How many times you to be to st petersburg

Упр. 209. Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple. 1. The sun (not to rise) yet, but the sky in t

he east is getting lighter every minute. 2. I (to see) you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag. 3. I (not to read) the newspaper today. 4. It is very late, and trams (to stop) running: we must find a taxi to get home. 5. How many times you (to be) to St. Petersburg? 6. At last I (to translate) this article: now I shall have a little rest. 7. We (to go) to the country yesterday, but the rain (to spoil) all the pleasure. 8. My watch was going in the morning, but now it (to stop). 9. The lecture (not yet to begin) and the students are talking in the classroom. 10. She just (to go) out. 11. She (to leave) the room a moment ago. 12. We (not yet to solve) the problem. 13. When it all (to happen)? 14. The morning was cold and rainy, but since ten o’clock the weather (to change) and now the sun is shining brightly. 15. Show me the dress which you (to make). 16. Oh, how dark it is! A large black cloud (to cover) the sky. I think it will start raining in a few minutes. 17. Oh, close the window! Look, all my papers (to fall) on the floor because of the wind. 18. When you (to open) the window? — I (to open) it ten minutes ago.

1. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but the sky in the east is getting lighter every minute. 2. I saw you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag. 3. I haven’t read the newspaper today. 4. It is very late, and trams have stopped running: we must find a taxi to get home. 5. How many times have you been to St. Petersburg? 6. At last I have translated this article: now I shall have a little rest. 7. We went to the country yesterday, but the rain has spoiled all the pleasure. 8. My watch was going in the morning, but now it has stopped. 9. The lecture hasn’t begun yet and the students are talking in the classroom. 10. She has just gone out. 11. She left the room a moment ago. 12. We haven’t yet solved the problem. 13. When it all happened? 14. The morning was cold and rainy, but since ten o’clock the weather has changed and now the sun is shining brightly. 15. Show me the dress which you have made. 16. Oh, how dark it is! A large black cloud has covered the sky. I think it will start raining in a few minutes. 17. Oh, close the window! Look, all my papershave fallen on the floor because of the wind. 18. When did you open the window? — I have opened it ten minutes ago.

№ 5 Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple.
1. The sun (not rise) yet, but the sky in the east is getting lighter

every minute. 2. I ( see) you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag. 3. I (not read) the newspaper today. 4. It is very late, and metro ( stop) running: we must find a taxi to get home. 5. How many times you (be) to St. Petersburg? 6. At last I (translate) this article: now I will have a little rest. 7. We (go) to the country yesterday, but the rain (spoil) all the pleasure. 8. My watch was going in the morning, but now it (stop). 9. The lecture (not yet begin) and the students are talking in the classroom. 10. She just (go) out. 11. She (leave) the room a moment ago. 12. We (not yet solve) the problem. 15. The morning was cold and rainy, but since ten o’clock the weather (change) and now the sun is shining brightly. 16. Show me the dress which you (make).

1. The sun has not risen yet, but the sky in the east is getting lighter every minute.

2. I saw you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag.

3. I have not read the newspaper today.

4. It is very late, and trams have stopped running: we must find a taxi to get home.

5. How many times have you been to St. Petersburg?

6. At last I have trans­lated this article: now I shall have a little rest.

7. We went to the country yesterday, but the rain spoilt all the pleasure.

8. My watch was going in the morning, but now it has stopped.

9. The lecture has not begun yet and the students are talk­ing in the classroom.

10. She has just gone out.

11. She left the room a moment ago.

12. We have not solved the problem yet.

13. The morning was cold and rainy, but since ten o’clock the weather has changed and now the sun is shining brightly.

I haven’t been to Moscow since last year

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В- следующих предложениях измените время гла­гола на Present Perfect. Переведите предложения на русский язык.

1. The pupils are writing a dictation. 2. My friend is helping me to solve a difficult problem. 3. I am learning a poem. 4. She is telling them an interest­ing story. 5. Kate is sweeping the floor. 6. The wait­er is putting a bottle of lemonade in front of him. 7. I am eating my breakfast. 8. We are drinking water. 9. He is bringing them some meat and vege­tables. 10. You are putting the dishes on the table. 11. They are having tea. 12. She is taking the dirty plates from the table. 13. The children are putting on their coats. 14. Susan is making a new dress for her birthday party. 15. She is opening a box of chocolates. 16. I am buying milk for milk shakes. 17. James is ordering a bottle of apple juice. 18. We are looking for more CDs with good music. 19. Are you recording your favourite film on his video recorder? 20. I am translating a difficult article from German into Russian.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в требу­ющейся форме, так чтобы получить Present Con­tinuous или Present Perfect.

1. What are you (to do) here? — I am (to write) a letter to my friends. 2. Who has (to write) this ar­ticle? 3. What language are you (to study)? 4. We have already (to learn) a lot of English words. 5. What is she (to teach) them? 6. Who has (to teach) you to do it? 7. He has just (to do) something for us. 8. Have you (to find) the book? 9. What are you

(to look) for? 10. What are you (to talk) about? 11. We have just (to talk) about it. 12. He has just (to say) something about it. 13. She is (to tell) them some interesting story. 14. He has (to tell) us noth­ing about it. 15. She has (to tell) them some stories about dogs. 16. We have (to have) two lessons to­day. 17. They are (to have) a meeting. 18. She has not (to speak) yet. 19. They have (to ask) me several questions. 20. He has already (to learn) the rule. 21. I am (to write) an exercise. 22. What is he (to do)? — He is (to read) a newspaper. 23. Have you (to read) any stories by Jack London? 24. I am (to answer) the telephone right now. 25. He has (to fix) his car and now he is (not to have) any trouble with the brakes anymore. 26. You have just (to hear) to­morrow’s weather forecast.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в требу­ющейся форме, так чтобы получить Present Con­tinuous или Present Perfect.

