Three days in St Petersburg: an itinerary

Three days is the ideal length for a first trip to St Petersburg — enough to see the classics and feel the city's rhythm without rushing. Here is the route we use ourselves and recommend to guests. Base camp: 30 Voskresenskaya Embankment — the right bank, central, a 10-minute walk to Chernyshevskaya metro.

Day 1 · Classic St Petersburg

Cross to the left bank in the morning to the Palace Square. The Hermitage opens at 11:00; queues are shortest in the first hour — book online for a specific slot, and allow 3–4 hours for the main building. Lunch near the Admiralty. In the afternoon walk Nevsky Prospekt — Kazan Cathedral, the House of Books, the Anichkov Bridge — then turn onto the Griboedov Canal to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Be home before midnight (bridges rise from 01:25).

Day 2 · The quiet right bank and Smolny

A slow morning: breakfast in the apartment, a walk along the embankment to the Liteyny Bridge and back. Five minutes to the Smolny Cathedral, then through the Tauride Garden. Lunch on Liteyny or Tchaikovsky Street — the quiet alternative to Nevsky. In the afternoon the Anna Akhmatova Museum in the Fountain House. More detail in the Smolny district guide.

Day 3 · Fortress or a palace town

Option A · Peter and Paul Fortress and Vasilievsky Island. The fortress (cathedral, Trubetskoy Bastion, summer beach), then the Spit and the Kunstkamera — a full day with no out-of-town travel.

Option B · Tsarskoe Selo or Peterhof. A 35-minute train to Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo) for the Catherine Palace and park — allow 4–6 hours. Peterhof is best in summer when the fountains run; take the «Meteor» hydrofoil from the Palace Embankment (35 minutes by water).

What to bring

• Comfortable shoes — the cobblestones are uneven; you'll walk 10–15 km a day
• A light umbrella — the weather changes fast in any season
• Tickets to the Hermitage and Russian Museum — booked online in advance
• A light jacket even in summer — there's wind off the Neva

We'll tailor the route to you — send your dates and interests when you book an apartment.