Cossacks in dress uniform on Palace Square are a feature of the last five to seven years. Most are members of civic cossack organisations working the square as "tourist content" — paid photographs.
🪖 What they do
Tourist photos (200–500 ₽), sometimes short sabre demonstrations. The uniforms are historical — Don or Kuban cossack. These are not active military cossack units.
📸 Taking a photo
Agree the price before the shot — usually 300 ₽. You can also photograph from a distance for free. Keep it polite; cossacks have long memories.
🗺 Where to look
Palace Square, by the main General Staff arch. More frequent on weekends and holidays. Fewer in winter — too cold.
🚕 Getting there
Admiralteyskaya metro, five minutes. From Nevsky, ten minutes on foot.
🛏 Where to stay
Apartments on Millionnaya and near Palace Square 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: Rakoon, CC0, Викисклад