1. What’s the matter? Why he (to stop)? 2. My cousin (to look) for a job, but he (not to find) a job yet. 3. It (to be) impossible for her to feel at home here. 4. What you (to study) now? 5. They just (to give) you a pay rise. 6. Sophie is busy. She (to knit) a sweater for her grandson. 7. You only (to have) a piece of cake? You (not to eat) much. 8. People (to plant) carrots and tomatoes now. 9. You (to go) to plant tomatoes this year? 10. Johnny, who finally (to find) a new job, (to give) a big party. 11. How long you (to be) sick? 12. You (to see) any good mov­ies recently? 13. What you (to look) forward to? 14. Nancy (to look) forward to this weekend. 15. She (to go) to read Shakespeare and she (not to go) to

186 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

Употребление времен 187

think about work. 16. Mike (to leave) for work yet?

17. They (to pay) their electric bill this month?

18. How long you (to know) each other? 19. Your car (to make) strange noises. Is anything wrong? 20. The boy (to do) his homework and (to take) a karate lesson now. 21. I (to have) dinner with my friends at the moment and I am very happy to see them again. 22. Jay never (to travel) overseas. 23. We always (to have) a dog and a cat. We love pets. 24. Larry never (to own) a sports car.

Переведите на английский язык, употребляя гла­голы в Present Perfect или Present Continuous.

1. Она все еще печатает свою статью. 2. Мы ее давно не видели. 3. Бабушка с дедушкой уже на­вестили своих внуков. 4. Сейчас они сидят в гос­тиной и разговаривают о своей поездке. 5. Ты ког­да-нибудь был в Африке? 6. Он все сделал для нее. Теперь он еще собирается купить ей дом. 7. Кон­церт еще не начался, и мы сидим в зале и обсуж­даем свои проблемы. 8. Подожди меня! Я не взя­ла деньги. 9. Я только что позавтракал. 10. Он уже позавтракал. 11. Мы еще не завтракали. 12. Они все еще пьют чай в столовой. 13. Я уже сделал свои уроки. 14. Он все еще делает свои уроки. 15. У нас сегодня было три урока. 16. У них только что было собрание. 17. Она еще не читала этой книги. 18. Она все еще читает. 19. Кто это написал? 20. Что вы ему написали? 21. Я только что была у зубного врача и чувствую себя намного лучше. 22. Он говорит неправду. Он не сделал уроки. 23. По­чему он не обедает? — Он все еще разговаривает со своим другом по телефону. 24. Куда исчезла эта ленивая кошка? — Она вон там, спит перед ками­ном.

Сравните употребление Present Perfect и Past Simple

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple.

1. Helen speaks French so well because she (to live) in France. 2. She (to live) there last year. 3. The rain (to stop) and the sun is shining in the sky again. 4. The rain (to stop) half an hour ago. 5. Mary (to buy) a new hat. 6. I (to buy) a pair of gloves yesterday. 7. The wind (to blow) off the man’s hat, and he cannot catch it. 8. The weather (to change), and we can go for a walk. 9. The wind (to change) in the morning. 10. We (to travel) around Europe last year. 11. My father knows so much be­cause he (to travel) a lot. 12. I (to see) Pete today. 13. She (to see) this film last Sunday. 14. Alex (to meet) his friend two hours ago. 15.1 just (to meet) our teacher. 16. The children already (to decide) what to do with the books. 17. Yesterday they (to decide) to help their grandmother. 18. I (not to see) you for a long time. I (to see) you in town two or three days ago, but you (not to see) me. I (to be) on a bus.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple.

1. Last night I (to feel) tired and (to go) to bed very early. 2. Where you (to spend) your holidays?

3. You ever (to spend) your holidays in the Crimea?

4. While travelling in the Crimea I (to meet) your friend. 5. I never (to visit) that place. 6. He (to vis­it) that place last year. 7.1 just (to get) a letter from

188 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple.

1. I (not yet to eat) today. 2. He (not to eat) yes­terday. 3. You (to play) the piano yesterday? 4. You (to play) the piano today? 5. What you (to prepare) for today? 6. Look at this birdhouse. Mike (to make) it himself. He (to make) it last Sunday. 7. Where you (to put) my pen? I cannot find it. 8. You (to see) Mary today? 9. When you (to see) Mary? — I (to see) her last week. 10. Your mother (to promise) to take you to the theatre? 11. Look at my new dress! I (to make) it myself. 12. He is not at school today, he (to fall) ill. — When he (to fall) ill? — He (to fall) ill yesterday. 13. I already (to do) my homework. Now I can go for a walk. 14. I (to do) my homework yesterday. 15. He just (to come) home. 16. He (to come) home a minute ago. 17. Nick (to play) foot­ball yesterday. 18. She already (to come) from school. Now she is doing her homework. 19. I (to read) this book last year. 20. I (to read) this book this year. 21. I never (to be) to Washington. 22. You ever (to be) to New York? 23. You ever (to see) the eruption of a volcano? 24. I (to invite) Linda to the party. —

When you (to see) her? — I (not to see) her for ages. I (to call) her an hour ago.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple.

