Fun & Wacky Sports to Try in St. Petersburg

Up in the sky 

If you’re not afraid of heights, climbing can become your next favorite way to stimulate both your body and brain – with all that pushing, pulling, lifting, and choosing where to put your hand/leg next. Though it comes in many shapes and sizes, indoor climbing is the best activity for first-timers and is sure to give you a taste of the sport. In this type of climbing, you are to go up an artificially constructed wall (both vertical and horizontal), which can be as low as 5 m and as high as 17 m, with lots of grips for hands and feet that have different levels of difficulty. 

Where: El Capitan, Arsenalnaya St. 2 (Ploshchad Lenina) – 1,200 rubles for a beginner class; ITMO, too, offers a climbing gym – but exclusively for experienced climbers.

Cycle in style

Cardio can be fun – with a bit of upbeat music, a like-minded company, or entertaining movies! If you find running on a treadmill too dull, sign up for a cycling or spin session, an intense workout that will get your muscles sore. For more thrills, come to Rock the Cycle at New Holland Island. Whether you’d like to go all out for an intense session or pedal with ease while enjoying picturesque travel videos, the club’s instructors will turn your workout into an epic cardio party you can’t get enough of. 

Where: Rock the Cycle, New Holland Island (Admiralteyskaya) – 900 rubles for one session.

Sweat it out

40-something degrees, yoga postures, and breathwork – hot yoga is the hottest (literally) trend in the world of yoga that spread like wildfire. Unlike traditional yoga, hot yoga includes a series of poses performed in a heated room. Though it might not be for everyone, this type of exercise helps you strengthen your body and de-stress, making it worth all that sweat. 

Where: Hot Yoga 36, Rubinstein St. 36 (Dostoevskaya) – 900 rubles for one session.

Pull off a dance star

On a more creative side, dancing can be a fantastic whole-body workout that is actually fun. Not only does it get your body moving, but it also empowers you and unleashes your creativity. From Latin dances to iconic K-pop moves, there are loads of different styles, so there’ll be no trouble finding the one for you. 

Where: Salsa Plus, Ligovsky Pr. (Ploshchad Vosstaniya) – 600 rubles for a class; as well as different student clubs at ITMO such as FLAME (street and modern), Cover Dance (K-pop), Hula Vibes (Hawaiian), or Shall We Dance? (partner dances).

Come on an adventure

Those who are ready to step out of their comfort zone can sign up for a day at an adventure or rope park and show gravity who is the boss here. With lots of climbing exercises, obstacle courses, Tarzan swings, and zip lines, such parks are set up with multiple routes of different levels that will do the trick for kids and adults alike.

Where: Energiya Vysoty, Sofiyskaya St. 14 (Mezhdunarodnaya) – from 1,280 to 2,180 rubles per person.