Latest St Petersburg Tourism News

Museum, Exhibition, Tourism news in St. Petersburg:

Here you will find news, events, and information about tourism in St. Petersburg. If you find any of the events interesting and wish to attend as part of a city tour or shore excursion, please contact us.

5 Star Hotels in St Petersburg Nominated for Awards (5/7/2013)

The World Travel Awards have nominated two 5 Star hotels in St Petersburg for their annual awards. The Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg has been nominated in the category of Europe’s Leading Business Hotel and Taleon Imperial St. Petersburg has been nominated in the category of Europe’s Leading Hotel. You can also caste your vote on their website – www.worldtravelawards.com/ Voting finishes on June 16. We believe these nominations salute the great quality of hotels available for tourists visiting St Petersburg.

Sense of Color Exhibition in St Petersburg (through November 6, 2011)

A new exhibition has opened at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg which is titled “The Sense of Color” and showcases the artwork of famous Italian artist Gianni Maimeri. Read more…

Open Air Film Festival in St Petersburg (August 20-28)

From August 20th – 28th St. Petersburg will host the annual Cinema International Festival of Short and Animated Films. As the only open-air film festival in Russia and the largest international short film forum in Russia, the organizers aim to promote independent films from around the world on the grand stage in St. Petersburg.

“Open Cinema is eager to attract creative people who appreciate independent, individual visions of contemporary film trends,” commented the organizers. “The festival’s main figure is the filmmaker. Since the short film format is usually how young filmmakers start out, they get an opportunity to express their own position and vision of filmmaking through this trend without facing pressure from producers or being under the influence of the mainstream cinema world.”

100 films were selected to compete in the competition from 800 shorts. There will be four categories of the competition including fiction, animation, non-fiction and experimental short films. “We were searching for films that are able to surprise, to dispute stereotypes, to stay in people’s minds; cinema that challenges and captivates the imagination,” say organizers. “This is cinema beyond the traditional genres, cinema that is not afraid to be an exemption, and cinema worth demonstrating on the big screen.”

In addition, up to 150 participants will compete for the Open Cinema grand prix, which is a symbolic “Rule the time” hourglass. Natalya Karamnova, one of the festival’s organizers commented that “On the hourglass, the flow of sand can by controlled manually.” “In this hourglass, the sand flows through in 15 minutes — this is the average length of a short film. This prize is our allegorical wish to the winning filmmaker: For time to stand still for every viewer of his or her film,” she said.

In addition to the competition there will be other forms of contemporary art including street performances, fashion shows, art exhibitions, video installations, and various musical performances.

The start of the festival will be on the beach of Peter and Paul Fortress. On August 22nd the festival will be located in the Mirage movie theatre on Petrograsky Island and the Avrora movie theatre.

All competitions will be judged by a panel of film specialists from Russia and abroad. A full program is available at www.artbereg.ru.

Summer Exhibitions in St. Petersburg (7/21/2011)

Don’t let rainy days put a damper on your visit to St. Petersburg in the Summer… Or perhaps you simply want to beat the heat? Here are some exhibitions for the summer that offer you a chance to see the beauty of St. Petersburg museums through exceptional exhibitions.

Stroganov Palace is showing contemporary Canadian artist Birgit Freybe Bateman and his travel photographs of various countries including India, China, Japan, Italy, and even Russia. Bateman offers unusual photo angles, vivid colors, and contrasting textures to give his artwork the feel of oil paintings. This exposition is showing through August 29th.

At Mikhailovsky Palace visitors will find 150 works from Russian artist Boris Grigoriev including paintings and graphics of famous Russian artists of the early 20th-century including Maxim Gorky and Fyodor Chaliapin, among others. Grigoriev is famous around the world for his portraits and the collection was assembled from private collections in Russia and other countries. This exhibition is shown until August 15th.

Novy Museum Gallery on Vasilevsky Island has a special exhibition of non-conformist art from St. Petersburg and Moscow artists starting from the 1950′s and going through the 1980′s. The collection is presented by the founder of the Novy Museum, Aslan Chekhoyev, and includes works by Boris Turetsky, Oskar Rabin, Lev Kropivnitsky and others.

A historical exhibit will open this summer at the Pushkin Apartment Museum on the River Moika titled “The Last Months of his Life.” Here visitors will see a reconstruction of Alexander Pushkin’s study with the couch on which he died and includes several belongings of the famous Russian poet. The actual museum is closed to the public until Feb. 10 next year in preparation for the 175th anniversary of the poet’s tragic death in a duel in 1837.

Lastly, women visitors to St. Petersburg will enjoy an embroidery exhibition by Maria Arendt which will be shown at the Al Gallery on Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa. The pieces are meant to be humorous and are named after the first lines of Russian chastushki (funny rhymes that begin innocently and end with a vulgar joke). Each piece appears to be laconic but has hidden depth that brings a joke upon first impression.

St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow celebrates 450 years (7/16/2011)

One of the most iconic and enduring symbols of Russia recently celebrated its’ 450th anniversary on July 12. St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow celebrated by opening a special exhibition titled “holy fool”, which refers to the famous St. Basil, who was the man who dared challenge the authority of Ivan the Terrible during his purges.