1. She just (to go) out. 2. She (to leave) the room a moment ago. 3. We (not yet to solve) the problem. 4. When it all (to happen)? 5. The morning was cold and rainy, but since ten o’clock the weather (to change) and now the sun is shining brightly. 6. Show me the dress which you (to make). 7. Oh, how dark it is! A large black cloud (to cover) the sky. I think it will start raining in a few minutes. 8. Oh, close the window! Look, all my papers (to fall) on the floor because of the wind. 9. When you (to open) the win­dow? — I (to open) it ten minutes ago. 10. The sun (not to rise) yet, but the sky in the east is getting lighter every minute. 11. I (to see) you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag. 12. I (not to read) the newspaper today. 13. It is very late, and trams (to stop) running: we must find a taxi to get home. 14. How many times you (to be) to St. Peters­burg? 15. At last I (to translate) this article: now I shall have a little rest. 16. We (to go) to the coun­try yesterday, but the rain (to spoil) all the plea­sure. 17. My watch was going in the morning, but now it (to stop). 18. The lecture (not yet to begin) and the students are talking in the classroom.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect или Past Simple.

1. It (to be) very cold yesterday. 2. When you (to meet) him? 3. I (not to see) him since 1997. 4. How

190 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

21. You (to read) all the books on this shelf?

22. I (not to see) my cousin since last year. 23. Why
you (to put) these things in the wrong place?
24. Why you (to leave) the door open? You will catch
cold sitting in the draught. 25. «We (not to meet)
for such a long time!» said my friend. «Yes, indeed,»
I answered, «and we both (to grow).»

Сравните употребление Present Perfect, Present Continuous и Past Simple

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect, Present Continuous, Present Simple или Past Simple.

1. What you (to do) here at such a late hour? You (to write) your composition? — No, I (to write) it

Present Perfect, Present Continuous,

Past Simple и Past Continuous

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Present Perfect, Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple или Past Continuous.

1. With whom you (to discuss) this question yes­terday? 2. I (to see) this film this week. I like it very much. 3. When I (to enter) the kitchen, I (to see) that my mother (to stand) at the table and (to cut) some cabbage. She (to cook) dinner. 4. As soon as I (to hear) a cry, I (to run) out of the room and (to see) that a child (to lie) on the ground and (to cry). «What (to happen)? Why you (to cry)? You (to hurt) yourself?» I asked. 5. They (to go) to the Hermitage

192 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

last week. 6. They (to be) to the Hermitage twice this week. 7. After school yesterday he (to come) home, (to have) dinner, (to read) an article from the latest magazine and (to begin) doing his homework.

9. Your brother (to return) from the north? — Yes, he (to come) a few days ago. 10. You (to be) to the Crimea? When you (to be) there? — I (to be) there in 2005. 11. Where (to be) your brother? — He just (to come) home. He (to take) a shower in the bath­room now. 12. As soon as I (to see) him, I (to under­stand) that he (to work) hard. He (to write) some­thing and (not to notice) anything. 13. When I (to come) home yesterday, the children (to run) and (to sing) merrily. «We (to learn) a new song!» they cried. 14. When the young man (to enter) the room, she (to look) at him in surprise. «What you (to want) to tell me?» she (to say). «Why you (to come)?» 15. It (to rain) hard when I (to leave) home yesterday, so I (to return), (to put) on my raincoat and (to start) again. 16. You (to work) right now? — Yes, I (to prepare) for the English exams. 17. Have a look! That (to be) the Golden Gate Bridge on your left. — Oh, it (to be) beautiful. I just (to take) a picture of it. 18. Where you (to learn) the news? 19. They al­ready (to think) of everything? They (to buy) a lot of food? — Yes, Mark just (to order) ten bottles of Coke and four kinds of mineral water. He (to men­tion) peanuts, but he (not to order) any. He (to think) of tea and fancy cakes. The shop (to charge) every­thing to Mark’s credit card. 20. Why you (to shiver)? — I (to shiver) because I (to be) cold. 21.1 (to sprain) my ankle again. 22. A world-famous violinist (to play) on tonight’s concert. 23. The children (to play) with their train set the whole evening yesterday.

Сравните употребление Past Simple и Past Perfect

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Past Simple или Past Perfect.

1. Tom (to return) from the cinema at five o’clock.

2. Tom (to return) from the cinema by five o’clock.

3. I (to finish) my homework at seven o’clock.

4. I (to finish) my homework by seven o’clock. 5. He (to think) that he (to lose) the money. 6. Ann (to tell) me that she (to see) an interesting film. 7. When I (to come) home, mother already (to cook) dinner. 8. When father (to return) from work, we already (to do) our homework. 9. When the teacher (to en-

194 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

ter) the classroom, the pupils already (to open) their books. 10. Kate (to give) me the book which she (to buy) the day before. 11. Nick (to show) the teacher the picture which he (to draw). 12. The boy (to give) the goats the grass which he (to bring) from the field. 13. Mother (to see) that Nick (not to wash) his hands. 14. The teacher (to understand) that Lena (not to do) her homework. 15. I (to know) that my friend (not yet to come). 16. When I (to wake) up yesterday, father already (to go) to work. 17. Nick (to think) that his father (not yet to come) home. 18. Mary (to tell) us that she (to cook) a good din­ner. 19. Yesterday I (to find) the book which I (to lose) in summer. 20. When we (to come) to the sta­tion, the train already (to leave).

