Here are 12 Non-Touristy And Unusual Things To Do In Saint Petersburg
Let’s face it, Saint Petersburg is the cultural heart of Russia. And there’s so many things to do here from museums to palaces to the opera.
But despite Russia’s stringent (and expensive) visa process, there are still a lot of tourists – namely Chinese tourists. As a result, some sightseeing attractions like the Winter Palace, Peterhof Palace, and Catherine Palace can have LONG lines.
And sometimes it’s nice to go the non-touristy and unusual route.
And you’re just in like! This summer I’ve spent 3 weeks in Saint Petersburg exploring the city and little outside the center.
As a result, I’ve come some pretty amazing non-touristy and unusual things to do in Saint Petersburg.
You won’t find big crowds and long lines at these places. Instead, you’ll experience history and a side of the city the touristy stuff can’t offer you.
1. Gatchina Palace
I’m still surprised that not many tourists have discovered Gatchina Palace.
Maybe it is because the palace is a bit of ways from the city center. Gatchina is about 26 miles (40 kilometers) from the city center.
You can get a cab ride there (via Yandex), but I decided to take the train because it was cheaper and the estimated travel time is about the same (1 hour).
You’ll need to take Metro line 1 (the Red line) to Baltiyskaya train station.
The train ride costs 103 rubles one way (about $1.5 bucks) – not bad, right?
The train is super smooth – not the fastest I’ve been on, but relaxing. The scenery isn’t the best to be honest, but just wait until you arrive in Gatchina!
Luckily the train station upon arrival is only a 5 minute walk from the palace.
So what’s so great about Gatchina Palace? Well, if you want to see an imperial Russian Palace WITHOUT the big crowds, you’ll love this place!
So a quick history lesson of Gatchina…
It was originally purchased by Catherine the Great for Count Grigori Orlov.
She purchased it for him to reward his loyalty in helping her stage a coup against her husband to become Empress of Russia.
Unfortunately, Orlov died two years after it finished construction. Catherine purchased back the property from his heirs and gave it to her son, the future Tsar Paul I.
Since then, the palace has been used by several generations in imperial Russia.
I find it interesting that Catherine Palace gets so many more visitors, despite both being a home for the royal family.
Gatchina Palace is pretty cool because it has reconstructed the royal family’s apartments in the museum.
2. Marble Palace
The Marble Palace is one of the smaller palaces in Saint Petersburg, but it’s well worth a visit if you have the time.
The palace is near the Field of Mars (park) by the Neva River.
You can’t miss it because there’s a GIANT statue of Alexander III riding a horse at the front of the place!
The palace was built by Count Grigory Orlov, one of Catherine the Great’s favorite supporters. And he was one of most powerful Russian nobleman of his time.
One of my favorite exhibits was on the second floor. They have a weird exhibit that combines science and art – I believe they called it sciart (not sure about the spelling).
But it basically looked like a combination of various shapes organized in cool ways.
3. State Museum
If you found the Winter Palace/State Hermitage museum to be too busy with long lines, then the Russian State Museum will be your style.
I would say it’s about 85% of the looks and artifacts of the Winter Palace, but with 70% less of the crowd.
And the State Museum houses some pretty incredible artifacts. In fact, it has the largest collection of Russian fine art! Plus, it’s one of the largest museums in the country.
And if that’s not cool enough, get this: the main building of the museum is Mikhailovsky Palace, the former residence of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich! It’s beautiful!
The first floor has a lot of beautiful oil paintings. Some of my favorites include those depicting battles and portraits of the royal family.
Also, since the main building was a former palace, you’ll still be able to see grand halls, golden rooms, and all the fancy stuff that used to be here.
Plus, while I was there they had a cool temporary exhibit featuring artifacts from the Incan Empire!
4. Yusupov Palace
If you’re into the history of Russia (especially of the Romanovs), then Yusupov Place should pique your interest.
The Yusupovs were one of Russia’s wealthiest and most powerful noble families. In fact, they lived almost as good as the Tsars!
The house is famous because it was where Rasputin was murdered.
He was a mystic that befriended Tsar Nicholas II, but was widely unpopular and seen as a charlatan by some of the nobles.
After Nicholas left St. Petersburg to oversee his armies in WWI, Rasputin was given tremendous influence over affairs in the city.
Anyways, the nobles lured Rasputin into the palace to kill him. At first, they tried to position his food and wine, but that didn’t appear to do anything to him.
Then, they finally shot him (3 times, including in the head) and then dumped his body into the nearby river.
Note – this occurred in late December, so it was rather cold to be thrown into the water.
The palace itself is incredible. The outside is colored a nice shade of yellow.
The inside has so many rooms – probably around 30 or so. They also have great English descriptions inside.
The rooms are incredible. I was surprised to learn that they even had a theater room inside the palace!
My favorite part was the billiards room. The table looked so fancy and incredible. It looked almost like a high end bar.
5. Music at Winter Palace
One of my favorite things to do is walk around the palace square near the Winter Palace at night.
There’s always local musicians and artists playing there so you’ll be treated to some awesome stuff.
And it doesn’t get too crowded at night (after 11 PM), so you’ll be able to enjoy all the pretty buildings and be treated to music.
Pro tip: if you’re going in the summer (especially during June), go during the White Nights.
