Location: St. Petersburg
Top Things to do in St. Petersburg
Top Restaurants in St. Petersburg
The 5 Best Islands in St. Petersburg, Northwestern District
The second largest city in Russia, St. Petersburg is the country’s cultural heart. View splendid architectural gems like the Winter Palace and the Kazan Cathedral, and give yourself plenty of time to browse the world-renowned art collection of the Hermitage. Sprawling across the Neva River delta, St. Petersburg offers enough art, nightlife, fine dining and cultural destinations for many repeat visits.
Restaurants in St. Petersburg
1. Yelagin Island
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 450 reviews
Reviewed By AliceStricke - Warsaw, Poland
I like it very much! We took a stroll along the park and found lots of amazing well-preserved marble sculptures and historical buildings.
2. Kamenny Island
3. Kronstadt
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 410 reviews
Reviewed By MikeG906 - Aiken, United States
Kronstadt is probably the most under-visited (by foreigners) attraction in St. Petersburg. That makes it wonderful. It is a bit of a “specialist” interest. If it is your first time in St. Petersburg, you should probably instead visit the other obvious, world renown, glitzy attractions in Peter (you know what I mean). But if you want to see a part of the “real” Russia, where mostly only Russian visitors go, consider Kronstadt. To prepare, you should first research the history of Kronstadt, easily done on the internet. A remote island. Historical naval fortifications built by Peter the Great and expanded by Catherine II: the key to St. Petersburg's front door. A long military history. The scene of the most outrageously bloody revolt by the Red Navy against Bolshevik rule. A cathedral rivaling Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The home of St. John of Kronstadt – a pilgrimage destination today for many Russians. You can read (for many hours) about all that. No need for more verbiage here. If you are not Russian, to truly understand your Kronstadt visit, you really need the services of a competent guide. By sheer luck, we found a truly excellent guide in Elena Batura through the viator.com website: it was the only tour that I found focused solely upon Kronstadt Fortress and the Sea Gates. She picked us up at our downtown hotel, and we drove for an hour through the northwestern suburbs of St. Petersburg and then along the long, straight highway atop the dam structure that connects Kotlin Island to the mainland. Kronstadt itself is worlds away from the big city atmosphere. Public access was not allowed until 1996. Today it still seems very much like a small Russian town. It was a Saturday. Wandering around, it became pretty obvious that we were the only American tourists in view. Elena took us around the major Kronstadt sights, and then to a marvelously typical small bakery for a quick lunch of soup and piroshki. The last stop of the tour turned to be the absolute high-point of this, our sixth visit to Russia. The Memorial Apartment of St. John of Kronstadt is THE unique site in Kronstadt. This consists of several modest rooms on the second floor, where Fr. John Sergiev lived from 1855 to 1908, while he served at the nearby Cathedral of St. Andrew. Fr. John was arguably the most charismatic, iconic Russian Orthodox priest of that era. Thousands of the faithful from all Russia (peasants, hierarchs, nobles, military commanders, shop keepers) came to hear his sermons, delivered from the apartment's balcony. Tens of thousands sent letters requesting prayers. Fr. John had a profound effect upon the lives of many. In 1964, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia canonized Fr. John. Finally in 1990, Fr. John was canonized by the Moscow Patriarchate. During Soviet times, the apartment rooms disappeared into obscurity. In 1995, a group organized to restore the apartment to as it was when Fr. John lived there, laying the groundwork for the wonderful, small museum it is today. Many of Fr. John's personal items reappeared and are now on display. Our arrival at the museum caused a bit of consternation. We were apparently the first Americans ever to visit. Ordinarily, the museum is a pilgrimage destination for many Russian believers. But Americans here? This is where Elena's guidance took over as she explained our interest to the docent, a novice nun. As a result, we got the super deluxe personal tour of the museum. Elena's excellent two-way translations allowed us to have a deeper understanding of what we were seeing, and of the spiritual impact of St. John upon even the Russians of today. It was a uniquely moving experience. An hour later, we were back at our hotel in St. Petersburg.
4. New Holland Island
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 520 reviews
Reviewed By KTP310 - Reading, United Kingdom
After struggling a little to find our way in, we eventually found the footbridge leading to this island. It’s a really beautiful space - everything is very stylish, from the great cafes and shops, delightful herb garden, green space with plenty of chairs and beanbags to relax in, and a wooden ark that is an amazing kids play area. The sun was shining and we spent several hours relaxing in this wonderful oasis in busy St Petersburg.... certainly one of the favourite places we visited on this trip.
