Saint Petersburg in 3 days culturally: Hermitage, Russian Museum and city streets

Morning

The Hermitage opens at 10:30 — arrive at 10:00. The on-site queue in high season can be huge: buy tickets online in advance at hermitagemuseum.org (~$8). First Saturday of the month is free entry (queues are enormous).

Breakfast before the museum: at Buterbrod on Millionnaya or any cafe on the Palace Embankment. Early breakfast isn't Petersburg's strong suit — most cafes open at 9-10.

Afternoon

Inside the Hermitage, plan three to four hours minimum. Strategy for limited time: State Rooms of the Winter Palace (2nd floor), Knights' Hall, Egyptian collection, Impressionists (3rd floor, halls 315-348 — Monet, Renoir, Matisse). Don't try to see everything — the museum has 350 halls.

Lunch: at the Hermitage cafe inside (pricey, $12-25, but convenient) or step out to Palace Square and grab a bite on Nevsky (15-20 minutes on foot).

After lunch: Palace Square with the Alexander Column and the General Staff arch. Visit the new General Staff wing — it holds the Impressionist collection and rotating exhibits (included with the general Hermitage ticket).

Evening

Walk down Nevsky Prospect — from Palace Square to Uprising Square. Along the way: Kazan Cathedral (free, active), Anichkov Bridge with Klodt's horses, 19th-century facades.

Dinner: Winter Garden at the Astoria Hotel (pricey, atmospheric) or Graf Suvorov on Nevsky — Russian cuisine at reasonable prices. Or simply Teremok with blini — honest people's food for $4-6.

Morning

Breakfast on the Petrograd Side — one of Petersburg's most authentic quarters. Surf Coffee on Bolshoy Prospect P.S. or Coffee on the Kitchen (Bolshoy Prospect P.S., 85) — local classics with fresh pastries.

Morning walk down Kamennoostrovsky Prospect — sumptuous early 20th-century Art Nouveau. Apartment buildings with moldings, corner towers, mascarons. No guidebook needed — just look up.

Afternoon

Lunch on Petrogradka, then metro to the center (~$0.40) to the Russian Museum (Inzhenernaya St., 4, Mikhailovsky Palace). The world's finest collection of Russian art. Entry ~$6, online at rusmuseum.ru.

Must-see: Repin halls (Barge Haulers on the Volga, Zaporozhian Cossacks), Bryullov (Last Day of Pompeii), Aivazovsky (seascapes), 12-16th century iconostases. Allow 2-3 hours.

After the museum — the nearby Mikhailovsky Garden: free, beautiful, with Carlo Rossi's railing along the Griboedov Canal.

Evening

Evening in the Rubinstein quarter — Rubinstein Street has become Petersburg's top restaurant strip. Huge choice: Japanese, Georgian, Italian, Petersburg cuisine.

Recommended: Duo Gastrobar (Kirochnaya St., 8A) — modern author cuisine, one of the city's best. Book ahead. Or Khachapuria (Rubinstein, 12) — khachapuri, lobiani, house wine. $12-25.

Morning

Vasilievsky Island is a special part of Petersburg. The Strelka with the Rostral Columns in morning mist is one of the city's signature views. Vasilievsky Island Strelka: free; you can climb the Rostral Columns from April to October.

Nearby — the Stock Exchange and Kunstkamera (first Russian museum, 1727, Universitetskaya Embankment, 3). Entry ~$5 — historic anatomical specimens, ethnographic collection. Specific, but culturally important.

Breakfast on Bolshoy Prospect V.O. — the island's main shopping street. Tea House or Coffeemania in this area. $5-9.

Afternoon

The Peter and Paul Fortress — cross via Birzhevoy Bridge. Founded in 1703 — Petersburg began here. Now a museum complex. Free entry to the island; cathedrals and museums $3-5. Must: Peter and Paul Cathedral with the Romanov tomb (all tsars from Peter I to Nicholas II are buried here).

The fortress beach in summer (June-August) is unexpected: locals sunbathe right at the walls. The Neva is wide here, with a view of the Hermitage.

Evening

Final stretch: on foot across Troitsky Bridge back to the center, then the Moika embankment — Petersburg's prettiest canals. Stop by Pushkin's House (Moika Embankment, 12) — the apartment-museum where the poet died. Entry ~$5, deeply moving atmosphere.

Farewell dinner: Kochegarka (Kazanskaya St., 30) — new Petersburg cuisine in a cozy interior. Or classically — shchi and pies at Russian Fishing on Krestovsky Island (needs transfer, but the bay view is unforgettable).

If it's White Nights: at 1:30 AM head to the Palace Embankment to watch the bridges open. Palace and Birzhevoy give the best simultaneous view from the embankment near the Hermitage.

Rain in Petersburg isn't an exception — it's the default. Here's what to do:

• Hermitage — if you've already done the main building, head to the General Staff across the square: Impressionist collection, rotating exhibits and fewer tourists. The single ticket covers both; half a day here is easy.
• Russian Museum (Mikhailovsky Palace) — the world's best collection of Russian art. Rain outside, Bryullov and Repin inside — a classic Petersburg combination. Entry ~$6.
• Petrogradka cafes — Surf Coffee on Bolshoy Prospect or Coffee on the Kitchen (Bolshoy Prospect P.S., 85). Petersburgers know rain is for good coffee, slowly.
• Kunstkamera (Universitetskaya Embankment, 3) — first Russian museum, opened by Peter I. Anatomical specimens, ethnographic collections, history of science. Specific but genuinely interesting.
• Loft Project Etazhi (Ligovsky Prospect, 74) — multi-level art space with galleries, cafes, shops and a roof with a city view. On a rainy day there's always an exhibit or a window seat.

Tip: in Petersburg rain is a way of life. Locals don't hide at home — they go to museums, drink coffee on Nevsky and walk under umbrellas. Waterproof shoes are a serious recommendation.