Do & See - City Guide by HOROSHO

DO & SEE

Feel the extraordinary atmosphere of the city and take away an unforgettable experience.

Stay calm and follow this list

We have compiled a list of win-win and mostly frivolous entertainments for those who have already been to the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral, studied the halls of the Hermitage and seen the raising of bridges.

Tickle your nerves at the Annenkirche

The charred colonnade, the walls with shredded plaster, the damp cold - in a word, the perfect setting for a horror movie. The St. Anne's Kirche, built at the end of the 18th century, was a movie theater during the Soviet era and a club afterwards, and in the early 2000s it underwent a terrible fire. Now the interiors have been slowly restored and, along with Lutheran services, fairs, musical evenings, and film screenings are held there.
Address: Kirochnaya Ulitsa, 8В

Feed squirrels in the Central Park of Culture and Leisure

St. Petersburg's main park on Yelagin Island retains a pinched Soviet flair - no Wi-Fi or fast food kiosks: here you buy hot corn from trays, tease goats in the mini-zoo, and go boating on the ponds. A "Watch out for squirrels!" sign warns that the local animals are cheeky and spoiled. It's better to wander along the paths on weekdays mornings - on weekends, alas, it's crowded and they take money from the visitors. Opposite the entrance from Seaside Avenue is the gilded Datsan Gunzechoinay, until recently the northernmost Buddhist temple in the world, built in 1909. If you are a particularly ambitious lover of parks and unceremonious squirrels, go to Pavlovsk.
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Inspect the bars

The ingredients of the ideal bar itinerary can be argued to the hilt, but the reference points are clear. At the "Chronicle Bar", a stronghold of Northwestern separatism, you should drink a "Free Ingria" cocktail and eat a Nordic sandwich with a sprat. Just around the corner are the main craft beer enthusiasts, "Redrum". Brimborium is notable for its slightly blatant design and homemade tinctures, while "Pif-paf" has burgers and a barbershop in the back. The “Groceries" is affectionately glowing with a jukebox; in the “Terminal” they pour drinks like it's the last time. The secret "El copitas", which can be accessed only by a call, drinks tequila and mescal. At 5:00 a.m., half-dead people play hits by The Smiths and Lana Del Rey at "Poison" Karaoke.

Check out more places & take a look at the map

Rummage at the flea market near "Udelnaya" metro station

The flea market, which unfolds on weekends between the railroad tracks and the mental hospital, is the only real large flea market in Russia. At “Udelka", as it is commonly known, the right strategy is important - trays of expired Finnish chocolate and Chinese underwear should not be discouraged, go ahead. The clothing bazaars are dominated by rags from H&M, but with time and patience often it is possible to dig out something worthwhile. The most interesting things are from pensioners who sell old things laid out on the ground: Christmas toys from their childhood, melchior spoons, trophy suitcases.
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Watch movies without popcorn

In case of bad weather, you don't have to hide in shopping mall or hotel room. The small cinema hall at the Angleterre Hotel plays European and American independent films in the original language. Similar repertoire, but usually with dubbing, is offered by the House of Cinema and Rodina, both of which are located under the same roof: the pompous pre-revolutionary façade on Karavannaya Street hides slightly renovated Soviet interiors with portieres. Besides, you can always count on Aurora on Nevsky, or, if you happen to be on Petrogradskiy Island, on the Lenfilm Studio movie theater.

Dance till morning in the clubs on Konyushennaya Square

The brutal courtyards of Konyushennaya, St. Petersburg's main techno-junket, are experiencing a renaissance. Not so long ago, the dancefloor rivalry was simple: "Stackenschneider " versus "Mosaique". Now there's a DJ-bar "VNVNC" - a stylized Gothic chapel with arches, stained-glass windows, and a crown of thorns under the ceiling. The restaurant and club "Dantsploschadka", a project of a famous local musician. Enjoy great DJs, six subwoofers, a lifelong bar, and a courtyard with garlands and a basketball hoop.

Check out more places & take a look at the map

Do some shopping

Where else can one get a taste of Comme des Garçons bibs in such a festive atmosphere - the department store "Au Ponte Rouge" occupies the building of the "Esders and Scheifals" trading house, a beacon of St. Petersburg Art Nouveau with a tracery dome. The range of goods is not quite congenial to the grand architecture - it mostly includes cheerful young brands like Carven and T by Alexander Wang, but collections' hits are patiently waiting for their owners and counters with discounts don't fly around until summer. On the first floor you can have a coffee, and on the second floor there is a branch of Cosmotheca cosmetics and perfume store, a snow-white space with a clever system of displaying bottles, which looks like a gallery installation.

Check out more shopping malls & read about what souvenirs to purchase

Get out of town

Pines, sea and sand - the science of St. Petersburg zen. And all this is less than an hour's train ride from Finland Station to Solnechnoye, Sestroretsk, Zelenogorsk. It is not suitable for swimming in the bay, and it is too windy for picnics - on the shore you are supposed to breathe deeply, walk along the water edge and watch the sunsets. If you have enough time, the best destination is dacha paradise Komarovo: there is not only a beach, but also an ecological trail with giant anthills, a settlement cemetery, where famous Russian writer Anna Akhmatova is buried, and a beautiful and clean Lake Schuchye.

