St. Petersburg excursions: 10 places that every self-respecting tourist should visit
To museums, parks and palaces do not merge into one inseparable image, you should go to St. Petersburg for at least 5 days. You can have time to see everything that we will talk about, and in less days, but believe me: the impressions will not have time to lie down, and the feet will pray for rest.
1. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, you need to go to Nevsky Prospect to feel like a real tourist and start a sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg. On Nevsky there are many buildings with history, but it is better to perceive it as a whole, as “universal communication of St. Petersburg”, according to the immortal phrase of N.V. Gogol.
On this street there are souvenir shops, cafes with prices that significantly exceed the prices in cafes in other parts of the city, as well as bookstores. One of them is located in the Singer House. This building in Art Nouveau style is an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. 6 floors and attic is crowned by a tower with a glass globe. And today it becomes interesting because there is a headquarters of the company “Vkontakte”.
Walking along the Nevsky, do not lose sight of the Kazan Cathedral (actually located on Kazan Square) and the monuments located next to it. One of them is installed in honor of the commander Kutuzov buried in the cathedral.
2. Be sure to see the “Bronze Horseman”, sung by A.S. Pushkin, rostral columns on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, the Alexander column on Palace Square, the Savior on the Blood. In the summer it will also be pleasant to walk in parks and gardens, of which there are many in St. Petersburg. Summer, Yusupovsky, Mikhailovsky, Alexandrovsky are the most famous.
3. It is worth going to St. Isaac's Cathedral. A truly grandiose structure: the cathedral was created in the 19th century for 40 years.
Facts about St. Isaac’s Cathedral are striking: its height is 101.5 m, about 100 kg of gold was spent on the gilding of the dome, 112 columns are located outside, made of solid pieces of rocks. The interior of the cathedral is also impressive with its splendor.
A visit to Isaac will not be complete unless you climb its colonnade. To reach the final point, you will have to overcome 242 steps of a narrow spiral staircase, so people with health problems should not take risks.
The cost of a ticket to the cathedral is 250 rubles, for a colonnade - 150 rubles. For those who are eligible for benefits, prices are much lower (this rule applies in all museum complexes). Photography is free. You can listen to the sightseeing tour by joining the group gathered at the entrance. The cost of the tour is included in the price of the entrance ticket. 
4. The Hermitage – one of the largest museums in the world – is worthy of attention of every tourist. It is located in a complex of buildings that belonged to the royal family before the revolution. The most famous of them is the Winter Palace on Palace Square. In addition to the richest collection of paintings (canvases of da Vinci, Michelangelo, Goya), the Hermitage attracts with its incomparable interiors: the throne room, the knight's hall, the Golden living room, the raspberry living room, the red with gold boudoir, gilded walls and doors, luxurious parquet, elegant vases and so on.
The museum opens at 10:30, but in the summer at 11 am you can see a huge queue. Therefore, before going to the Hermitage, you should be patient. The cost of the entrance ticket is 150 rubles, permits for photo and video shooting – 200 rubles.
5. The Russian Museum is inferior in size to the Hermitage, but its walls store no less well-known and impressive paintings: The Ninth Shaft by Aivazovsky, Lunar Night on the Dnieper by Kuindzhi, The Last Day of Pompeii by Bryullov. And in front of the museum building there is a wonderful monument to A.S. Pushkin.
The cost of the entrance ticket is 200 rubles. Photography is free. And instead of a tour, it is better to buy an audio guide for 250 rubles.
6. In the summer you need to see the bridges. Divorce schedules are easy to find online. Standing on the English or Admiralty embankment, you can see how the Palace and Exchange Bridge are bred. In principle, bridges are interesting in themselves, even small, even in undiluted condition. Everyone has their own history, interesting architecture and name. And you need to kiss, of course, on the Kissing Bridge, because, if you believe the song performed by L. Utesov, lovers who kissed there will not part, since this bridge is not divorced.
7. In addition, country excursions are in demand in the summer. So, you need to see the splendor of the fountains of Peterhof. You can get there by boat "Meteor", train or taxi. The boat ticket is the most expensive - about 500 rubles in one direction. And the road on minibuses and trains will not be without transfers. The entrance fee to the Lower Park of Peterhof is 200 rubles. However, do not forget that on Nevsky there are numerous cheerleaders broadcasting in a megaphone about organized excursions. They cost about 1500 rubles and last about 6 hours. Fountains work from 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays.
8. The same amount of time and money can be spent on an excursion to Lomonosov (Oranienbaum). These lands were once donated by Peter I to his favorite Alexander Menshikov. And during the Great Patriotic War Oranienbaum, in comparison with other country residences, was destroyed least of all.
9. Excursion to Pushkin (Tsarskoye village) also costs about 1500 rubles. It should not be neglected, as it includes a visit to the Catherine Palace and its famous Amber Room, which disappeared during the war and was restored by restorers.
Independently, you can reach Tsarskoye Selo by train (on arrival you will need to change to a minibus) or immediately by taxi.
10. Kronstadt. On this tour will have to spend about 1000 rubles. Kronstadt is a port city located on Kotlin Island and adjacent smaller islands of the Gulf of Finland and a dam. In 1990, the historical center of the city was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Immediately note that a visitor in St. Petersburg can be recognized not only by the camera in his hands, but also by the number of clothes. St. Petersburgers accustomed to cold winds wear shirts and T-shirts in summer, while tourists wrap themselves in windbreakers. By the way, not superfluous for a nonresident in St. Petersburg will have an umbrella.
As for prices, the subway in the summer of 2012 cost 27 rubles, by bus - 24 rubles, by taxi - from 25 to 40 rubles. The average check in fast food establishments was 150-200 rubles per person.
Accommodation in the city center in a double room of the hostel will cost about 5000-13000 rubles depending on the time of stay (white nights season is the most expensive).
More about hotels and hotels in St. Petersburg.
Vlada Domashneva