Winter in Russia: What to do in St Petersburg in winter? (Part 2)
December, 20/2016
“How do you survive when it’s winter in Russia?’’ – One of the FAQs that every Russian tour guide has to answer. It’s not a secret that it’s pretty cold in winter in Russia (December, January and February) but it doesn’t mean that the life stops. In this series of articles, we are looking through the most popular winter activities in St Petersburg.
December is the time when people get ready for the biggest events of the year – celebration of New Year and Christmas. Even though the days are shorter it’s still bright on the streets all the time! The point is that there are a lot of Christmas and New Year decorations and lights everywhere. In the fairy atmosphere, it is a lot of fun to visit one of the Christmas markets in St. Petersburg.
Fortunately, there is a number of them to choose from or visit the all: Christmas market on the New Holland Island, another one will take place in St. Petersburg Sport and Concert Complex (SKK Peterburgsky). One can visit Christmas fairs in different art spaces, such as Etagi (74 Ligovsky Prospect), Lumber Hall (74C Naberezhnaya Obvodnogo Kanala) and Tkachi (40 Naberezhnaya Obvodnogo Kanala).
In winter in St Petersburg all the rivers are frozen and you can safely walk on the ice in St. Petersburg. It is a great chance for ice-skaters to do their favorite activity! In many city’s parks they organize outdoor skating rinks right on the ponds or lakes. One can go ice-skating to an ice village in Peter and Paul Fortress, located in the heart of St. Petersburg. On December 28, a new skating rink is going to be open right on the territory of the fortress. For those of you how does’t like active winter sports there’s an option to visit the Festival of Ice Sculptures.
“All the world is a stage” – W. Shakespeare said once and was right. No trip will be complete without going to a local theatre. Fortunately, St. Petersburg is the right place for you if you are a regular theatre goer. The theatre season is in full swing in winter. St Petersburg, being the cradle of the Russian classical music (many of the famous Russian composers were born or studied here) provides a lot of theatre options. Best Russian and international ballet and opera artists perform on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. Among the most popular performances you can find the Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, Lady Macbeth, etc. If you’re looking for help to get your tickets feel free to contact Hello Russia Tours!
Find more winter activities in St Petersburg in our article Russian Winter (part 1)