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Past Simple или Past Perfect.

1. By two o’clock the teacher (to examine) all the students. 2. On my way to school I (to remember) that I (to leave) my report at home. 3. All my friends (to be) glad to hear that I (to pass) all the examina­tions successfully. 4. Poor Oliver (to lie) unconscious on the spot where Sikes (to leave) him. 5. He (to open) his eyes, (to look) around and (to try) to re­member what (to happen) to him. 6. All the passen­gers (to see) at once that the old man (to travel) a great deal in his life. 7. By the time we (to come) to see him, he (to return) home. 8. During the holi­days my friend (to visit) the village where he (to live) in his childhood. 9. When they (to enter) the hall, the performance already (to begin). 10. When I came home, my mother (to tell) me that she (to receive) a letter from grandfather. 11. Where you (to work) before you (to enter) the institute? 12. He (to study)

French before he (to enter) the university. 13. Lanny (to say) that he (to get) his education in Cape Town. 14. The boy (to want) to act the main part in the play because he (to organize) the theatre. 15. Lanny (not to know) who (to attack) him in the darkness. 16. The girl (to be) glad that she (to find) a seat near the win­dow. 17. Suddenly he (to remember) that he (not to ring) her up in the morning. 18. By the time the train (to reach) the city, he (to make) friends with many passengers. 19. When my uncle (to leave), he (to hur­ry) to the station to book a ticket. 20. She (to think) that Gert and Lanny (to quarrel).

Сравните употребление Past Simple, Past Continuous и Past Perfect

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Past Simple, Past Continuous u Past Perfect.

1. By eight o’clock yesterday I (to do) my home­work and at eight I (to play) the piano. 2. By six o’clock father (to come) home and at six he (to have) dinner. 3. By nine o’clock yesterday grandmother (to wash) the dishes and at nine she (to watch) TV. 4. When I (to meet) Tom, he (to eat) an ice cream which he (to buy) at the corner of the street. 5. When father (to come) home, we (to cook) the mushrooms which we (to gather) in the wood. 6. When I (to see) Ann, she (to sort) the flowers which she (to pick) in the field. 7. When I (to come) home yesterday, I (to see) that my little brother (to break) my pen and (to play) with its pieces. 8. When I (to open) the door of the classroom, I (to see) that the teacher already (to come) and the pupils (to write) a dictation. 9. When I (to come) home, my sister (to read) a book which she (to bring) from the library. 10. When mother (to

196 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

come) home, the children (to eat) the soup which she (to cook) in the morning. 11. When I (to ring) up Mike, he still (to learn) the poem which he (to be­gin) learning at school. 12. When I (to look) out of the window, the children (to play) with a ball which Pete (to bring) from home. 13. By ten o’clock the children (to settle) comfortably on the sofa and at ten they (to watch) a film on TV.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Past Simple, Past Continuous u Past Perfect.

Last night we (to go) to a football match. We (to take) a bus. The bus (to be) overcrowded as many people (to want) to see the match. We (to get) off the bus and (to go) in the direction of the stadium. While we (to cross) the road, I (to see) Victor. He (to stand) at the corner. He said he (to wait) for his friend who (to come) to St. Petersburg the day be­fore and (to wish) to see the new stadium. A man (to come) up to me and asked if I (to have) a spare tick­et for the match. Victor told us that two boys just (to ask) him whether he (to have) a spare ticket. We (to enter) the stadium just as the football players (to come) out on to the field. At the entrance to the sta­dium we (to meet) Sergei. He (to show) us to our seats and (to ask) me if I (to play) football in my childhood. We (to agree) to meet in the snack bar during the interval.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Past Simple, Past Continuous u Past Perfect.

1. There (to be) two men in the room. One of them (to write) something while the other (to read) a news-

paper. 2. He (not to tell) me that he (to receive) a telegram from her. 3. I (to ask) him if he (to know) where she (to live). I (to say) I (not to know) her ad­dress. 4. He (to ask) me if I (can) give him your ad­dress. 5. She (to say) that he (to give) her the wrong address. 6. I (to ask) him where he (to put) my let­ter. 7. He (to tell) us that they (to spend) all the money. 8. I (to sit) in an armchair and (to think) of my coming trip across the North Sea when the door suddenly (to open) and an old friend of mine whom I (not to see) for a very long time (to enter) the room. 9. She (to come) to see us just at the time when we (to have) dinner. It (to be) the first time I (to see) her. 10. I (to see) him just as he (to leave) the hotel. 11. I (not to see) him before we (to meet) at the con­cert. 12. He (to leave) the house before I (to have) time to ask him anything. 13. After spending sever­al days in Paris he (to feel) lonely and (to want) to return home. 14.1 (to think) he already (to go) home. 15. I (to find) the old man in the garden. He (to talk) to some children who (to stand) around listening to him. 16. He (to speak) a language we never (to hear) before. 17. He (to tell) me he (to learn) it from the newspaper. 18. He (to enter) the room, (to take) something from the desk and (to go) out.

Раскройте скобки, употребляя глаголы в Past Simple, Past Continuous u Past Perfect.

