Urban Historian
Author and journalist at Piter Pass. Shares travel tips, attraction guides, and insider knowledge about Saint Petersburg to help visitors make the most of their trip.
Free in St Petersburg: 18 events for the week of 21 — 27 September
Concerts, talks, exhibitions and festivals in St Petersburg with free entry for the week of 21 — 27 September. With dates, times and addresses — and a note on where "free" really means "by registration".
Tikhvin in a Day: The Assumption Monastery and the Tikhvin Icon
The monastery on the Tikhvinka opens at six in the morning, and the miraculous icon came back here in 2004. Hours, phones and the route, from official sources.
Ruskeala from St Petersburg: How to Get There and What It Costs
Train from Finlyandsky, bus from Devyatkino or 310 km by car — plus 37 km more from Sortavala. Hours, prices and tours from the park official site.
Two planetariums in Saint Petersburg: which one to choose
The historic planetarium at Alexandrovsky Park sells tickets per hall and admits no latecomers; Planetarium No 1 in a former gasholder runs eight full-dome sessions a day. Prices, ages and rules compared.
Korela Fortress in Priozersk: Summer Hours Until 30 September and What Is Inside
Open daily 9:00-18:00 from 1 April to 30 September, ticket office until 17:30, closed on the last Thursday of each month. A 1310 Novgorod outpost that later became the Kexholm political prison.
Koporye Fortress: a day trip from Saint Petersburg
Summer hours from 1 May: daily 10:00-18:00, ticket office closes 30 minutes earlier. Climbing the walls and towers is forbidden. Prices, buses, booking rules and what the site does not publish.
St Isaac's Cathedral: 700 ₽ ticket, colonnade sold separately, 43 metres on foot
St Isaac's Cathedral is two separate purchases. Inside, a museum with mosaics, malachite and a forty-year construction story; outside, at 43 metres, the colonnade deck over the city centre.…
Veliky Novgorod day trip from Saint Petersburg: the kremlin, Saint Sophia and opening hours
Entry to the kremlin grounds is free until midnight, but the museums inside shut at 18:00 and the best of them closes on Tuesday. Hours, prices and a workable plan.
Sestroretsk and Komarovo in Autumn: The Gulf, the Dunes and the Dachas
Razliv museums, two free nature trails and the dacha village of Komarovo in one September day: hours, prices and transport from official sources.
Pskov day trip from Saint Petersburg: the Krom, Dovmont Town and ticket prices
There is no single ticket to the Pskov Kremlin. The grounds are free, but the Chamber and the towers are paid separately, and the last Tuesday of the month closes much of it.
Oreshek Fortress and Shlisselburg: when the crossing to the island closes
The fortress opens 26 April to 31 October. From 1 November until navigation reopens there is no boat to the island, so the trip simply cannot be made.
Lakhta Center observation deck: tickets, entrance 13 and the 15-minute rule
Europe’s highest observation deck at 365 metres is sold as a timed event: official site only, entrance 13, no entry more than 15 minutes late. Prices, concessions, security rules and refunds.