The tram in St Petersburg is not a museum curiosity but working transport with an extensive network. It is also the best way to see the city on a day when walking is out of the question: the same view goes past the window, except you are sitting down and dry.
Three routes give you three different versions of the city. Start with number 6.
Tram 6 — across the Neva to Vasilievsky
From Finlyandsky station to Ulitsa Korablestroiteley, twenty-six stops. It starts on the Vyborg side, crosses the Neva, runs through the Petrogradsky district and ends on the far western edge of Vasilievsky Island.
This is the best first tram in the city: it crosses the water, passes through three districts of quite different character and finishes almost at the gulf. If you take only one, take this one.
Tram 40 — the long one
From Detskaya Street on Vasilievsky to Tikhoretsky Prospekt — forty-two stops, by way of the Baltic Shipyard and Politekhnicheskaya. Right across the city, southwest to north.
This is a journey rather than an outing: allow well over an hour. The point is different here — in one ride you watch St Petersburg change from an island of shipyards to the northern housing districts. There is almost no imperial centre on this route, and that is precisely its value once you have had your fill of Nevsky.
The Chizhik — a tram unlike the others
A separate line in the Krasnogvardeysky district, built and run by a concession company rather than the city. New rolling stock, dedicated track, a noticeably quieter and smoother ride.
Scenic it is not — the route runs through residential and industrial blocks in the northeast. But if you are curious what a modern Russian tram looks like, this is the clearest example in the country. Timetable and map at chizhik-lrt.ru.
If the trams get to you
At 77I Sredny Prospekt on Vasilievsky Island there is the Electric Transport Museum, housed in an old tram depot with real cars from every era. It rates 4.9 across nearly four and a half thousand ratings, there is an audio guide, and the nearest metro is Gorny Institut.
One caveat: the most frequent complaint in reviews is the opening hours — the museum is not open every day and closes early. Check the times at getmuseum.ru before setting out, or the trip to Vasilievsky will be wasted.
When a tram is the right call
In rain and wind. The advantage over walking the embankments is obvious in St Petersburg weather: it is the only way to see the city without getting soaked.
When you have already walked enough. Your legs are done and the day is not — sit down and carry on looking.
With children. A tram beats any museum simply because it moves, and something is always happening outside the window.
If you have half a day and a list of palaces, though, the tram is not for you. It is slow, and that is the feature rather than the flaw.
Practicalities
Payment is ordinary — a Podorozhnik card, a bank card or your phone, exactly as on the metro and buses. There is no separate tram ticket.
Avoid rush hour. A weekday morning after ten, or the middle of the day: the car is half empty and the window seat is free. On a Friday evening the ride becomes a crush and the whole point is lost.
Check the next tram on a map app. Intervals drift, and waiting at the stop on spec wastes the time you came to spend looking.
Routes change from time to time and sections close for track repairs, when trams are replaced by buses. The terminals and stop counts above are from Yandex Maps as of August 2026. Check before you travel: if your stretch is under repair, the ride is not worth taking.
The short answer
One route: number 6, from Finlyandsky station across the Neva to Vasilievsky. Want the full width of the city and the unglamorous St Petersburg: number 40. Curious about the trams themselves: the museum on Sredny Prospekt — but check the hours first.