1. I (to return) to the hotel only late at night as I (to lose) my way in the fog. When I (to come) up to my room, I (to see) Pete who (to stand) at the door of the room. He (to wait) for me as he (to lose) his key and could not get in. 2. When I (to wake) up, it (to be) already ten o’clock. I (to call) my brother. Nobody (to answer). He already (to leave). 3. I (to

198 ГРАММАТИКА. СБОРНИК УПРАЖНЕНИЙ

go) up to the open window. The rain (to stop) and the sun (to shine) brightly. The birds in the garden (to sing). The morning (to be) fine. 4. When the rain (to stop) I (to look) out of the window and (to see) John who (to stand) under a tree waiting for me. 5. When I called at his house, they (to tell) me that he (to leave) an hour before. 6. When I came to the station, I (not to find) my friend there as I (to be) five minutes late and the train (to leave). 7. He (to want) to visit the place where he (to live) in his child­hood. 8. The telegram (to come) some minutes after he (to leave). 9. She (to look) very tired as she (to work) hard.

The Top 11 Things To Do In Saint Petersburg, Russia – Tips From A Local!

UPDATED: MAY 2019

Saint Petersburg in Russia is an amazing city that I simply admire! In my honest opinion, it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world (and I am not only saying that because I am Russian!).

If you are heading there for the very first time, I am so happy for you. You will surely have a great time and I am sure this list with the best things to do in St. Petersburg will come in handy!

Even if you were not planning to visit this destination in the near future, read my St. Petersburg guide nonetheless! You might add it right to your bucket list after this! 😉

Thanks to its royal history, St. Petersburg is a unique city. This is where the Tsar family used to live 300 years ago, and all the extravagant Russian royal palaces can be found here, too, and not in Moscow.

St. Pete, or “Peeter”, as we call it in Russia, the city of Peter the Great and Queen Ekaterina, can offer so much to any traveler, regardless of if they are visiting for the first or tenth time!

While you can easily stay for two weeks and discover the city and its surroundings, there are some places and things to do in Saint Petersburg that you simply must do no matter how long you are there!

Here is my list of the 11 best things to do in St. Petersburg, Russia, that I carefully crafted for you:

If you want to visualize all the attractions I talk about, here is my Saint Petersburg map (the yellow pins are for my selections of best things to do and the pink ones are for the bonus activities):

You might find it boring that I included a museum as the #1 best thing to do in the city, but believe me, the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is an absolute must-do while in the city!

Hermitage (“Эрмитаж”- rus.), or The Winter Palace as we also call it here, can easily compete with the Louvre with the number of masterpieces stored inside.

This is actually one of the oldest museums in the world and it includes works by Van Gogh, Monet, and even Leonardo da Vinci! And yes, if you want to visit everything at your own pace, your visit will most probably take more than one day as the museum is very large, so make sure to plan your visit carefully!

It is worth mentioning the museum’s location as well – at the Winter Palace of Empress Catherine, which is an ex-Royal Palace of Russian Tsars (trust me, Russian kings knew a thing or two about luxury life!) – which I truly believe makes it an absolute must for a jaw-dropping experience! This is one of the most famous buildings in St. Petersburg!

How to buy tickets the smart way:

I recommend buying tickets online, as there might be long lines at the museum. If you did this, congrats, you have skipped the long lines and you can now enter using the special queue for the selected people that have online tickets (read – no line!). Check this map to see the entrances.

PRO TIP 1: In case you did not do your homework and you don’t have your tickets bought ahead of time – be smarter than all those tourists lining up! You can also buy your ticket in the yellow building (called the Modern Art Museum) that is located right in front of the Hermitage. Then, you can easily go to the main entrance, bypassing the queue!

NOTE: If you are a student – you can get in for free, but you will have to stand in line with everyone else to present your ID in order to buy the discounted ticket.

PRO TIP 2: On every third Thursday (not Sunday) of the month the entrance is free of charge for all visitors.

PRO TIP 3: If you want to get a professional guide that speaks great English (but also German, Italian, Spanish and French) for a small group of up to 8 people and skip the line at the same time – this tour is great for you!

UPDATE: One of my readers told me that you can now buy tickets on the Russian version of the website only if you type your name in Cyrillic. I think this is not fair to our foreign guests, so here is how to trick the system – just use this site to transliterate your name into Cyrillic and copy-paste it to the buying form on the website. It is not always correct though, so I advise matching it with your Cyrillic name on the visa. Also, I don’t think that it will be a problem if you make a mistake with your name – it is a museum ticket, not an airplane one, no one actually checks your name there!

Once you have your printed ticket, the barcode will be scanned at the entrance and voila, you are in! Here is the map to see where the entrance is located for you.

NOTE: Like most of the museums in the world, the Hermitage is closed on Mondays. Usually, the museum opens at 10:30 AM and closes at 6 PM, but on Wednesdays and Fridays it is open until 9 PM. It is a good idea to visit during the second part of the day because huge groups of cruise ship tourists usually leave by 3-4 PM. Check the up-to-date schedule here.

2. The Palace Square

The Palace Square is located right in front of the Hermitage Museum; it is basically impossible to miss it!

In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful squares in the world and you might already know that it is one of the main St. Petersburg tourist attractions! It is huuuuuuge (bigger than the Red Square in Moscow). This is the place where you can feel how enormous and opulent the Russian Empire was. This square witnessed both posh emperor parades and drama during the revolution and many Russians consider it to be among the 10 most beautiful places in Russia!

When you’re there, you can stare at the Alexander Column that is located right in the center of the square. The column is 47.5m tall, weighs 704 tons and it does not have any foundation!

