult price: £5

Best for ages 8+

Marble Palace

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

Palace exterior on large avenue

Part of the Russian Museum complex, the museum features a monumental statue to Alexander III and has a permanent exhibition of works by foreign artists who visited Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Best for ages 18+

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Museum of Political History

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

Museum of Political History

This museum dedicated to Russia’s political history is housed in the exquisite art nouveau mansion gifted by Nicholas II to his mistress, a prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 18+

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Pavlovsk

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

Palace exterior in day from driveway

The stunning neoclassical palace, surrounded by pristine English gardens, was built for Tsar Paul I by his mother, Catherine the Great. The newest of the Tsar’s palaces, it was built in the late 18th century.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 18+

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Peter & Paul Cathedral

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

Interior of cathedral with ornate pillars rising up to ceiling

The burial place of Russia’s Romanov tsars from Peter the Great to Nicholas II, the Cathedral was the first landmark to be built in the city, and is thus the oldest – dating back to 1733.

Adult price: £7

Best for ages 18+

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Peterhof Palace

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Palace seen from fountain in gardens

Revel in the expansive grandeur of Imperial Russia at Peterhof, a staggering complex of palaces, gardens and follies, half an hour from central St. Petersburg.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 13+

Smolny Cathedral

St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Blue and white painted cathedral rises between city buildings in square

An exquisite Baroque cathedral designed by St. Petersburg’s favourite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 18+

State Hermitage Museum

St. Petersburg , Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Green and white museum with horse and carriage outside

Vast complex housing a jaw-dropping collection of Egyptian antiquities, European Renaissance Art, treasure galleries and Russian military history. Second largest art museum in the world.

Adult price: £5

Best for ages 13+

Tsar’s Village

St. Petersburg, Northwestern Region, Russia

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Bucket List Experience
Blue pavilion building in woods

The extraordinary summer retreat of the Russian tsars, home to exquisitely restored Baroque palaces and formal gardens, including the Catherine Palace.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 18+

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

St Petersburg

Northwestern Region, Russia

Shining domed towers of orthodox cathedral

On the shores of the Baltic, Russia’s dazzling cultural capital – and former home of its lavish Tsars – is a treasure trove of art, music, literature, and history. Home to one of the world’s greatest museums, the State Hermitage.