Russia

Saint Petersburg

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Here you can buy everything you need not to get bored on your ride back: blueberries or cranberries to bite on, jars of marinated pickles and mushrooms, and lilac asters – a must have accessory at your aunt’s. From here you can also send your friends a super funny card.

Station Square

It seems to be the best known souvenir shop in town, and they sell really nice and useful stuff. Lavka is packed with dry cured meats and cheeses, pretzels (the Finnish heritage and one of the city symbols) and gingerbread with glazed local castles. Package is nice, price is affordable and the taste is delicious. The cashier is a super welcoming Finnish woman who hardly speaks Russian and doesn't accept cards. Check their alcohol stand as well and don't get confused by plastic bottles, the inside is heavenly nectar – wild honey, sbiten and glog . Make your stocks on your way back not to carry heavy bags or have a temptation to drink it all at once.

Lavka Vkusnostey

Vasilyevsky Island or Vaska, as they call it, sometimes resembles a college campus as it's packed with various schools. So the neighborhood is inhabited by students and professors which shapes its life. The area has lots of second hand bookstores where you can get a Brodsky for 30 roubles and for 200 you'll be a happy owner of the Nabokov or Kant complete works. With 1,000 roubles you will grab the two-volume 1987 myths and legends of the peoples of the world with the exact preface-article you need. These stores hide real treasure and remember – a true St Pete resident never buys new books in chain stores, intellectuals go vintage stuff with history.

Staraya Kniga

If you loved Jacques Yves Cousteau and his crew in the childhood and everything you know about maritime life is from his shows you will also love the bar. The owners know what nostalgia is so they painted the walls dark blue and rejected crazy parties – here people come for conversations, sophisticated cocktails and good coffee. Lone wanderers are welcome – bartender won’t disturb you. The only thing to beware is a tricky mirror in the bathroom to avoid smashing the wall.

Cousteau

The small coffee shop chain focuses on everything cozy, comfortable and homely. So they have these lovely white cacao mugs, which you should hold in both hands, various sandwiches, cream soups and the signature desserts. Their most extraordinary and the cutest location is facing BKZ Oktyabrsky concert hall and is based in a two-storey glass fish tank-like building with huge panoramic windows and a spiral staircase. Orders to the second floor are delivered by a special lift and the view is quite nice, not stunning but at the same time not packed with people. In spring it's good to enjoy the first rays of sun, in winter to watch snowflakes dancing and in summer to hide from the heat.

Coffee Room

This creative workshop is for making and repairing Fixed Gear bikes (those who have a drivetrain with no freewheel mechanism). Such vehicles are super popular in Europe with thousands of new members joining every day. People go for it as it's not just smooth and efficient in urban environment but as riding such a bike offers a certain lifestyle and a mindset which is minimalism and easiness that is so appealing to city dwellers.

Fixed Lab

Kofedel and Foodcrafter launched a place of their own inspired by Scandinavian motives. Their craft cafe is located on the Vasilyevsky Island and started with the beer - what else a true viking needs? As for the food their method is not ravaging a village to get it but to offer the best lunches in the area with cream soups, pasta and burgers. They also plan salads and beer snacks on the menu as well as yummy smoked venison right from the North. The place boasts have huge Soviet-time loudspeakers and amplifier to play some great music. The interior is all wood as wood is the best, the owners believe. And the atmosphere is very home like - you are welcome to take your drakkar Viking longboat and sail to Makarova embankment.

Edda craft cafe

You can find us at Fontanka river embankment, 64. We start and end all our river cruises here.

The deck

Solaris lab creative lab invites you to their rooftop Cupola.

Solaris lab

When the sun is up around 10 am and at 4 pm it is already down the only thing you crave is a comfy armchair and a warm drink in gleaming lights and nice atmosphere. You will find all this in our list of places to escape bad weather and to relax.

Weather Conditions: getting cozy in St.Pete

St. Pete museums are more than the Hermitage and the Russian Museum: practically every house has a famous resident, be it a writer, a composer or a philanthropist. Check our routes of hidden museum treasures – if you try your best you would be able to visit them all in a day.

Archives disclosed: the museum day in St.Pete

The only must have for a winter stroll across St.Pete is warm and waterproof footwear. If you have one you will love the city.

A winter day in St.Pete

What if you find yourself in the city in the middle of a white night?

White Nights in St.Pete

Spring in St.Pete is slow to settle in: be ready for snow and cold rains. The best way to handle them is a company of friends, hot and spicy food and exotic atmosphere. Find this all in the best St.Pete Asian and oriental restaurants.

St.Pete: the east side

While everyone enjoyed New Year and Christmas holidays, some new places opened, whose owners are risky and not afraid of doing business in times of crisis.

Saint Petersburg

Routes

Places of Saint Petersburg