Things to do in Kronshtadt

2026 Europe 50 - Family-friendly Attractions

Peterhof Palace

The magnificent summer palace is located in the quiet forest on the southern bank of the Gulf of Finland. It was built by order of Peter the Great in 1714, so it is also called Peterhof. Because of its luxurious and magnificent architectural style, the Summer Palace is also known as the "Russian Versailles". The Summer Palace is an early building in St. Petersburg. In the early 18th century, many large-scale balls, court celebrations and other activities were held here. Peter the Great would come here every summer before his death. The best way to visit the Summer Palace is to take a bus to the entrance of the Upper Garden, visit the Upper Garden, then visit the Lower Garden, and then leave by boat, while enjoying the beauty of the Gulf of Finland along the way. The Summer Palace consists of a French-style upper garden, a lower garden with more than 200 fountains, and many ingeniously designed fountains in the garden, with the Grand Palace in between. There is no need to buy a ticket to enter the upper garden, so tourists who come from land can enjoy the upper garden and buy a ticket to enter the lower garden. There are large grass gardens and sculptures in the upper garden. There are some small fountains here are sculptures depicting fairy tales. When the weather is good, you can see many locals strolling here, children playing, and newcomers shooting wedding dresses here. According to. At the end of the upper garden, you can see the great palace of Peter the Great. In front of the palace is the more striking golden waterfall fountain of the Summer Palace. Although the fountain is only open from May to October every year, no matter what Season, the exterior of these gilded sculptures looks so glorious and beautiful. The famous main fountain is called "Samson Fighting the Lion". In this golden sculpture with a height of 5 meters and a weight of 3 tons, Samson forcibly opened the mouth of a male lion, and its forceful gesture can be described as lifelike. . Behind the waterfall fountain is the grand palace of the Summer Palace. The interior and exterior are very ornately decorated, with gilded domes on both wings. The palace has a celebration hall, a banquet hall and a palace room. At that time, Peter the Great lived on the first floor, and Empress Catherine lived on the second floor. The second floor was luxuriously decorated. The upstairs was very ornately decorated. The columns of the ballroom were decorated with Venetian mirrors. Photography is not allowed in the palace. The overall size is much smaller than that of the Ekaterina Palace and the Winter Palace, and the decoration style is very similar. In addition, additional fees are charged, so many group tourists do not enter the inside to visit, but spend more time. in the lower garden. After coming out of the Grand Palace, we entered the Lower Garden, which spreads out in a fan shape towards the Gulf of Finland by the Grand Palace. Going down from the Grand Palace is a square. The lawn on the ground of the square is trimmed like a fine carpet. Gold-plated sculpture, glittering and lifelike. In the middle of the square is a river, and on both sides of the river are forests with towering trees. About one kilometer down the river is the vast Gulf of Finland. There are men and women in medieval costumes posing in many of the attractions in the lower garden, and you can choose to pay some money to take pictures with them as a souvenir. In addition, there is also the Marry Palace by the seaside of the lower garden, which is the private living place of the tsar.

Lower Park

Lower Park is located in Peterhof, a suburb of Saint Petersburg, bordering the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. It is a royal garden commissioned by Peter the Great in the early 18th century. Known for its magnificent layout of palaces and fountains, it is often called the "Versailles of Russia." The park is divided into two parts: the Upper Garden and the Lower Garden. The Upper Garden is known for its geometric flower beds, mirror pools, and symmetrical hedges, creating a quiet and elegant atmosphere. The Grand Palace lies on the ridge between the two gardens, and the Lower Garden directly in front of it is the highlight of the entire park. The core view of the Lower Garden, the Grand Cascade fountain complex, cascades down the natural slope. More than 60 groups of fountains and over 200 golden statues are layered on the steps, with water mist and golden light intertwined. The central Samson Fountain is famous for its gilded statue of the strongman prying open a lion's mouth. The water jet shoots into the sky, reaching a height of approx. 20 m, symbolizing Russia's victory in the Great Northern War. Remarkably, the entire fountain system does not rely on any pumps; it operates solely on water pressure formed by high-altitude springs and natural elevation drops, a design from 300 years ago that is still in use today. The garden is also dotted with sights such as the Chess Mountain Cascade. The straight Sea Canal extends from the Grand Cascade all the way to the Gulf of Finland, and the end of the tree-lined path along the canal leads to an open sea view. Please note that the fountains only operate during the warm season, typically from May to October each year. If you want to see the spectacular sight of all the fountains running, it is better to visit in summer. If you visit in winter, you can see another kind of quiet beauty where the golden statues are set against the snow.

