Apraksin Dvor is a historic trading quarter in the very centre, between Sadovaya Street, the Fontanka and Gorokhovaya. Founded in the 18th century by the merchant Apraksin, it became the city's main wholesale market in the 1760s. Today it is a labyrinth of 15 blocks and 300 outlets.
🏘 Inside
Everything from Chinese clothing to tailors and craft workshops. In the depths — old merchant doors and narrow courtyard corridors. Apraksin is famous as a genuine, unstylised "Dostoevsky's Petersburg" — 19th-century atmosphere without a makeover.
🎨 Art zone
Part of the complex houses the Apraksin Theatre and art clusters: artists' studios, galleries, craft bars. This side of Apraksin has grown since the 2010s.
🗺 Not getting lost
The main landmark is Apraksinsky Lane, cutting through the centre. Entrances from every side. Walk through from Sadovaya to the Fontanka — 300 metres through the labyrinth.
🚕 Getting there
Sennaya Ploshchad or Sadovaya metro, five minutes on foot. From the centre, walk; from further out, RideClu.
🛏 Where to stay
Apartments near Sennaya and Sadovaya 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: Artyom Svetlov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Викисклад