Explore creative clusters

Local hipster enclaves are small, but unlike in Moscow, they are often set up not in industrial zones, but in central mansions and courtyards. The standard set of tenants-a coffee shop, a cute trinket store, a barbershop, a little shop of some sort, plus some interesting-looking company hanging out in between-can keep you entertained for half an hour.

Check out this map to find out their locations & visit this page of our city guide to get more details about several spots.

Explore Rubinsteina Street

The city's key restaurant artery offers scenarios for all tastes, wallets, and occasions. One universal recipe is shakshuka, hummus, vodka with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, and the eternal grind at the Israeli café-bar Bekitzer (pictured). When you can't even get in, which is often the case, for spicy food - Turkish and Middle Eastern - you have to go to the nearby new Beirut café: the prices allow you to try everything, but if you're not too hungry, get the meze snacks in small bowls.

Check out more great food places

Take a boat ride on rivers and canals

It's a rare case where it's silly to be alienated by tourist platitudes. No matter how you look at it, on a sunny day, a succession of bridges, facades, and embankments, accompanied by the guide's babbling, is the best trailer for a local history film about St. Petersburg. Dress warmer. There are usually no questions about a bottle of wine delicately hidden in a bag. In the daytime you can take a trip along the Griboyedov Canal, and in the evening go on a river walk to see how the bridges getting opened. It is definitely better to watch the bridges being unfurled not in a huge crowd from the shore, but directly from the water itself.

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Find at least a few yard-wells

Expensive land in the city forced houses to be built as close together as possible. Buildings were built wall-to-wall, often forming a single facade. Neighborhoods were joined, leaving courtyards that could only be accessed through the entrance of one of the houses.
When compiling a list of things to do in St. Petersburg, include a visit to at least one such yard-well. Many of these authentic places have managed to acquire their own legends and traditions, some are even rumored to grant wishes. And when you lift your head up, you can admire a piece of the sky, sometimes with quite bizarre shapes and forms. The most important thing you must remember is that not every such yard is open to the public, but don't give up. Wait to go out or try your luck and call the intercom.

Several addresses of such yards

Backyard of the "Buck's House"
Address: Kirochnaya st. 24

One of the most famous and beautiful is the courtyard of the Buck House. Here you will see the galleries that connect one part of the house to the other, and if you manage to go inside, you can admire the old stained glass windows and even visit the floor where there used to be an underground casino. By the way, this house is also known for the fact that it has its own souvenirs, symbols, and from time to time, tours of the yard and the house itself are held, the funds from which are directed to its restoration.

Ghost House

Address: 4-ya Liniya V.o., 5

If you're looking for something more mystical, go to Vasilevsky Island. Here you will find a ghost house. This is the smallest yard-well in St. Petersburg, its size is only 1.5 by 2 meters, and because it is not so easy to find, there are many mystical theories surrounding it. For example, it is said that it is able to change its location and even make wishes come true.

In general, walking through the city center, you can easily find many interesting courtyards. Do not be afraid to look into the arches and turn wherever your heart desires.

Round house
This is the first round three-story house in St. Petersburg, and one of the oldest residential buildings in the city. By order of merchant Ustinov, the inner building was not to obscure the view from the windows of the main house, so it was made round. Immediately after renting the house, the parents of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (famous russian writer) moved in and lived here for the next seven years. At the beginning of the 19th century, this neighborhood was not considered the most prestigious, it was inhabited by working people. There's an intercom at the entrance to the courtyard, you wait for someone to come in, and then we quickly run in after them.
Address: Fontanka River Embankment, 92

Watch one of the performances at the Mariinsky Theatre

The main theater in St. Petersburg has been and remains an example of proper classical ballet. It doesn't matter on what stage the performance is given - historical or new - it will still be an aesthetic delight for the audience. The theater's top three most interesting ballet productions now include Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, and Don Quixote, staged to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of ballet master Marius Petipa.

Take a tour of the Hermitage's repository

If you've explored the Hermitage in its entirety on past trips to St. Petersburg, this time go to its storeroom at Staraya Derevnya. What used to be in the sealed vaults is now available to everyone. Since the open vaults in the exhibition hall are not signed as in museums, it is best to book a guided tour.

Take a ballet class

Russian ballerina Diana Vishneva is convinced that the art of dance is within everyone's power, and that is why she opened the "Context Pro" studio in New Holland. Anyone, regardless of their level of training, can try their hand at classical ballet as well as contemporary dance here. Leonid Sarafanov, premier of the Mikhailovsky Theatre, is the curator of the ballet part, and the teachers include ballet stars Vera Arbuzova and Andrey Yakovlev.

Fall in love with rain

St. Petersburg is rainy and windy. We as locals have long been accustomed to this condition of our native city and even make a joke that thanks to this weather we can have only two pairs of shoes in your closet: rubber boots for winter and summer.
The rain by no means spoils this city, but gives it a special charm and color, colors it up with bright umbrellas and raincoats, gently driving visitors and residents into museums, theaters, and atmospheric cafes.
The fuzzy haze of rain makes St. Petersburg mysterious and enigmatic, fostering myths, legends, and casting a mystical veil. Maybe it is because of this atmosphere that it seems so magical, filled with daily miracles.

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We are a tour bureau "HOROSHO" that is based in St Petersburg, Russia. This city guide is created by our guides who are local experts with years of experience.
Our specialization is creating and realizing experiences focused on your specific guidelines or interests. Our high-quality services give you the flexibility to explore St Petersburg at the highest level of service that you deserve.

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