Parks in St Petersburg russia
12 amazing parks anyone should visit
Discover the most fascinating parks in St Petersburg Russia with our list below and enjoy a nice stroll during your Russian holidays.
There are over 200 parks in St Petersburg that give a final touch to the atmosphere, looks, and soul of the Northern Capital of Russia. That's why the city is considered one of the greenest Russian cities. But these charming parks and gardens are not there just to please the eye; each and every one of them serves also as a recreational oasis providing diverse activities for locals and visitors.
Whatever park or garden you choose to go can be ideal for breathing fresh air, enjoy decorative art sculptures or simply relax. Some parks are more popular, others are less, but overall they all are worth seeing.
Among the most popular you can find the Summer Garden (the first park to be built in the imperial city by Peter the Great), the Michael Garden, the Tauride Garden, and the Field of Mars. All of them are centrally located; while just in the city's suburbs you can enjoy a stroll through the awesome parks of Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo, which are famous worldwide.
There are also parks less popular and still unknown among tourists, such as the Central Park of Culture and Leisure on Yelagin Island, the Maritime Victory Park on Krestovsky Island or the Moscow Victory Park in the south of the city, including our favorite one, the lovely Sosnovka Park.
The best time to plan a stroll in the park or visit a garden is during the summer when the weather in St Petersburg is warm and sunny. But if you are one of those travelers who don't mind the cold and love walking on the snow, or sliding on ice, then the winter can be also a good time to come. So regardless of when you come, don't miss the chance to visit one of the parks in St Petersburg presented on this page.☺
our favorite LIST OF GARDENS AND PARKS
IN ST PETERSBURG
With so many gardens and parks in St Petersburg, it can be really hard for you to visit all of them or know which one to see, especially if you are a first-time traveler. So to help you choose, we compiled a list of what we think are the most beautiful parks in the city worth visiting. Eventually, we may also add a new list, but in the meantime, we hope this list will help you decide which of them will make it to your sightseeing list.
To get started just click on the links below or scroll down the page.
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SUMMER GARDEN
With its marble sculptures, lining flowers, tall trees, fountains and ponds, the Summer Garden is a masterpiece of early Russian Baroque style and the finest landmark in Saint Petersburg Russia. As the oldest and one of the most famous parks in St Petersburg, this is the place to go for must-see anyone wishing to feel the city's Petrene atmosphere. If you go, make sure you visit the Summer Palace.
How to Get There:
- To get there you can take the metro to Gostiny Dvor. Once arrived exit the metro station and cross Nevsky Prospekt. Then walk-up Sadovaya Ulitsa until you see St. Michael's Castle. One of the two entrances to the Summer Garden is located just behind the Castle, across the canal.
FIELD OF MARS
The Field
of Mars is one of the most beautiful and architectural parks in the
heart of the city that you can't miss. The eternal flame of the Monument
to the
Fallen Fighters of the Revolution and gardens of flowers will
definitely catch your attention. Once a place for military parades,
popular festivities and military drills, today a burial site for the
soldiers killed during the Russian Revolution in 1917, as well as a tourist attraction.
How to Get There:
- Take the metro to Nevsky Prospekt or walk from there, then move along Griboedov Canal toward the beautiful Church on the Spilled Blood. Walk around the Church and cross the Moika river, the Field of Mars is in front of you.
ALEXANDER GARDEN
Named after Tsar Alexander II and built on one of Saint Petersburg’s first boulevards, Alexander Garden
is a wonderful and well preserved Russian park located next to Winter Palace and behind the Admiralty. The park was a fashionable place
to meet among the Petersburg aristocracy and Russian writers of the
past. Today, it offers the same atmosphere as it did in the past, plus it's a great place to enjoy a relaxing stroll.
How to Get There:
- The Alexander Garden is located behind the Admiralty, at the top of Nevsky Prospekt. You can reach the site easily on foot (about 10mins) or take any local bus going down Nevsky avenue in direction of Palace Square from Nevsky Prospekt metro station.
MICHAEL GARDEN
Offering a unique combination of two styles of landscape gardening - French formalism and English landscape, the Mikhaylovskiy Garden
is one of the most elegant and pleasant gardens in the city. Located
near the famous Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, this is one
of the best parks in St
Petersburg which demonstrates the landscape architecture of the 18th and
early 19th centuries. A great places for wedding photos very popular among locals.
How to Get There:
- To get there just get out the metro station from Nevsky Prospekt and move onto Griboedov Canal. From there walk along the canal on the same side as the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. One entrance to the Michael Garden is located opposite the Church.