Can you even imagine it? A huge 704-ton column stands in the middle of the square under its own weight. It is so heavy, it does not even need a foundation!

No worries though, we had some great engineers back in those times so the column is designed perfectly and it’s not going to fall down!

There are plenty of musicians and people that sit right at the base to prove my point, in case you do not believe me. Pay a visit – it is so worth it!

3. Cathedrals and churches!

There are so many great cathedrals and churches in St. Petersburg to visit that it can be so hard to choose! I decided to group them in one section so you can easily decide which could be your favorite.

These are the three main cathedrals that are an absolute MUST in St. Petersburg:

1. Kazan Cathedral

The Kazan Cathedral is located on Nevsky Prospect, the main street of the city that I strongly recommend strolling around. It is the main cathedral of the city and they call it the “little brother” of the Vatican; you will see why when you get there!

WORKING HOURS: Open daily from 7 AM to 6 PM.

PRICE: Entrance is free of charge.

2. St. Isaac’s Cathedral

Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg serves as a museum now and the colonnade above has a wonderful overview of the city from 43 meters up! This is the largest Orthodox church in the world and the fourth largest cathedral in the entire world (it has space for 14,000 people standing inside)! Also, don’t miss the statue of the Bronze Horseman located right in front when you leave St. Isaac’s Cathedral – it has become one of the most recognizable symbols of St. Petersburg!

WORKING HOURS: Open from 10:30 AM to 6 PM and until 4:30 AM during The White Nights in the summer.

If you want the whole experience and explanations for what’s inside, I recommend you book a private guided tour of the Cathedral!

3. Church of the Savior of Blood

It is also known as the Church of Spilled Blood or “Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi” in Russian. Many people mix this one up with Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. It is, indeed, quite similar as it is made in the colorful “Russian style”.

The church has a very long and interesting history, including a period when it served as a warehouse for food during World War II and it actually marks the place where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. Now it is a working church again.

WORKING HOURS: From 10 AM to 6 PM. On Wednesdays it is closed. From the 1st of May until the 30th of September it is open until 10:30 PM.

I recommend taking a tour if you want to get to know the history of the place and learn about the details and mosaics inside. For example, this tour that includes the Spilled Blood Church and Peter and Paul Fortress (more details below) can be a great option!

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4. Watch the bridges open during a drawbridges tour

If you are looking for something to do in St. Petersburg at night, you have come to the right place!

St. Petersburg is also known as the city of bridges – and guess what? They open them up every night for the big cargo ships to pass through. This is a really BEAUTIFUL show that you should not miss!

Not sure why it took me years to do this, but I only took a drawbridges tour the 4th time I visited. But, I can say it is one of the most interesting things to do in the city to truly feel its spirit!

The first bridge opens up at 1:25 AM and then they go up one by one and, of course, it is much more beautiful to see it from the water when you are on a boat. That way you will see the opening “from the inside”, observe all the details and not be lost in the crowd. Plus, if you are doing it by boat, you will be able to catch the opening of all the main bridges!

If you do not mind a small language barrier (which should not be too much of an issue as you are going to see a spectacular show and the information is not that important), then this tour of drawbridges at night will be great for you (use Google translate to buy the tickets)! I have taken this tour with my foreign friend and he loved it (as I said, no translation needed).

If you want to see the show from the land, that is fine – just make sure you are on the right side of the river, otherwise you will have to wait until they close the bridges and open them to traffic (at about 3 AM) to get back to your hotel!

5. Visit the Mariinsky Theatre

– Is she being boring again with her theater recommendations?

– Well, what can I say guys, you are visiting the cultural capital of Russia after all!

The Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg is the main competitor of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, except the prices are much lower here than in the capital! 😉

This theater was always famous for its fantastic opera and ballet performances – needless to say, it is also one of the top things to do in St Petersburg, right? And before you tell me that you don’t understand Russian – you don’t have to, as there are English subtitles!

So I can definitely say that going to a play, opera or ballet is an absolute must-do in Russia, as we are well-known for this art!

You can book your tickets here. Make sure to double check if your play has English subtitles.

NOTE 1: Keep in mind that there is not only one, but a couple of buildings that belong to the Mariinsky theatre. The brand new one is spacious and it has great acoustics, so I think it is more interesting to visit it!

NOTE 2: The opera play I have been to (“Idiot” by Dostoevsky) only had Russian subtitles. Even though it said “English subs” on their website, it just did not work when we were there. This is why I suggest you call and ask – it never hurts! You can ask your hotel to do that for you, or just call them yourself (see my SIM card options below). I am quite sure somebody should be able to reply in English!

NOTE 3: Do not be late! Picture this – you paid for your tickets and you are supposed to have some good seats, but because you were late, you will be seated in some random free spots somewhere on the balcony (until the break, when you can change). Try to arrive 15-20 minutes in advance, just to be safe.

PRO TIP: If you did not manage to buy your tickets on time or the only tickets that are left are outrageously expensive, but you really want to go, I might have a solution for you! Just arrive about 1-1.5 hours before the show and you will probably see some resellers there. Bargain hard with them (use body language or write the price, they will probably speak basic English too) and you will get your ticket this way.

6. Climb the roofs of the city

You were waiting for some real action, weren’t you? Let’s see if you are brave enough for this one!

Locals LOVE to climb on the roofs and admire the Saint Petersburg sights; they even organize romantic dates there. If you want to, you can even propose on the roof – there are companies that specialize in providing this service!

