Saint Petersburg is a world class city worthy of the high praise it receives. Even after visiting Paris, London, Rome and many other European standouts I was blown away by the city’s architecture and canals – dazzling cathedrals and palaces connected by romantic waterways. There is a reason everyone comes here, and everyone does come here, especially in August.
If you are looking for sunshine and warmer days in Saint Petersburg you may choose to ignore the warnings of crowded streets and museums. You may think, like I did, that you can plan around it. You can’t. Most everything is crowded all the time at this time of year. My language school is located just around the corner from the Hermitage and I pass the Church of Spilled Blood on my way to and from the metro. There are always lines.
I tried visiting the Hermitage one Wednesday afternoon after class since the museum is open late on Wednesdays and Fridays. Even after buying a ticket at the automated kiosk to avoid the long line to get tickets the museum corridors were so crowded with cruise ship groups it made enjoying the artwork impossible. Thankfully I have the option to give up and try again when we return in October.
The plus side to visiting in the summer is the warmer days and green parks. The parks are generally large enough that they don’t feel so crowded. Walking the streets and canals, especially if you get off Nevsky Prospekt, is also pleasant in good weather.
Photos from around Saint Petersburg
The Summer Garden
August 2019
For links to all the posts in this series see the St Petersburg page.
For more posts on travel in Russia see the Russia page.