Why go
- Second-largest city in Russia.
- Served by Pulkovo Airport (LED).
History
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd (Петроград) and later Leningrad (Ленинград), is the second-largest city in Russia, after Moscow, the nation's capital. Situated on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, its area of 1,439 square kilometers (556 sq mi) makes it the smallest administrative division of Russia by area. The city had a population of 5,601,911 residents as of 2021, with more than 6.4 million people living in the metropolitan area. Saint Petersburg is the fourth-most populous city in Europe, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents. As the former capital of the Russian Empire, and a historically strategic Baltic port, it is governed as a federal city.
Restaurants & places to go
292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 57 airlines, 110 direct destinations
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A319, A320, A81, 767-300, A321, 737…) · 63 routes: Alma-ata, Amsterdam*, Anapa, Antalya, Arkhangelsk, Baku, Barcelona, Berlin, Bishkek, Bourgas, Bukhara, Chelyabinsk, Duesseldorf, Dushanbe, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Heraklion, Istanbul, Kaliningrad, Karaganda, Karlovy Vary*, Kazan, Khanabad, Khudzhand, Kiev, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Larnaca, Milano, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Munich, Murmansk, Namangan, Navoi, Nice, Novosibirsk, Omsk … +23 more
- Transaero Airlines UN (735, 737-300, 767-300, 747-400, 737-800, 737-700) · 10 routes: Enfidha, Larnaca, Milano, Minsk 2*, Moscow, Moscow, Pardubice, Punta Cana, Rhodos, Rome
- Uzbekistan Airways HY (A320, 757, 757-200, 767-400) · 9 routes: Andizhan, Bukhara, Fergana, Khanabad, Namangan, Navoi, Samarkand, Tashkent, Urgench
- S7 Airlines S7 (A320, 735, 737-800, A319, A330-300, 734…) · 8 routes: Baku*, Beijing, Helsinki, Kiev, Minsk 2*, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Thessaloniki
- Ural Airlines U6 (A320) · 8 routes: Dushanbe, Kulyab, Lankaran, Moscow, Rostov, Tivat, Yekaterinburg, Yerevan
- Svyaz Rossiya 7R (CRJ-200) · 7 routes: Cheboksary, Kirov, Makhachkala, Saransk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Yaroslavl
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320) · 4 routes: Athens, Heraklion, Rhodos, Thessaloniki
- Aerocondor 2B (CRJ-200) · 3 routes: Bugulma, Kazan, Nizhnekamsk
- Aeroflot-Nord 5N (735) · 3 routes: Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Syktyvkar
- Alitalia AZ (A320, A319, 32S) · 3 routes: Milano, Rome, Venice*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A321, A319, A320) · 3 routes: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich
- NordStar Airlines Y7 (737-800) · 3 routes: Khudzhand, Krasnoyarsk, Norilsk
- Polet Airlines (Priv) YQ (S20) · 3 routes: Belgorod, Vilnius, Voronezh
- Rossiya-Russian Airlines FV (A319, A81) · 3 routes: Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Kazan
- Air Astana KC (A320, Embraer 190) · 2 routes: Alma-ata, Tselinograd
- Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise 6R (737-800) · 2 routes: Moscow, Novosibirsk
- Azerbaijan Airlines J2 (757, A320) · 2 routes: Baku, Ganja
- Cyprus Turkish Airlines YK (737) · 2 routes: Bishkek, Osh
- Czech Airlines OK (A320, A319) · 2 routes: Karlovy Vary, Prague
- Japan Asia Airways EG (A320) · 2 routes: Kulyab, Kurgan Tyube
- Salzburg arrows SZ (737) · 2 routes: Dushanbe, Khudzhand
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (A320, A321, 736, 737-800, 737-700, 737-700) · 2 routes: Copenhagen, Stockholm
- Severstal Air Company D2 (CRJ-200) · 2 routes: Cherepovets, Ukhta
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A319, A320, A320) · 2 routes: Geneva, Zurich
- Tajik Air 7J (735) · 2 routes: Dushanbe, Khudzhand
- Air Armenia QN (735) · 1 route: Yerevan
- Air Baltic BT (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Riga
- Air Berlin AB (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Berlin
- Air France AF (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Paris
- Air Malta KM (A319, A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Air Moldova 9U (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Chisinau
- Air One AP (A320) · 1 route: Venice
- Aircompany Yakutia R3 (737-800) · 1 route: Yakutsk
- AlMasria Universal Airlines UJ (A320) · 1 route: Kiev
- Austrian Airlines OS (Fokker 100, F70) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (CRJ, Embraer 175, Embraer 195) · 1 route: Minsk 2
- British Airways BA (A321) · 1 route: London
- Bulgaria Air FB (A320) · 1 route: Bourgas
- Ciel Canadien YC (CRJ-200) · 1 route: Tyumen
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800, 737-900) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Emirates EK (777-200LR, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai
- Estonian Air OV (Embraer 170, CRJ-900) · 1 route: Tallinn-ulemiste International
- Finnair AY (ATR) · 1 route: Helsinki*
- Hainan Airlines HU (A330-300) · 1 route: Beijing
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320) · 1 route: Barcelona*
- IzAvia I8 (YK2) · 1 route: Izhevsk
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Korean Air KE (777-200) · 1 route: Seoul
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 175) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Moskovia Airlines 3R (SU9) · 1 route: Astrakhan
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800) · 1 route: Oslo
- Nouvel Air Tunisie BJ (A320) · 1 route: Enfidha
- Orenburg Airlines R2 (737-800) · 1 route: Orenburg
- Turkish Airlines TK (A321, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (734, 735, Embraer 190, 73N) · 1 route: Kiev
- United Airlines UA (Fokker 100, F70) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 1 route: Barcelona
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Pulkovo Airport (LED); 5 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: LED has direct flights to 110 destinations on 57 airlines (incl. Moscow, Dushanbe, Khudzhand, Kiev, Baku…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Летний сад, 1.5 km); routes include Спуск со львами – Петропавловская крепость, Эрмитаж – Речной вокзал, железнодорожный паром Гутуевский остров - Балтийский завод.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Saint Petersburg, Russia. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.