CATHERINE GARDEN
Built by the famous Italian architect Carlo Rossi as part of the Ostrovskiy Square complex, the small Catherine Garden, which is located on Nevsky Prospekt, is now one of the most popular spots among young people and very busy with tourists. Inside this small Russian park stands an impressive monument to Catherine the Great, and just behind, the oldest and stunning National Alexandrinsky Theater.
How to Get There:
- To get there you can walk from the Metro station Nevsky Prospekt or Gostiny Dvor (about 5 mins). The park is situated on Ploshchad Ostrovskogo opposite the famous Kupetz Eliseev Food Hall.
TAURIDE GARDEN
Built in 1789,
the Tauride Garden is a beautifully landscaped garden covering a
vast
green area with a meandering history. The park is located behind the
Tauride Palace, from which it took its name. Designed in true romantic
style
to imitate nature, with ponds and canals and a nice rolling
landscape, today the park is considered one of the most picturesque
parks in St
Petersburg where anyone can enjoy a stroll or relax with the whole family.
How to Get There:
- To get there you should take the metro to Chernyshevskaya station, once arrived get out onto Furshtatskaya Ulitsa (turn right out of the metro and then left around the kiosks), and move right along to the end. One of the entrances to the Tauride Garden is located across the street.
MOSCOW VICTORY PARK
Founded in 1945 to remember the suffering of Leningrad residents and the victory of Russia in World War II over the German Nazis, the Moscow Victory Park is another beautiful, but moving park to explore. The best part of the park is the so-called Avenue of Heroes, the main alley which is lined by outstanding flower gardens and bronze statues of people twice awarded the titles of "Hero of the Soviet Union" and "Hero of Socialist Labor".
How to Get There:
- Moscow Victory Park is located right next to Park Pobedy metro station, so to get there we highly recommend going by Metro. It will be cheaper and faster than going by car or any other public transportation.
MARITIME VICTORY PARK
Situated on Krestovsky Island, one of the most popular and fun islands in the imperial city, you can find the Maritime Victory Park. A place home to several attractions, night clubs, restaurants, amusements and even a nice little beach which gets pretty busy in summer. Opened in 1945 to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the park is also a good place to take a romantic stroll, ride a bike, or go skating.
KIROV CENTRAL CULTURE AND LEISURE PARK
The Kirov Central Culture and Leisure Park is a beautiful park created in 1932 on Yelagin Island. Surrounded by green large fields and woodland, this park was once one of the favorite places of the Tsars to hang out. Particularly beautiful is the western tip of the Island, which in 1926 was remodeled as a granite terrace, with statues of lions on high pedestals. Today the park has become the best spot for locals, who come here to spend their free time relaxing with family, kids, and friends.
How to Get There:
- The best way to get there is by taking the metro to Krestrovsky Ostrov metro station. Once arrived exit the metro station and cross Ulitsa Ryukhina. The Maritime Victory Park starts by the metro.
BOTANICAL GARDEN
Located on the Petrograd Side of the imperial city, the Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in Russia, and now a branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg. The Garden was founded in 1714 by order of Peter the Great as the Apothecary's GardenAlso known as the Botanic Gardens of the Komarov Botanical Institute, this is the right place to come if you love palms, bamboo, conifers, orchids or other unusual plants.
How to Get There:
- The Botanical Garden is situated on Ulitsa Professora Popova, nearby Petrogradskaya metro station. Exit the metro station and simply cross the Karpovka River and then follow Ulitsa Professora Popova for a few hundred meters.
LENINGRAD ZOO
Founded in 1865 by two animal lovers – Sofia and Julius Gerhardt, the Leningrad Zoo is considered one of the oldest zoos in the world and the second- largest zoo in Russia with 2,000 animals from 410 species. If you like visiting zoos and you are exploring Petrograd Side, then why not plan a visit here and say hello to the Polar bears and giraffes. Your kids will love it!☺
How to Get There:
- The Zoo is situated in Alexander Park between Gorkovskaya and Sportivnaya Metro stations. The best way to get there is from Gorkovskaya - turn left out of the metro and left again into the park, and just keep walking straight for ten minutes.
SOSNOVKA PARK
Sosnovka Park is not only the biggest and greenest park in the imperial city but also one of our favorite parks in St Petersburg. Once an important Russian military airport, today it is a popular place to hang out for locals living on the north side of the city. If you want to feel like you are in the middle of a forest, and you love walking, or riding a bike, or eating out while surrounded by tall trees, squirrels and garden flowers, then make sure you come here.
How to Get There:
- To get there you should take the Metro to Muzhestva. Once arrived, exit from the metro station and cross the street in front of you. Walk to the bus station and take the bus N.123 or N. 9 or simply keep walking straight for 20mins until you see the main entrance of the park at the intersection of Prospekt Toreza.
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