Saint Petersburg is the northernmost city with a population of one million or more. And during the summer, daytime is around 20 hours, so it’ll still be relatively light out past midnight!
6. Mariinsky Theater
Even if you’re not a big fan of the opera/ballet, you should check out Mariinsky Theater.
And no, I’m not talking about just visiting the place or getting a tour there – I’m talking about going there for a show.
When I went there, the place was mostly filled with locals (families). So it was nice to get away from all the tourists.
Plus, when you book tickets, you will automatically get to choose your seat. This means the lines to get into the theater are super short and since seating is arranged, there won’t be a lot of pushing and shoving.
The Mariinsky Theater is a world renowned production. So if you get a chance to see a performance in person, it will be something to truly remember.
I decided to book tickets and had a blast. It was my first time at a big theater location like this.
I attended “The Firebird” it was a play without words, so you didn’t need to speak Russian to understand what was going on.
7. Museum of the Siege of Leningrad
Unfortunately, I was not able to go to this museum, since they are doing renovations until September 2019.
That’s a big shame because I would have loved to see the exhibits!
Saint Petersburg was for a time known as Leningrad (named after the first Soviet leader, Vladimir Lenin).
Anyways, the museum commemorates the Siege of Leningrad.
During WWII, Germany had sought to take control of Russia for its natural resources and to use its population as slaves to further their conquest.
The Nazi’s surrounded the city for nearly 900 days, cutting off major supplies.
1 million Russians died in the siege – or about 1/3 (33%) of the city’s population!
The winters were especially brutal for the inhabitants.
So if you’re in the city after September 2019, check out this museum and let me know how cool it was!
8. Saint Michael’s Castle
The story of Saint Michael’s Castle is a little ironic, so I think that alone makes it a worthy visit for anyone that wants to avoid the touristy stuff.
And I think this is the most “castle” looking building in the city.
First things first…the castle was named after Michael, a patron saint of the Romanov family.
So here’s the story. Paul I – who had a short rule as Emperor of Russia – was EXTREMELY paranoid of being assassinated.
He never felt safe in the Winter Palace and as a result, ordered the construction of Saint Michael’s Castle.
The castle was a bit safer because it was built on an artificial island and could only be assessed by draw bridge.
Ironically, Paul I was assassinated in his very own bedroom by a group of nobles.
They tried to force him to sign a document to abdicate the throne, but he refused and they killed him as a result.
Anyways, the actual building is unique because each side uses a different architectural style.
My favorite part of the castle was all the portraits of the royal family – super fascinating stuff!
And many of the interior rooms have been kept the same or restored, so you really do get that “palace” vibe.
9. Stroganov Palace
The Stroganov’s were one of Russia’s oldest and wealthiest families (I think some are even alive to this day).
Anyways, they originated around the early 16th century and financed the Russian conquest of Siberia.
Their descendants even served as nobles under the Romanovs in Imperial Russia.
The palace isn’t as big as some of the other ones in the city, but it is still worth a look to get a glimpse of noble life in Russia.
10. Oranienbaum
I didn’t have a chance to go to Oranienbaum, but I’ve heard it is super beautiful and less of a tourist destination than Peterhof.
It’s located 22 minutes (12 km) west of Peterhof.
Oranienbaum was a Russian royal residence. Plus, the Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To get here, your best bet would be to take the bus. I’m not sure if they have a ferry/boat here like they do to Peterhof.
You can take the boat to Peterhof, but you’ll need to pay the fee to get through the lower park. As a result, you’re better off taking the bus, or getting a Yandex.
The bus is pretty long – will take around 1.5 hours from the city center.
11. Pavlovsk Palace
This is another palace I didn’t get the chance to see. It’s outside of the city and close to Catherine Palace, so you could potentially combine those two palaces in one day.
If you do that, go to Pavlosk Palace first. They open about an hour earlier than Catherine Palace. Plus, Catherine Palace will be a lot busier in the morning, but quieter during the evening.
This was a Russian imperial palace built by Catherine the Great for her son, Grand Duke Paul.
After his death, it became the home of his widow, Maria Feodorovna.
It’s a bit smaller than most of the other palaces on this list, but still worth a visit!
12. Faberge Egg Museum
This is one of the more unique museums in St. Petersburg and there are few tourists here.
And most of the people visiting here were locals.
Unlike many of the museums in the city, this one is privately owned by Viktor Vekselberg.
The museum contains over 4,000 works of rare pieces from Russian history. The highlight of the collection is a group of nine imperial Easter eggs.
These eggs (called the Faberge Eggs) were presented as gifts for the last two Tsars of Russia.
The eggs are all incredibly intricate and some even have clocks on them!
They aren’t that big, but if you look closely, you can see how much work went into creating them.
The museum also includes a lot of the Romanov’s personal items like tobacco cases and much more.
If you’re interested in Romanov history, be sure to visit this museum. A lot of the cases have their personal pictures on them.
Unusual Things To Do In Saint Petersburg – Final Thoughts
Overall, Saint Petersburg is a really big city.
There’s so much to do here from museums to palaces to the opera. And luckily, many of the city’s best historic and cultural attractions are not super touristy.
So if you HATE big crowds and long lines, check out these places in the city instead. You’ll have a great time, I guarantee it!
Readers, do you have anything you think I should add to this list? Let me know in the comments!