Krestovsky is known for two things: the stadium and the park. But between the metro and the Gazprom Arena lie three kilometres of one of the best walks in the city — a park planted by residents right after the war, ponds, yachts on the Nevka and, at the end, an embankment looking out at the Lakhta Center, the Gulf of Finland and the sunset. Half a day is enough to cross the island and come back.
Alleys planted in the autumn of 1945. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A park planted in 1945
Primorsky Victory Park was founded on 7 October 1945: according to the park, tens of thousands of Leningraders came out that day to plant trees, and most of the limes, oaks and maples date from it. The park fills the middle of the island from the metro to the stadium — alleys, ponds with rowing boats, a big meadow, a rose garden. It is a city park with free entry. From Krestovsky Ostrov metro walk west along the main alley: ponds on the left, Divo Ostrov amusement park with its big wheel on the right — a separate couple of hours with children.
The ponds: boats in summer, skating in winter. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Yacht clubs on the Nevka
The northern shore, on the Middle Nevka, is lined with yacht clubs. The River Yacht Club is one of the oldest in Russia, founded in 1860; its grounds are closed, but the embankment along the moorings is open and in the sailing season it is the most "maritime" view inside the city.
Moorings of the yacht club on the Middle Nevka. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
To get onto the water rather than watch it, several operators run sailing and motorboat trips from Krestovsky and the Petrovskaya Spit; book ahead, especially for sunset. Options by duration and boat type can be compared on GetBoat.
The western tip: stadium and gulf
The park path leads to the Gazprom Arena, a 68,000-seat stadium built for the 2018 World Cup. On non-match days it is quiet, and the point is not the stadium but what lies beyond it: the embankment facing the Gulf of Finland, the Yacht Bridge to Lakhta, and the Lakhta Center tower on the far shore. Come an hour before sunset.
The stadium at the western tip of the island. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Lakhta Center across the water, the island's main view. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Yacht Bridge is pedestrian and crosses the Nevka to the 300th Anniversary Park at Lakhta; if you have energy left, cross and return from Begovaya metro.
The pedestrian Yacht Bridge to the 300th Anniversary Park. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
