Russian Summer: What to do in St Petersburg in summer
September, 12/2016
What is the best time to come to St. Petersburg? And to Russia in general? Most of you will for sure say “Summer” and will definitely be right: warm sunny days, green parks, fountains and flowers. What else can a traveler wish for? There are actually a couple of things that can change your mind. Let’s take a look at our list of what to do in St Petersburg in summer. By the way, this series of articles presents an overview of summer, fall, spring and winter activities.
It’s not a secret that tourism is St. Petersburg is seasonal. Many people take the advantage to visit the biggest northernmost city in the summer time (from May to September). The warmest month in St. Petersburg is July with around +21°C (69,8° in Fahrenheit). Since St. Petersburg is located on the coastline of the Baltic sea the climate is quite humid here. However, constant breeze makes warm sunny days very comfortable and pleasant.
The calling card of St. Petersburg are its rivers and canals. Quite often do we call St. Petersburg the Northern Venice. Numerous boats drifting to and fro catch the attention of bystanders. Why not take part in this great activity? It’s a special impression of the city when you observe it from a different angle, pass by great buildings of the Hermitage museum, slip under the bridges and move along curvy canals. Boat tours are a must in the summer!
Russian Summer is really warm. It is the best time to visit one of main St. Petersburg attractions – Peterhof Palace. It is the residence of Peter the Great that later became a big center of the Russian court life. The residence is also knows as the Russian Versailles, and there is a good reason for this. Peterhof is a wonderful ensemble consisting the Grand Palace and Parks spreading along the cost of the Baltic sea. Fantastic fountains and sculptures, flowers and gilded statues make you cast beyond the moon.
The most sophisticated tourists know that the best time to come to St. Petersburg is from mid-June to mid-July – the period of the White Nights. Never heard of that? It’s a natural phenomenon that inevitably attracts a lot of tourists to St Petersburg in summer. Due to it’s location (59 degrees 57′ North) the nights in St. Petersburg are bright. You can easily read a newspaper at 2 a.m. without any lamps. Isn’t it a nice way for the city to save some money on the street lights, huh?
This is by far not the end of the list. St. Petersburg is very multisided – there are hundreds of museums, thousands of restaurants, bars and coffees, theaters, parks, shops etc. in the city. Even the most demanding travelers can find something to their tastes! Russian summer is very attractive for tourists. But if you are planning to come to St Petersburg in winter you can find some ideas here and here.
