10 Best Places to go on Dates in St. Petersburg

These suggestions were made by our tour clients. Please send your suggestions to info@russianbrides.com 

#1 - Art and History Lovers - 
Hermitage Tour

The Hermitage is among the world's largest museums. Housed in five buildings along the Neva embankment (including the Winter Palace), it boasts a vast collection of Egyptian, Greek, Ancient Roman, Oriental, Western European Art, and Applied Arts. It includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, van Dyck, French Impressionists (Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Degas, Pissarro), Van Gogh,Matisse, Gaugin and sculptures by Rodin. Large collections of numismatics, court dresses, furniture, gorgeous interiors and stately chandeliers make the Hermitage a star site of Saint Petersburg. From the 1760s the Winter Palace was the main residence of the Russian Tsars. Magnificently located on the bank of the Neva River, this Baroque-style palace is perhaps the major attraction of St. Petersburg. Many visitors also know it as the main building of the Hermitage Museum. The green-and-white three-story palace is truly impressive: it has 1786 doors, 1945 windows and 1057 halls and rooms, many of which are open to the public. 
The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from Berlin. Nowadays, the Hermitage has about 2.7 million exhibits and displays a full range of world art from Ancient Egypt to early 20th century Europe.  The collection is huge and very exciting. They say that "you can be absorbed for days in its treasures and still come out wishing for more". It has been calculated that if you decide to spend only one minute in front of each exhibit, you will have to stay in the Hermitage for 11 years. 

Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38.
Open 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. Sunday till 5 p.m..
Closed Mondays. Ticket-office closes 1 hour before closing time.
Entrance fee.

#2 - A Little Adventure - 
Helicopter Tours

Helicopter tours are very new to St. Petersburg. The first tours were given only in Summer 1996. The flights take place throughout the day every weekend. Choppers take off from a green lawn just outside the Peter and Paul Fortress. They fly up the Neva River to the Smolny Cathedral, then down the river to the Winter Palace/ Hermitage, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Stock Exchange and back to the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The tour will cost you $ 30 per person. Your Russian friends will get special discounted tickets for 80 rubles ($ 13.11). 

How to get there? From the Peter and Paul Cathedral exit the fortress via the North Gate and board the helicopter or wait for the next ride. 
From the Gorkovskaya metro station walk South through the park, cross the bridge to the fortress, turn right before entering the gate and walk 200 yards along a narrow canal.

#3 - Romantic Dinner - 
Restaurant"CAMELOT"

KAMELOT

 Awarded the "Best Restaurant in St. Petersburg" - 2000 and 2001. A very respectable restaurant, styled as a medieval castle, with wooden tables, seats resembling thrones, fireplace, windows of stained glass and candlelight. Good food and reasonable prices. European Menu.

Address: Nevsky prospect, 22
(entrance from 14, Bolshaya Konyushennaya street)
Phone: 325-99-06

#4 - Second Date with Someone Special - 
Peterhoff Palaces and Fountains

Peter the Great built a number of palaces along the shore of the Gulf of Finland some 20 miles west of St. Petersburg, the ensemble known as Petrodvorets. The Grand Palace sits atop a hill separating the entire ensemble in two parts - the Upper Garden and the Lower Park. Best know for its fountains, Petrodvorets is often compared to France's Versailles, but it is much better in our opinion.

In the summer time an exciting way to reach Peterhoff is by hydrofoil, which will take you from the Winter Palace pier to Peterhoff in just 50 minutes.

(Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Grand Palace is closed Monday. The fountains work from early May to early October).