If you decide to take a rooftop tour in St. Petersburg, you will get to see a view like this. I bet none of your friends can brag they have a picture like this in St. Pete, can they?

To be completely fair, roofing is technically illegal in the country, but there are a handful of St. Petersburg tours that are known to be safe. Don’t worry, I would not recommend it if I was unsure about it. But please use common sense, you still have to be careful while you are up there.

Experienced roofers will take you up one of the buildings. As long as you follow their advice, it is safe to be there and they also have agreements with the locals who live in the building, so no worries about that. This is the rooftop tour I took – it is 950 RUB ($14.50) and it is in English.

I chose to go up at sunset so I could watch the red-colored sun hiding behind Isakiy Cathedral. What an unforgettable experience!

PRO TIP: Make sure to bring some comfortable, suitable shoes (and your camera!) and you will have a lot of fun!

7. Peter and Paul fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress was built in 1703 by Peter the Great to protect the territories that were conquered by Russia in Sweden and you should add it right away to your list of things to see in St. Petersburg!

The fortress (known as “Petropavlovskaya krepost” in Russian), marks the exact spot where St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. Later on, it was used as a prison and execution ground for the Bolsheviks, until the 20th century. From 1954 until now, a museum called the State Museum of Saint Petersbourg History has been there.

Oh, and did you know that the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is the tallest building in the city?

If you decide to go there, you can just walk around on the island (called Zayachiy Island or Hare Island) or visit one of the many museums including the Emperor’s tomb in the Petropavlovsky Cathedral. Here is a cool interactive map of the attraction.

Admission to the fortress is free. However, you have to pay to get into the museums if you wish to visit them. There are different options depending on what you want to visit, check the rates here.

PRO TIP: Don’t miss the daily firing of the cannon from the Naryshkin Bastion at noon!

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8. The Admiralty

The Admiralty used to be a shipyard for the Baltic fleet and a fortress at the same time.

The first ship sailed from there in 1706 (with the participation of Peter I himself, who was an expert in shipbuilding). Now the place is completely rebuilt and it has a gilded spire with a little ship on the end.

The ship has become a symbol of St. Petersburg, so you will probably see it on many postcards and magnets!

If you want to go to St. Isaac’s Cathedral during your visit to St. Petersburg, you can visit this attraction as well as it is only two minutes away by foot.

9. See some peculiarities at the Kunstkamera Museum

The Kunstkamera Museum might actually be one of the weirdest museums you will ever visit!

No, this time I do not invite you to enjoy fine art because this museum is far from that! Instead, if you go there, you will see some… peculiarities!

Kunstkamera (or, officially, the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography) was the very first museum in Russia and is one of the oldest in the world. The museum was founded, you guessed it, by Peter the Great.

Back in those times, human or animal malformations of any kind were looked at as black magic, even the devil’s creation. People were scared of them.

So what did the Tsar (Peter the Great) do? He sought to educate people and fight against those superstitions. He gave a prize to anybody who would contribute to his museum of peculiarities – a deer with two heads, a baby with a huge head – every kind of abnormality was welcomed there!

In fact, there are quite a lot of babies there, “marinated” in jars! So I dare say this is one of those unique places to visit in St. Petersburg that you will never forget!

I visited this museum when I was only 15 years old and it completely freaked me out! I remember my mom was pregnant back then and I honestly don’t know how she could be so calm looking at all those babies.

To be fair, the museum holds thousands of ethnographic, anthropological and archaeological artifacts from all over the world and this was only one of the exhibits there. But, of course, it is the one I remember most!

10. See the maquettes of Russia and St. Pete

There are two scale model museums in St.Petersburg that I really like and I am sure that, if you are into tiny, realistic models, you will enjoy them as well!

The first one is about Russia and the second one is dedicated specifically to St. Petersburg.

The Grand Maket Show Museum covers around 800 square meters of the colossal working layout of different cities in Russia. The exhibit gives you a chance to have a glimpse of the country nowadays in less than one hour! Grand Maket is one of the great activities to do in Russia if you are traveling with kids – they will have lots of fun as the exhibit is dynamic – all the trains and cars are moving, and many objects can even be controlled by visitors! Sounds fun, right?

Petrovskaya Akvatoria shows how “the northern capital” (one more way to refer to St. Petersburg) looked in the 18th century.

25,000 tiny pieces were carefully used to create the model where everything has its own place and meaning. It even changes from day to night time and you can see tiny people dancing at the balls in the palaces during the night. I mean, how cool is that?

I highly recommend visiting it, as it is located only five minutes away from the Palace Square. But I advise you to go when you’ve already gotten to know the city a bit better, maybe after two-three days of visiting.

The English guide (included in your ticket) will tell you some fascinating facts about the old places during those times. NOTE: If you want the tour in English, please send them an email with the time of your ticket in advance. Here are the contacts. If you did not write in advance, no worries, there is an audio guide that you can rent for 100 RUB ($1.50).

11. Get wet at Petergof

Last but not least – Petergof (or Petrodvorets) is an imperial palace located in the suburbs of St. Petersburg (around 30km away from the city) and was built by Peter the Great as well.

Now, you might have the impression that all the amazing things in St. Petersburg were built by Peter the Great. Yep, that is pretty much true! 🙂

Petergof is also known as “the Russian Versailles”! Peter the Great was, indeed, inspired by French architecture. Even though this place is not as big as Versailles, in my humble opinion it is much more beautiful and fun than Versailles (yes, I know, I am biased, but it is true!).

