Nevsky at night: what is open after midnight
Nevsky Prospekt at night runs on its own schedule. Bars, jazz clubs, 24-hour cafes, bridge raising and night bakeries. What stays open after midnight.
Autumn school holidays at the Mikhailovsky Theatre: what to watch with children in October–November 2026
For the autumn school holidays the Mikhailovsky Theatre has set up a playbill aimed at the family audience: ballet, opera and evening shows that work from the age of seven or eight. What to pick, when to arrive and how to leave late in the evening. Checked against the Mikhailovsky's playbill of 21 October 2026.
Raphael Loggias at the Hermitage: a copy of the Vatican in two hours
The Raphael Loggias are a precise copy of the Vatican gallery commissioned by Catherine II in the 1770s and installed in a dedicated Hermitage wing. 52 biblical scenes after Raphael's cartoons. Here is how to find them and what to see next.
Ship restaurants on the Neva: 5 floating venues
Five tried ship restaurants on the Neva and canals: Blank, the Flying Dutchman, Krasin, Pallada, and small floating lounges by the fortress. How they differ and when they sail.
Cossacks on Palace Square: who they are and when to see them
Costumed cossacks on Palace Square are a phenomenon of the past few years. What they do, why they are there and how to take a photo (allowed, for a fee).
Dialogue of the Arts on 30 October at the Hermitage: an evening concert with the museum's curators
On 30 October 2026 the Hermitage hosts another evening in its Dialogue of the Arts series. The museum's curators come out to the public with musicians and talk about their collections — this time about Western European glyptics. How to get in, when to book, and how to leave after a late event. Checked against the Hermitage's announcement of 21 October 2026.
Cast-iron railings of St Petersburg: where to look and what differs
The Summer Garden, Kazan Cathedral, Sheremetev Palace and embankment railings — St Petersburg's cast-iron work as a genre of its own. Seven railings worth noticing.
An hour by Moskovsky Station: 5 walkable stops
Have 1–2 hours between trains at Moskovsky Station? Five realistic walkable stops: Vosstaniya Square, the start of Nevsky, Sadovaya, Erarta, the Oktyabrskaya Hotel.
To Ruskeala by car from Saint Petersburg: the road, petrol and where to stay
290 kilometres along Lake Ladoga in four and a half hours. Where to refuel after Priozersk, how long the canyon takes and why Sortavala makes the best base.
Vyborg and the Karelian Isthmus by car in a weekend
140 kilometres along the Scandinavia highway and you are in Russia's only medieval town. The castle, the pretzel and the cliffs of Mon Repos in two days.
Pushkin and Pavlovsk with kids: one day, two palaces, no transfers
The Catherine Palace in the morning, Pavlovsk squirrels after lunch. How to fit two palace towns into one child-friendly day.
From Pulkovo straight to Peterhof: skip the city centre
The airport and the palaces share the same shore: 35 kilometres, 40–50 minutes, no drawbridges. Why go through the centre at all?