St Petersburg Cruise Port

St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in the 1700s to serve as a window to the west. With its imperial history and magnificent architecture, it is often considered one of the most beautiful cities in Russia. The Port of St Petersburg is the largest port in northwest Russia and serves as the primary gateway between Russia and the Baltic Sea. It is one of the world’s most popular cruise destinations. Ships docking in St Petersburg do so in the heart of the city, at Vasilevsky Island.  

How to Get to St Petersburg:

If you arrive in St. Petersburg on a cruise, you will likely head into the city center as part of an organized shore excursion and as part of a group visa. If you wish to go to it on your own, you may need to obtain an individual visa in advance, which can be time consuming and expensive. Visa rules may change without notice, so be sure to check with your travel agent when booking.

If you do visit St Petersburg independently, taxis are available at the port to take you into the center of the city, about a 15-minute ride and at a cost of around 600 rubles (about $20).

One Day in St Petersburg:

Once you are in the heart of St Petersburg, most major attractions are within walking distance of each other, but that doesn’t mean seeing everything will be easy – you will likely have to pick and choose based on your interests.

The city may be best known for the Hermitage Museum, the world’s second largest art museum after the Louvre. With more than three million works of art, the Hermitage’s collection is housed primarily inside the opulent Winter Palace, the former residence of the Russian tsars. Not far from the Hermitage you will find one of St Petersburg’s most photographed sites, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, with its colorful onion domes, as well as the city’s most famous boulevard, Nevsky Prospekt.

A visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress across the river from the city center will include a walk through the former prison (which housed political prisoners through 1917) and a stop at the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the final resting place of many Russian tsars. For the best views of the city, climb to the top of the dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest cathedral in the city and the most spectacular. Other sites of interest near the center include the Alexander Nevsky Cemetery, the Russian Museum, the Kunstkamera (the first museum in Russia and home to Peter the Great’s “collection of natural and human curiosities”) and the Yusupov Palace (site of the murder of mystic Gregory Rasputin).

If you have a particular interest in Russian imperial history, you may instead choose to take an excursion outside of the city to one of the imperial estates: Petrodvorets (Peterhof) or Tsarskoe Selo.

Port Information:

The local currency is the ruble and the local language is Russian. English is not widely spoken – if you venture away from the port on your own, try to get the location written for you in Russian to give to a taxi driver when returning. ATMs can be found at the cruise terminal and will likely provide the best exchange rate.  The port also boasts a tourist information booth, wi-fi, vending machines and souvenir shops.