I’ll be honest, the first time I heard about water parks in St. Petersburg, I was quite doubtful. An aquapark… inside a mall? How in the world would that work? Coming from the open-air parks of sunny California, I was understandably skeptical. Alas, one snowy day in January, my friends persuaded me to join them and visit the aquapark Piterland. And wow, was I surprised!
Credit: Vasyatka1 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The mall (also called Piterland) does take some time to reach, as it’s located on the edge of the city, around 10−15 minutes walking distance from the closest metro. The mall itself is pretty big; apart from the water park, it also has stores and other attractions.
To enter the aquapark I had to fill out a form and pay. I was given a waterproof bracelet which opened my locker for me and kept track of passing time. There were many changing rooms nearby for people to change into their swimsuits.
Then, I went to the showers to rinse off. In Russia, it’s required to rinse off before entering public pools, to help keep the pool as clean from contamination as possible. In America, while there are signs that say to wash off before entering the pool, unfortunately hardly anyone ever does.
After that, I was free to enjoy the park! As I visited off-season, on a weekday at that, there were comparatively very few people. The lines were super short for everything and no area was overcrowded. The park had water slides, a jacuzzi, a lazy river, a kids' section, and a more general pool area as well. There was also a small separate bar and place to get food, which you could use your bracelet to pay for.
The water slides were so surprisingly fast! And, as a cherry on top, the park had more than 10 different saunas for visitors to enjoy, all with different temperatures and humidity.
There are 2 main water parks in St. Petersburg:
1. Piterland
This is the one I visited, and it’s the biggest aquapark in the city. The park, while indoors, is surrounded by a huge transparent dome that lets in natural light and overlooks the Neva river. For anyone over the age of thirteen tickets cost 2,800 rubles for 3 hours, or 3,100 rubles for 5 hours.
2. Rodeo Drive
This park, while smaller and located further away from the city center than Piterland, makes up for it by being almost half as expensive to visit as Piterland. The ticket prices vary slightly depending on the time of day you visit, if it’s a weekday or weekend, and how long you choose to spend there.
All in all, I had a great time at the aqua park. My expectations were honestly very low, but the water was clean and the slides were fun. The park itself is not ultra fancy compared to other open-air ones I visited in different countries. However, for being located within the city and being accessible year round, it’s difficult to complain. If I had to visit during peak season, I would probably be much less enthusiastic. Off-season, however, I recommend visiting a water park at least once to get a splash of summer fun during the long winter months!