The church was constructed to commemorate Russia’s victory over the Mongols and was severely damaged during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Restoration of the church has taken more than a decade and cost $14 million dollars.

Peterhof Palace Church Re-opened to the Public (7/16/2011)

The famous church in the palace of Peterhof was reopened to the public recently after extensive restoration. The 18th century church has complete interior restoration started in 2001 and includes an exposition of church icons and equipment on display for tourists.

The church has quite a storied past as the last Russian tsar, Alexey was baptized there and the church was the site of celebration for major military victories. The church was severely damaged during World War II and a fire ravaged the interior in 1941. This is a wonderful new addition to a tour of Peterhof for all tourists to enjoy.

Beer and Kvas Festival in St. Petersburg (6/30/2011)

A Beer and Kvas festival is being organized this Saturday at the Peterburgsky Sports and Concert Complex (SKK). Kvas is a fermented beverage made from black or regular rye bread and is non-alcoholic as the alcohol content is less than 1.2%. This is an annual event and includes cultural aspects, classes on brewing, lectures, sports activities, and a photo exhibition.

St Petersburg City plans to attract more tourists (6/26/2011)

The 2011-16 tourism development plan for the city has been created and by 2016 the city plans to spend up to 16 percent of the city’s gross domestic product on attracting tourists and a receive up to 8 million guests by 2016.

For the year 2010, St Petersburg attracted 5 million tourists and the city spent $4.12 billion dollars, or 10% of the cities total GDP. The city hopes visitors will stay more nights (an average of 5 nights) and with a pleasant visit, return to the city for additional visits.

To accomplish such lofty goals the city plans to attract visitors with exhibitions, conferences, art and cultural exhibits, yacht tourism, and even camping. The city also wants to change the tourist season from seasonal to year-round.

St. Petersburg to become Las Vegas style marriage capital for foreign tourists (6/13/2011)

Sergei Korneyev of the Russia Travel Industry Union says the Russian capital has now decided to offer “quickie marriages” to attract more tourists to St. Petersburg. Within 72 hours couples visiting St Petersburg will be allowed to get a marriage licence and have a ceremony in one of the beautiful Russian Catholic or Orthodox churches that dot the city. New registry offices will be opened and new registrars will be trained to serve foreign tourists arriving for a wedding. It is also notable that this 72 exemption will not be available for Russian citizens. While this idea is certainly a novel one, we believe having a wedding in St. Petersburg can be a memorable and romantic event. Why not to be married in St. Petersburg?!

St. Petersburg is listed by Royal Caribbean as a main port of call (6/13/2011)

Recently Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein explained that only a few cities are given overnight port stops including St. Petersburg, Venice, Istanbul, Buenos Aires and Sydney. This further enhances the status of St. Petersburg as a major tourist destination. To read the original article about port of calls for Royal Caribbean click here.

Events for June 2011

June 10 -15 – St Petersburg International Film Festival

From June 10^th to June 15^th the city will host the second St. Petersburg International Film Festival. Several famous and controversial Russian filmmakers will be in attendance and the festival will showcase both Russian and foreign films.

In the first part of the festival several films that have already won awards at other film festivals will be shown and a VIP jury will decide the best films.

The second part of the festival will be dedicated to Russian films in the theme “New Territories” and will showcase films that are experimental or bring something new and exciting to the filmmaking process.

Lastly there will be a filmmaking summer school for aspiring filmmakers and producers. The festival is sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg.

June 16th – Sting to perform in St. Petersburg

Sting will play a free concert in St. Petersburg sponsored by the Government of St. Petersburg and the organizers of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The concert will be held in Palace Square and VIP tickets can be purchased for the event upon request.

June 1 – 30th – Tukay’s Gardens

A new exhibition to mark the 125th anniversary of Gabdulla Tukay (the famous Tartar poet) is on display at Sheremetyev Palace during the month of June. The exhibition includes over 60 illustrations from Tukay’s collection which were lent to the Palace by the Tartarstan State Art Museum. There is also a display of Tartar decorative art from the early 20th century.

June 2 – July 4 – Exhibition of American Painter Nelson Shanks

Realist painter Nelson Shanks will have an exhibition of artwork in Mikhailovsky Castle during the month of June. Shanks paints still life, allegories and portraits. Some of his most famous portraits includes Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher, and Bill Clinton.

June 6 – June 30th – “In Any Weather” Exhibition at “S.P.A.S.” Gallery

A summer exhibition at “S.P.A.S.” Gallery promises to boost the mood of any visitor with exotic colors and flowers. It is an expression of beauty and joy in any weather and shows the life of a flower from beginning to end.

June 12 – 23 – First Isaak Shvarts International Arts Festival

This festival features a collection of both Russian and foreign musicians including the Konstantinosky Palace Grand Symphony Orchestra.

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Samson makes his return to Peterhof

The famous sculpture of Samson fighting with a lion has been placed back in his home at the center of the Peterhof fountains. Over 1 kilogram of gold was used to restore Samson to his most shining glory, and just in time for the start of the 2011 tourist season in St. Petersburg.