2026 Europe 50 - Night Attractions

Winter Palace

The Winter Palace stands on the banks of the Neva River in Saint Petersburg. Construction began in 1754 under the architect Rastrelli. Its Russian Baroque facade—green walls, white columns, and gilded reliefs—stretches in a long row along the river. Long serving as the residence of the Russian tsars, the palace is now the core building of the Hermitage Museum. The museum's collection began with the private art treasures of Empress Catherine II and was continually expanded by successive tsars; it has been open to the public since 1852 and holds more than 3 million items, including paintings, sculptures, coins, furniture, and decorative arts, ranking alongside the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among these, ancient Greek vase painting, ancient Roman sculpture, and Western European painting are especially significant, and only a small portion is on permanent display. The palace contains over a thousand rooms, with more than three hundred galleries open to the public, and the exhibitions are arranged by category: primitive culture, ancient Greece and Rome, Oriental ethnic art, Russian culture, Western European art, coins, and crafts. The route linking the galleries is quite long, making it difficult to cover everything in a single day, so before entering you may want to first pinpoint the highlights you most want to see. Most of the museum's famous masterpieces can be found by gallery number: the ancient Egyptian mummies in Room 100, the gilded mechanical peacock clock crafted by 18th-century English artisans in Room 204, Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna in Room 214, the Raphael Loggias in Room 227 painted after the originals in the Vatican, Rubens's "Perseus Freeing Andromeda" in Room 246, Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" in Room 254, and Michelangelo's sculpture "Crouching Boy" are all worth a dedicated visit. Masterpieces by Matisse, Picasso, and other masters of the late 19th to early 20th centuries are mostly displayed in the General Staff Building exhibition area on the south side of Palace Square, so be sure not to go to the wrong place when seeking them out. The exhibition is divided into seven sections: primitive cultural history, ancient Greek and Roman culture and art, Oriental ethnic culture and art, Russian culture, Western European art history, coins, and crafts, arranged by region and chronologically across more than 350 galleries. The exhibition route totals 30 km in length, earning it the name of the world's longest art gallery. Must-sees: the Egyptian mummy (Room 100), the Peacock Clock (Room 204), Leonardo da Vinci's "Madonna" (Room 214), Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" (Room 254), Rubens's "Perseus and Andromeda" (Room 246), and the Raphael Loggias (Room 227). Rooms 333–350 on the upper floor house many artistic treasures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including major works by Matisse and Picasso, and are well worth a visit.

Morskoy Sobor Svyatitelya Nikolaya Chudotvortsa

This is an Orthodox church built to commemorate the Russian navy's victory in the Russo-Turkish War. The church's architecture blends Baroque and Neoclassical styles, boasting a magnificent exterior and exquisite interior decoration. The church houses many precious works of art and artifacts, such as 18th-century frescoes, gilded icons, and ancient books.

No. 6 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Theater is a historic building in St. Petersburg, opened in 1860. It was a famous Russian musical theater of the late 19th century, with Tchaikovsky, Mossorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov Many of his works premiered here. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, the Mariinsky Opera and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra.

No. 5 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Savior on the Spilled Blood

