Yusupov Garden is a park at Sadovaya 50, behind the engineering school. Peter I granted the land to Grigory Yusupov in 1724; it is now one of the oldest formal gardens in St Petersburg. Not to be confused with the Yusupov Palace on the Moyka — a different family holding.
❄ Figure skating
In 1865 the first public skating rink in Russia opened on the Yusupov pond. In 1878 the first Russian figure skating championship took place here. The tradition continues: the rink opens every winter.
🌳 Park
18th-century formal layout with a central pond, avenues and a small summer menagerie. Nine hectares. Yusupov Palace (not the Moyka one, this one at Sadovaya 50) stands at the far end, closed to visitors.
🚕 Getting there
Sennaya Ploshchad or Sadovaya metro, seven minutes on foot. From the centre, walk.
🛏 Where to stay
Apartments near Sennaya are bookable on Tutkakdoma.
If this is your first time in St Petersburg, bear two things in mind. Distances between the main sights are short, but autumn daylight is brief and rain arrives on no schedule. Plan your route around the lit half of the day, allow half an hour of buffer between stops, and bring a thermos and gloves for the evening. Dress in layers and wear non-slip soles — the embankments and bridges are windy, and courtyards stay wet after rain.
On the ground, walking is easiest between adjacent blocks, with short taxi hops when it gets dark or wet. If you are travelling as a group or with children, arrange the evening transfer back to your flat ahead of time — late-night fares spike. Flats in the centre go fast at weekends: book a week ahead for Nevsky, the Petrograd Side or Vasilievsky.
St Petersburg rewards half-day visits rather than one long marathon. Pick a theme — a single museum, a district, a walk — and give it time. After the active part, a warm cafe, a bookshop or a swimming pool is as much part of the ritual as the sights themselves, especially in November.
Verified on 22 October 2026.
Cover photo: MBH, CC BY 4.0, Викисклад