The original Samson statue was made in 1735 and was replaced with a bronze statue that disappeared during the Nazi invasion of St. Petersburg. Fortunately in 1947 the statue was remade using pre-war photos and can now be enjoyed by all visitors to Peterhof.

A View of Russia – New Exhibition

April 20,,2011 – A new 800 square meter miniature model of Russia has been constructed in St. Petersburg showcasing the cities all of Russia, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.

The project is titled Grandmarket in Russian or Grand Model and was created by Sergei Morozov. The Grandmarket took more than 4 years to complete and includes many of Russia’s famous monuments, buildings, and cities. “It is an attempt to give people the chance to learn more about Russia, to make them proud of their country, and also to attract children to new activities,” Mikheyev said.

This exhibit is truly hands-on and with over 100 buttons visitors can activate and includes moving cars, trains, chiming bells, cannon fire, and even a space rocket. Over 100 artists have participated in the creation of the magnificent model and the full exhibit will open at the end of 2011.

‘Grandmaket’ is located at 16 Ulitsa Tsvetochnaya, lit. L. Currently it is open in a test phase on Sundays from 2 p.m. through 5 p.m. Tickets are priced at $12.40 for adults and $7 for children. For more information, visit www.grandmaket.ru.

New Contemporary Art Museum in St. Petersburg

May 20th, 2010 witnessed the opening of the new Erarta Museum and Gallery of Contemporary Art on Vasilevsky Island in St. Petersburg. With 5 floors of art space, it is the largest non-governmental contemporary art museum in Russia. The museum also contains a gallery with some of the artwork being for sale.

The museum contains artwork from the end of World War II until the present and the gallery includes an impressive collection of more than 2,000 works by 140 artists.

Mikhail Ovchinnikov, the museum’s curator, commented “The need for a museum and gallery of modern art has been evident to everyone for some time.”

To accomplish such a feat in Russia required traveling around the country offering an art contest to draw out undiscovered talent across the huge Russian landscape. The museum can provide a change for up-and-coming artists to display their works to the world and encourages artists to send photos of their artwork for review or to sell on the Erarta website.

For more information about the Erarta Museum and Gallery of Contemporary Art, click here.

KGB in the USSR:
People, Events, Actions- if you fancy yourself as James Bond, this exhibition will satisfy those espionage fantasies. You can see the slew of documentary evidence and photos of famous and infamous double agents, As well as secret cameras and the weapons of choice of your friendly neighborhood agent, there is also a selection of videos which shows KGB agents on missions.

Tokarev: Life in Weapons
Fedor Tokarev is best known for developing the TT-30 and TT -33, the latter of which was the predominant firearm used by Soviet troops on the Great Patriotic war (WWII). Tokarev’s designs are praised for their ruggedness and accuracy, which earned him awards such as the Hero of Socialist Labour Award in 1940. (Artillery museum)

Kalashnikov: Man, Weaponry, Legend
The exhibition is devoted to the 85th birthday of M.Kalashnikov features an outstanding armorer of the contemporaneity.On display, over 80 modifications of AK (Kalashnikov’s machine gun), including the test models and experimental samples that have been made since 1942. Numerous documents, photos, books, and personal belongings track Kalashnikov’s everyday life, hobbies and literary work (Artillery museum)

Aromas of Antiquity
An exhibition devoted to the culture of aromas and fragrances in Ancient Greece and Rome. The richest collections on Antiquity in the State Hermitage contain a galore of censers for fragrances and flasks that were created by masters of Ancient Greece, Etruria and Rome. Some of these artifacts are true small artistic masterpieces, many of them have never been shown to the public before.

Alexander The Great. The Road to the Orient
Devoted to the most famous military leader and political figure of Antiquity, the exhibition also features “Hellinism” as a phenomenon, an epic. The exhibition focuses on the route of Alexander of Macedonia in space (Oriental campaign) and in time- from the Antiquity till nowadays. The exhibition visits every place the war commander went, the process of Hellinization was launched: the adoption of Greek art, architecture, language, and life style. This influence has embraced a vast territory: from Greece via the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Egypt to Central Asia and India; its can be found in Mongolia and other countries beyond the Ecumene (i.e., the ancient Greek universe). The exhibition is structured following Alexander’s campaign route, and includes artworks by West-European and Russian maitres of the XVI-XIX centuries, showing the famous conqueror; unique monuments, featuring the artistic style of the countries annexed by the Alexander’s Empire; and items giving a notion on the cultural and political ambiance, where his individuality formed.

Museum of Costumes
This exhibition shows off items by the best west-European craftsmen of the the late XVIII-early XX centuries, including garments made for the Romanov’s House. The exhibition features various fashion trends and famous apparel brands from Paris, Vienna and London. Samples of fabrics, handmade embroidery, applique, and lace are displayed

If you’re arriving on a cruise ship, please have a look at our list of St Petersburg Shore Excursions.
Otherwise you can choose from our packaged St Petersburg Tours.