The Cathedral of Spilled Blood is located by the Griboyedov Canal, adjacent to the Mikhailovsky Garden and the Russian Museum. It is a rare authentic Russian architecture in St. Petersburg. In 1811, Tsar Alexander II was killed by members of the "will of the people" due to the failure of the revolution. Between 1883 and 1907, the Cathedral on Spilled Blood was built on the site of the Tsar's death, hence the name. The design of the Cathedral on Spilled Blood draws on the style of the Cathedral of St. Basil's Ascension. The colorful "onion head" roof is very eye-catching. The height of the chapel is about 81 meters high, which is quite majestic. The chapel is also elegant in outline and richly decorated, inlaid with intricate and vividly coloured image patterns, accompanied by richly coloured patterned tiles and enamel bronze panels. Among them, the gilded onion heads are famous all over the world. The whole church can be photographed from the other side of the Riboyetov Canal. The interior of the Cathedral of Spilled Blood is decorated with more than 7,000 square meters of exquisite mosaics, mainly depicting scenes and characters from the stories of the Bible. These mosaics are exquisitely processed from Italian-made marbles of different colors and Russian-made gems. Nearly 30 artists participated in the production, which can be regarded as artistic masterpieces. A marble bust of Shatrov stands where the Tsar was killed, as a memorial to Alexander II. There is a small market next to the Cathedral of Spilled Blood, where there are many souvenirs about the Cathedral and Russian characteristics. Near the church is the entrance to the Mikhailovsky Garden, which also leads to the Russian State Museum. If you have enough time, you can visit.

Kronstadt

Kronstadt is a port island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Saint Petersburg, once the base of the Baltic Fleet. Peter the Great captured Kotlin Island from Sweden in 1703 and established Kronstadt. A fortress was commissioned on May 18, 1704, and is considered one of the best and strongest maritime fortresses in the world. You can now visit the fortress and theNaval Cathedralon the island.

Menshikovskiy Dvorets

No. 12 of Best Things to Do in Russia

Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress is located on the Neva River in the city center and is an iconic ancient building in St. Petersburg. The fortress was laid by Peter the Great on Rabbit Island in 1703, where Peter the Great broke ground earlier to build St. Petersburg, and has stood for more than three centuries. The Peter and Paul Fortress has buildings such as Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Bell Tower, St. Peter's Gate, Peter the Great's Boathouse, the Mint, the Arsenal, the Kronwerk Fortress, and the December Revolutionary Monument. The most famous of them is the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which has a solemn appearance and a magnificent interior, with copper-plated chandeliers and colored crystal chandeliers. The interior walls of the church are decorated with 43 intricately carved woodcut statues. The church houses the tombs of the Russian tsars from Peter the Great to Alexander III, and many princes are also buried here. The gleaming spire of the church's tall bell tower is a symbol of Russian domination on the Neva River and the Baltic Sea Territory. First pass through the Ivanov Gate. The gate leading from the square to the fortress castle is called Petrov Gate, and it is decorated with a double-headed eagle in relief. The rear wall surrounding the fortress is 12 meters high and 2.5 to 4 meters wide, and there are also 6 bastions. Among them, the Nafushkin Fortress facing the Neva River will launch an empty shell into the air at noon every day to announce the time to the residents of the city. On the south side of the fortress are several military-related buildings, which have now been converted into museums. The St. Petersburg History Museum is also located here. This is a large-scale and rich museum that displays historical materials in the area from the Stone Age. It also uses small models, videos, etc. to display, which is very interesting. In addition, scattered along the battlements of the fortress is also a good way to visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, with amazing views of the Neva River and the cityscape on the opposite bank.

No. 6 of Night Attractions in Russia

St. Isaac's Cathedral

St. Isaac's Cathedral, also known as Isaac's Cathedral, is the largest church in northern Russia. The entire church has a magnificent architectural shape and is regarded as an outstanding work of late Russian classical architecture. It is one of the four cathedrals in the world. The church's altitude of about 100 meters is equivalent to the height of a 30-story building, and its golden "onion head" dome can be seen even in the distance. The entire church space can accommodate nearly 12,000 people at the same time. The majestic and grand architectural style is vividly interpreted. There are more than 10 huge stone pillars on each of the four sides of the church, each stone pillar weighing 120 tons, supporting the carved gables in double rows. The exterior wall of the church is veneered with gray marble, and the interior is decorated with precious minerals such as colored marble, malachite, and lapis lazuli. The gold used for decoration alone amounts to 410 kilograms, including about 100 kilograms used for gilding the outside of the dome. Since its completion in 1858, the church has not been re-gilded, but the dazzling posture of the dome is still enough to amaze visitors. The church was severely damaged in World War II, and it took more than 20 years to restore it to its present appearance after the war. On the polished granite pillars, bullet-riddled imprints can still be seen, which were not repaired during the restoration project, in order to warn future generations not to forget the past.