Saint Petersburg itinerary: 1 to 3 days
Plans for one to three days in Saint Petersburg, day by day: the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Rostral Columns, Palace Square, the Bronze Horseman, Saint Isaac's Cathedral, the Kazan Cathedral, Nevsky Prospect and the Church of the Savior on Blood first, then the Winter Palace (the Hermitage), the Yusupov Palace and the Kunstkamera, and the Russian Museum, the Summer Garden, an evening at the Mariinsky Theatre, Peterhof and the Catherine Palace as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Saint Petersburg in 1 day
Day 1
Peter and Paul Fortress
The city's founding citadel of 1703 on Zayachy Island, with the cathedral where most Russian emperors are buried.
Rostral Columns and Old Stock Exchange
Two red columns and the former stock exchange on the tip of Vasilievsky Island, with a wide view across the Neva.
Palace Square
The city's main square between the Winter Palace and the curved General Staff Building, with the Alexander Column at its centre.
Bronze Horseman
Falconet's 18th-century equestrian statue of Peter the Great on Senate Square, set on a huge granite boulder.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Vast 19th-century domed cathedral, now a museum, with malachite columns inside and a colonnade walk around the dome for city views.
Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
Orthodox cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt with a sweeping colonnade modelled on St Peter's in Rome, still a working church.
Nevsky Prospect
The city's main avenue, running from the Admiralty past the Kazan Cathedral, grand shops and canals to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
Church of the Savior on Blood
Onion-domed church built where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, covered inside with mosaics from floor to ceiling.
Saint Petersburg in 2 days
Day 1
Peter and Paul Fortress
The city's founding citadel of 1703 on Zayachy Island, with the cathedral where most Russian emperors are buried.
Rostral Columns and Old Stock Exchange
Two red columns and the former stock exchange on the tip of Vasilievsky Island, with a wide view across the Neva.
Bronze Horseman
Falconet's 18th-century equestrian statue of Peter the Great on Senate Square, set on a huge granite boulder.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Vast 19th-century domed cathedral, now a museum, with malachite columns inside and a colonnade walk around the dome for city views.
Yusupov Palace (Moika Palace)
The Yusupov family's palace on the Moika, with ornate state rooms, a private theatre and the cellar where Rasputin was murdered.
Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
Orthodox cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt with a sweeping colonnade modelled on St Peter's in Rome, still a working church.
Day 2
Nevsky Prospect
The city's main avenue, running from the Admiralty past the Kazan Cathedral, grand shops and canals to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
Church of the Savior on Blood
Onion-domed church built where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, covered inside with mosaics from floor to ceiling.
Palace Square
The city's main square between the Winter Palace and the curved General Staff Building, with the Alexander Column at its centre.
Winter Palace
The Romanovs' Baroque winter residence on the Neva, now the heart of the State Hermitage, one of the world's largest art museums.
Kunstkamera
Russia's first museum, founded by Peter the Great, with anthropology collections and his famous cabinet of curiosities.
Saint Petersburg in 3 days
Day 1
Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
Orthodox cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt with a sweeping colonnade modelled on St Peter's in Rome, still a working church.
Nevsky Prospect
The city's main avenue, running from the Admiralty past the Kazan Cathedral, grand shops and canals to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
Church of the Savior on Blood
Onion-domed church built where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, covered inside with mosaics from floor to ceiling.
Russian Museum
The world's largest collection of Russian art, from icons to the avant-garde, in the Mikhailovsky Palace.
Summer Garden
Peter the Great's formal garden of 1704 by the Fontanka, with marble statues, fountains and his modest Summer Palace.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Vast 19th-century domed cathedral, now a museum, with malachite columns inside and a colonnade walk around the dome for city views.
Bronze Horseman
Falconet's 18th-century equestrian statue of Peter the Great on Senate Square, set on a huge granite boulder.
Yusupov Palace (Moika Palace)
The Yusupov family's palace on the Moika, with ornate state rooms, a private theatre and the cellar where Rasputin was murdered.
Mariinsky Theatre
Historic home of the Mariinsky opera and ballet companies since 1860, best seen at an evening performance.
Day 2
Peter and Paul Fortress
The city's founding citadel of 1703 on Zayachy Island, with the cathedral where most Russian emperors are buried.
Palace Square
The city's main square between the Winter Palace and the curved General Staff Building, with the Alexander Column at its centre.
Winter Palace
The Romanovs' Baroque winter residence on the Neva, now the heart of the State Hermitage, one of the world's largest art museums.
Kunstkamera
Russia's first museum, founded by Peter the Great, with anthropology collections and his famous cabinet of curiosities.
Rostral Columns and Old Stock Exchange
Two red columns and the former stock exchange on the tip of Vasilievsky Island, with a wide view across the Neva.
Day 3
Peterhof Palace
Peter the Great's seaside palace on the Gulf of Finland, with the Grand Cascade of gilded fountains and large parks.
Catherine Palace
Blue-and-white Rococo palace of the tsars at Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), south of the city, home of the reconstructed Amber Room.
Watch: Saint Petersburg
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Saint Petersburg
June and July bring the White Nights, when it barely gets dark, and the Scarlet Sails festival in late June; this is also the busiest time. May and September are milder and quieter. Winters are long, dark and cold, with the Neva often frozen, but the museums are less crowded.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Saint Petersburg on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Saint Petersburg on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Saint Petersburg on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Russia from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Saint Petersburg
- The Winter Palace is the main building of the State Hermitage Museum; buy tickets online to skip the queue and allow at least half a day.
- Most museums close one day a week, and the day differs between them, so check before planning the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
- The bridges over the Neva open at night during the navigation season, from spring to autumn; plan the route back to the hotel before midnight if it crosses the river.
- Women are expected to cover their heads and men to remove hats in working Orthodox churches; shoulders and knees should be covered.
- The Peterhof fountains run only from late spring to early autumn; the hydrofoil from the Hermitage embankment is the quickest way there in summer.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Bronze Horseman: Perituss, CC0
- Catherine Palace: Alexander2018, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Church of the Savior on Blood: Edgar El, CC BY 3.0
- Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg: Алексеев Игорь Евгеньевич, Public domain
- Kunstkamera: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mariinsky Theatre: Nikolai Bulykin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nevsky Prospect: A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Palace Square: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Peter and Paul Fortress: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Peterhof Palace: Ninara from Helsinki, Finland, CC BY 2.0
- Rostral Columns and Old Stock Exchange: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Russian Museum: Dezidor, CC BY 3.0
- Saint Isaac's Cathedral: Florstein ( Telegram: WikiPhoto.Space ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Summer Garden: unknown author, Public domain
- Winter Palace: Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Yusupov Palace (Moika Palace): A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
