You can walk around the fortress or visit some of the many small museums there, such as the cosmonaut museum or the bastion prison. Surprisingly, there are actually people still living on the island.
The Blood Church was used as an unusually colourful potato storage during the Soviet times. Now there is a museum inside.
My favourite of the palace areas outside of the city. The palace is slightly less glittery than Peterhof, and the gardens are huge and beautiful.
Pavlovsk is more modest than Petergof or Tsarskoe Selo, as it was built by Catherine the Great for her son.
Smolniy used to be a monastery, but now it houses many faculties of the State University. You can still visit the cathedral and go up to see a view accross the city.
Both the insides of the cathedral and the dome are open for public. Especially in the evening you get a great view accross the city from the dome.
The botanical garden is nice to walk around on a hot summer day. Next to it is a graveyard with many famous Russians from earlier centuries.
The beach of Peter and Paul Fortress serves at summers as a place for sunbathing, sand sculptures and movie festival.
The cathedral is right in the centre and has free entrance, so there is no reason to skip a visit. You'll see some orthodox traditions, as people come here to light candles and pray to the icons.
The most famous park in St. Petersburg. You can walk through the park looking at the many statues along the way, or sit on one of the benches to read a book or to observe passers-by.
Military parades used to be held on this field, now more used for sunbathing and picnics. In the middle of the field, you find an eternal fire to respect fallen soldiers.
The tip of Vasilievsky island is decorated with pretty floral arrangements and a great view towards Peter-Paul Fortress and the Neva embankment.
One of the nicest parks in the centre, with curly paths and twisted old trees. Behind the Blood Church and Russian Museum.
The Palace Square in front of the Hermitage is quite striking in its hugeness and with the clear round outline formed by the surrounding buildings.
This is where you find the Moscow railway station, Galeria shopping centre and the minibusses heading to Finland.
The round park guarded by Pushkin is a nice place to sit before entering the Russian Museum next to it.
One of the best palaces to visit in the centre of the city. Also has changing art exhibitions.
This was the first house Peter the Great built when starting to build St. Petersburg: a cabin for himself. Quite modest from a tsar, and worth visiting.
Famous for its fountains, parks and the overly golden palace, the tsar's summer residence is best to visit at summer, when the fountains are working and you can walk around in the park.
Probably the nicest palace in the centre of the city, at least in my opinion. This is not a huge, golden palace, but a collection of small rooms decorated in the styles of different cultures.
This is a small place outside of St. Petersburg, but has a palace to visit and a big park to walk around in.
A green island outside of the centre, but still reachable by the metro. Good place for picnic, rollerskating, or ice-skating at winter. There is also a palace on the island that you can visit.
This monument is quite massive, with many statues. Inside, there is a museum - but check the opening hours before going! You can get there by metro.
This amusement park is a fun place to walk around in even if you don't want to risk a ride (the thing in the picture once fell....), because the entrance is free. At winter, come here to ice skate.
