Gazprom Arena: how to get to a Zenit match, where to sit, how to arrive and how to leave without the queue — the Krestovsky stadium for first-timers

Gazprom Arena was built for the 2018 World Cup at the western tip of Krestovsky Island: 68,000 seats, a retractable roof, and a pitch that slides out of the stadium so the grass can grow in the sun. It is Zenit's home ground and a venue for big concerts. A first visit is almost an expedition — tickets, Fan ID, the journey, the exit queues. Here is how it works.

The stadium at the western tip of Krestovsky Island. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

How the stadium works

Designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, it took ten years to build. According to the club, capacity for football is about 68,000, more for concerts. Three tiers of stands, a roof that closes in bad weather, and the pitch on a platform that rolls out behind the stadium — its best-known engineering feature.

The bowl with three tiers of stands. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Tickets and Fan ID

Tickets are sold on Zenit's website and app. For league matches you need a Fan ID, issued in advance through the state services portal, sometimes with in-person confirmation; without it you will not be admitted. Touts sell unlinked tickets, but the Fan ID link makes them risky.

Where to sit

The side stands at the centre of the pitch, lower and middle tiers, give the best view; the upper tier is high but shows the whole pitch. The supporters' sectors behind the goals are standing, loud and full of chants — impressive, but not for children or a quiet watch. The club marks family sectors on the seating plan.

The pitch from a middle-tier side stand. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Getting there

Zenit metro is right by the stadium; Krestovsky Ostrov metro is three kilometres away through the park. On match day Zenit station runs entry with restrictions and the park fills two hours before kick-off. Arrive an hour to ninety minutes early for security and the queues into the sectors.

Zenit station beside the stadium. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Leaving

The real problem is the exit. After the final whistle 60,000 people head for two metro stations; Zenit runs exit-only with queues for a while, and Krestovsky Ostrov is across the whole park. Options: wait 30–40 minutes on the island; walk the Yacht Bridge to Begovaya (30 minutes) or across to Chkalovskaya on the Petrograd Side (40 minutes). Taxis on match day pick up only at set points on Severnaya Road and Primorsky Prospekt; a transfer with an agreed meeting point booked via RideClu is easier — the driver waits where you said, instead of hunting for you in the crowd.

The exit after the match is the main event of the evening. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Concerts and tours

The arena hosts major concerts with the same entry rules but no Fan ID. On event-free days there are stadium tours: stands, dressing rooms, press centre, the tunnel onto the pitch. Dates are on the arena's website.

The Yacht Bridge, the walking route to Begovaya after the match. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Where to stay

If you have come for the match from out of town, stay on the Petrograd Side or in the Primorsky district near Begovaya — walking distance or one stop to the stadium, and no need to fight through the centre afterwards. Apartments there can be booked on Tutkakdoma; on match and concert days there are fewer, so book early.

Primorsky Victory Park in front of the arena. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The arena lit up on a match evening. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Not for you if you hate queues and crowds — after a match they are unavoidable. But the stadium itself and the atmosphere of 60,000 people are an experience the city offers nowhere else.

Checked on 22 October 2026 against FC Zenit's website and the Citywalls database.

Cover photo: Фото: Dinamik, Public domain, Викисклад