If you want to find out more, you can take a tour that will explain its history, take you to the upper and lower parks and explain the unique system of the famous Samson fountain.

If you prefer buying regular tickets, you can find them here.

FUN FACT: There are more than 144 fountains and 500 statues at Petergof! Plus, the main fountain plays classical music at 11 AM during summer days.

The best time to visit Petergof is in the summer, but the park is open and all fountains operate from May to early October.

How to get to Petergof from Saint Petersburg:

Petergof! It is not complicated to get there, don’t worry!

Here are a couple of options – an expensive one and a budget one. You can choose the one that works best for you:

Adventurous option (nothing crazy, you just need to take public transport): Get to either “Avtovo” or “Leninskiy Prospect” metro stations and take a “marshrutka” (a minivan with a fixed route) that has Peterhof (Петергоф) written on it. The driver is usually outside calling for passengers, or you can just ask him “Peterhof?” See, no Russian knowledge needed!

Don’t worry, you can’t miss the stop, it is the last one!

If you don’t want to take care of all the details about getting there and buying your tickets, I recommend you take a Petergof half-day tour like this one (hotel pick-up and drop-off included) or this Petergof group tour by bus!

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Bonus Things To Visit in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The only reason these places did not make it to the top of the list is because it already had so many suggestions, I could not squeeze them all in! Nevertheless, these activities and attractions are awesome as well, so you should consider visiting these sights too:

SIDENOTE: Leningrad is an old communist name for St. Petersburg

Bonus – Day trips from Saint Petersburg

If you have even more time during your stay, don’t worry – there are still plenty of interesting places to visit and things to do near St Petersburg!

All of these places are reachable in an hour trip from St. Pete, so you can easily make it a day trip:

Bonus – Useful things to know

Now that we discussed all these things that you must see and do in St Petersburg, Russia, I could not leave you without some useful information as well, right?

Good restaurants in Saint Petersburg

Here are some good places where you can have a delicious meal while in St Petersburg:

Where to stay in St Petersburg, Russia

There are an abundance of hotels in all price ranges in St. Petersburg, so you have plenty of options to choose from!

Try to choose a hotel that is within walking distance of a metro station so all the attractions will be easily reachable.

Now, about the visas – by law, every foreigner is supposed to be registered by the authorities. If you are visiting St. Pete as part of an organized group, all the formalities will be taken care of ( if you are in St Pete for max 3 days as part of a cruise, you don’t even need a visa). If you are staying in a hotel, you also don’t need to worry about anything – they will take a copy of your passport and deliver your registration paper to the authorities themselves.

In case you are staying in an Airbnb or with friends, you will need to take care of the visa by yourself. I strongly do not recommend this. I once had to do it for my friend. We spent hours in line and everything was in Russian so he couldn’t even fill in the papers by himself. Thus, I think the best option for all foreigners is to stay in a hotel for at least the first night so that the hotel will take care of your registration in the country and save your time and nerves.

Here is my list of recommended St. Petersburg hotels – all of them have fabulous reviews, best-rated locations and they do the registration (for a visa) if you need it:

How to get around in Saint Petersburg

1) Taxis are quite cheap (especially with the recent currency fluctuations). The normal fare in Saint Petersburg would be 35-40 RUB (now

These are the companies that locals use in Saint Petersburg and all of them have a phone app, of course:

2) Don’t skip the metro!

Metros in Moscow and Saint Petersburg are so beautiful, you can take a separate tour to visit them. I recommend you download this application on your phone, as it will help you calculate the fastest route with the metro, changed lines included. 1 metro ride costs just 45 RUB at the moment (about 70 US cents).

NOTE: Oh, and one more thing – if you want to ask people about the nearest subway station, use the word “metro” instead. Russian people who speak little English will point at the fast food chain that is called “Subway” instead! 😉

How to get from the Saint Petersburg airport to the city center

There is only one airport in the city – it is called Pulkovo Airport. Here is how you can get from the Saint Petersburg airport to the city center:

Which SIM card to get in Russia

If you arrive during working hours at the airport, you can get a SIM card with Internet right there.

The companies I recommend are – Beeline (the one that I also use), Megafon, Tele2, MTS (written МТС).

You could do some research on all their websites in advance (Google translate them) to understand which one currently has the best promotions, but you can also just stop by in any of those offices with your passport and get a SIM card, as the price difference is really not that significant!

NOTE: if you are going to travel to Moscow or do the Trans-Siberian region, make sure your Internet will work in all regions, not only in the Leningrad (domestic) region!

When to visit Saint-Petersburg

We have this entire list of things to do there, but when is the best season and month to travel to St. Petersburg?

I have visited St. Petersburg 4 times, every time in June – August. These are usually the sunniest periods in the city. Not only that, but you will also be able to enjoy a natural phenomenon that is called the “White Nights” if you go in July. It is really cool and I totally recommend it! It is basically a never-ending day and even though there is no sun during the night, it is still light! I have only seen something similar to this in Sweden.

I have never been to Saint Petersburg in autumn, but I have heard from my friends that September – Early October can be incredibly beautiful and romantic, too!

Winter is wet, very humid and well, let’s face it… quite depressing. But hey, the architecture is just as beautiful and there will be no tourists around!

So, in conclusion, the best time to visit St. Pete is during summer, but it is just as beautiful at any time of the year.

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