#5 - Walking date - 
Nevskiy Prospect and St. Isaac's Cathedral

Walk the Nevskiy Prospects and finish your date with a breathtaking view of St. Petersburg from the observation point at the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Nevsky Prospect is one of best known streets in Russia and definitely the main avenue of St Petersburg. Cutting through the most historical part of the city, it runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and then, after a slight turn, to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. In the very first days of St Petersburg it was the beginning of a road to Novgorod, but was soon decorated with some fine buildings, squares and bridges. Getting wider as it goes, Nevsky becomes most beautiful where it has Kazan Cathedral on one side and the Dom Knigi book store (former Singer sewing machine company HQ) on the other, with a wonderful view down Kanal Griboedova to the picturesque Russian-style Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood. In addition to the many churches of different denominations (which prompted the French writer Alexander Dumas to call Nevsky "the street of religious tolerance") there are many more attractions around. Just a stone's throw from Nevsky, right by the Grand Hotel Europe, there are Arts Square and the Russian Museum. Further down the road, the largest department store in the city - "Gostiny Dvor", the National Library of Russia (second largest in the country), the monument to Catherine the Great, Anichkov Bridge with its beautiful statues and much more. Nevsky is a prime place for shopping, entertainment and nightlife.

The dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg. On a clear sunny day one can see the gilded cupola of St Isaac's from miles away from its downtown site. You can climb up the stairs to the observation point at the dome and get a breathtaking view of the fascinating St Petersburg. (There were no elevators in the mid-19th century, so you will have to climb 300 stairs). The church itself is a real marvel. Built by the French-born architect Auguste Montferrand to be the main church of the Russian Empire, the cathedral was under construction for 40 years (1818-1858), and was decorated in the most elaborate way. When you enter the cathedral you pass through one of the porticos - note that the columns are made of single pieces of red granite and weight 80 tons (about 177,770 pounds) each. Inside the church many of the icons are the most exquisite mosaics. The iconostasis (the icon wall that separates the altar from the rest of the church) is decorated with 8 malachite and 2 lapis lazuli columns. The cathedral, which can accommodate 14 thousand worshipers, now serves as a museum and services are held only on major occasions.

Location: Isaakievskaia Ploschad, 1. 
Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Closed on Wednesdays.

#6 - Theater Lovers - 
Mariinsky Theater

The world-renowned theater, known during Soviet times as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater, resumed its original name in 1992. The present building dates back to 1859, when an earlier theater was remodeled and got its name - the Mariinsky. During the pre-revolutionary years the theater was constantly under royal patronage. Fiodor Shaliapin sang on its stage and among the most prominent dancers were Vatslav Nizhinsky, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Anna Pavlova and many others.
Location: Teatralnaya Ploschad, 1

#7 - Nature Lovers - 
A Walk in Summer Gardens 

Across the river from the Peter and Paul fortress and the wooden Cabin of Peter the Great one can visit the historic Summer Garden. Behind the beautiful wrought iron fence there is an old park that witnessed the most spectacular moments of St Petersburg's early history.

Impressed by the royal parks that he had seen in Europe, Peter the Great was very keen to have such a park in his new and beloved "paradise" - St Petersburg. In Peter's new park everything was done according to the latest fashion: all trees and bushes were trimmed in the most elaborate way, all the alleys were decorated with marble statues and fountains. Peter the Great used to organize receptions and balls there, which were called "assamblei" - assemblies. The most popular entertainments of the day were illuminations and fireworks, plus dancing, drinking and more.
It is always a great pleasure to take a stroll down the alleys of the Summer Garden, passing by the palace, the marvelous marble statues and the pond. A pair of white swans return every year to the Karpiev pond in the Summer Garden, though the park is located in the middle of a huge city...

Admission to the park is generally free (except on weekends in the summer). The palace is open 10:30 to 5 p.m.. Closed on Tuesdays. A modest admission fee is charged.

#8 - Romantic Waterways - 
A boat trip on rivers and canals

More than 70 rivers and canals wind their way through the city, with around 400 bridges crossing them. All the bridges over the Neva can be raised to allow large vessels pass through at night between April and October, when the river is navigable. At that same time various pleasure boats ply their way around St. Petersburg - the so-called "river trams"; they follow a host of different routes, so it is possible to go from one boat to another and see all St. Petersburg's rivers and canals, thus viewing our city's main sights from the water. The looming silhouettes of the bridges, the grandeur of the waterways, the granite embankments with their various piers and slipways, the 18th and 19th century palaces and parks on the banks of the Neva and the canals, architectural landmarks in the form of the domes and spires of churches and cathedrals, visible from a long way off - all this contributes to the unique appearance of the "Venice of the North", one of the world's most beautiful cities. 

#9 - Romantic Getaway - 
Day Trip to the town of Pushkin

The town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), just outside St Petersburg, has a marvelous ensemble of palaces and parks. It is particularly famous for its impressive baroque Catherine Palace where Catherine the Great lived and died. The palace was almost totally destroyed during World War II, but has risen like a phoenix from the ashes due to the unparalleled restoration effort undertaken since the war.

The present-day palace was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the Royal architect, who created the Winter Palace and the Smolny Cathedral. Most of the restored interiors date back to the times of Empress Elisabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, though there are some early 19th century interiors too. Catherine the Great used to live in a separate wing of the palace, and when she was in her sixties she would still walk through the whole palace on her way to church.

Visit the palace, stroll along the alleys of the park with its numerous pavilions, ponds and sculptures. Next to the palace there is Lyceum (Litzei), a 19th century school for the elite, where the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and many other celebrities studied.

Further down the road there is the Aleksandrovsky Palace which must be familiar to those who have read Macey's "Nicholas and Alexandra". The family of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II used to like this palace and it is from here that the whole family left, in 1917, for Yekaterinburg where they were brutally murdered. (Unfortunately, the palace is NOT open to the public).

(The Catherine Palace is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Closed Tuesday and the last Monday of the month)

#10 - Seasonal Favorite - 
An All-Night-Date during White Nights

"St. Petersburg's White Nights a whole moment of bliss! 
Is that not enough for an entire human life?"
 Fedor Dostoyevsky

Every summer, a unique and wonderful thing happens in St.Petersburg. It is a wonder of nature known as the White Nights and is at its best in June and July. During the White Nights a brief twilight descends on the city and region creating a mystical and romantic effect. Because of the city's high latitude the sun does not set completely to create total darkness. Twilight blends into dawn creating a silvery blue glow. At midnight you can read a book by the window without having to turn on the lights. The White Nights begin in late May and run till early July with the peak of the effect being from mid-June to early July.

This eerie lighting attracts thousands of spectators who take to the streets to enjoy a variety of entertainment and merry making. Lovers will be strolling along the banks of the Neva, and when the school year ends the happy graduates will dance and sing all night long by the Neva River. Nevsky Prospekt, next to the Neva River, is packed during the White Nights festival. Its stately architecture providing a stark contrast to the countless party goers, visitors and street vendors. At the Neva embankment spectators watch the raising of the bridges while boats fill the river and fireworks are displayed.

BEWARE THE BRIDGES!!! which are raised at night at varying times to let boats through. Stories are abound of people being stuck all night in bars & discos with their respective bridges only to open in the early-hours of the morning. And while this provides for colorful conversation at times, it can get old...

Schedule (double check for updated times/changes in arrival) The following bridges will be open and inaccessible at these times:

Most Alexander Nevskogo: 2:35 - 4:50 a.m. 
Liteyny Most: 2:10 - 4:40 a.m. 
Bolshoy Okhtinsky Most: 2:45 - 4:45 a.m. 
Dvortsovy Most: 1:35 - 3:05 and 3:15 - 4:45 a.m. 
Troitsky Most: 2:00 - 4:40 a.m. 
Tuchkov Most: 2:20 - 3:10 and 3:40 - 4:40 a.m. 
Most Leytenanta Shmidta: 1:55 - 4:50 a.m. 
Most Birzhevoy: 2:25 - 3:10 and 3:40 - 4:40 a.m.

Schedules also may change during the White Nights season around midsummer.

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