If you’re eager to see the big picture
You might be flabbergasted by the grandness of the city’s top museums by now and feel like a lifetime won’t be enough to explore all of their many halls and exhibits. But what if we told you that there are a few places that turn the big world into a small one? To see our beloved city from a bird's eye view, get your eyes on the world’s tiniest book and hand-carved sculptures on pencil tips, or feel like a Lemuel Gulliver in a LEGO world, go straight to:
- Petrovskaya Akvatoria Scale Model Museum – 500 rubles (400 rubles for students), Malaya Morskaya St. 4/1
- The Russian Lefty Museum – 400 rubles (200 rubles for students), Italyanskaya St. 35
- Lego Museum – 400 rubles (300 rubles for students), Zagorodny Pr. 42
Petrovskaya Akvatoria Scale Model Museum
If you can’t live without music
Music holds a special place in our city’s heart. Not only do its streets come alive with performances by the city’s bright talents every day but they also pay their respects to the world’s music stars and retain the memories of the most widely recognized and admired local musicians and composers – be it such classics as Mikhail Glinka and Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who studied and wrote their first pieces in the city, or such timeless rock bands as Alisa or Kino, who performed at the city’s many clubs. If you’ve ever wanted to get to the very bottom of all things music or get into the former epicenter of St. Pete’s rock life, head to:
- St. Petersburg Sound Museum – 100 rubles, Pushkinskaya 10 Art Center (check our review to gain a firsthand experience)
- The Museum of Music – 300 rubles (100 rubles for students), Fontanka Emb. 34
- Kotelnaya Kamchatka Club and Museum – free entrance (except for concert days), Blokhina St. 15
If cars and other vehicles are your jam
Whether you’re into metro trains, railroad cars, or trams, there’s a museum just for you! Visit these museums to not only see how these different modes of transport evolved throughout history but also learn how the city’s public transport system works from the inside and even take a ride on historical cars.
- St. Petersburg Metro Museum – 400 rubles (200 rubles for students), Odoyevskogo St. 29
- Russian Railway Museum – 300 rubles (100 rubles for students), Bibliotechnyy Lane 4/2
- Museum of Electrical Transport – 450 rubles (240 rubles for students), Sredniy Pr. 77А
Russian Railway Museum
If you enjoy all things nature
Although these might not be enough to save the world, The Fifth Element-style, St. Petersburg offers a few museums dedicated to two of the classical elements – namely, water and earth. While the first museum will tell you everything about water – as a grand mystery, a godly cure, or a fierce destroyer – and its history in our city, the second one will demonstrate all kinds of soil and tell you the story of our common home, the planet Earth.
- The Universe of Water – starting at 100 rubles (50 rubles for students), Shpalernaya St. 56
- The Dokuchaev Central Soil Museum – free on Tuesdays, Birzhevoy Proezd 6
If food is your life
What is a better lens to explore Russian culture through than its foods and drinks? From local to overseas delicacies, you’re lucky to enjoy the full spectrum of St. Pete’s associated museums that hone a particular product, its history and origins, and whet their visitors’ appetites. A museum of one traditional Russian drink is included!
- Coffee Museum – 350 rubles, Voskresenskaya Emb. 14
- Russian Vodka Museum – 200 rubles, Konnogvardeyskiy Boulevard 6
- Museum of Bread – 250 rubles (150 rubles for students), Mikhaylova St. 2
If you want to learn while having fun
Interactive museums are a blast for all those who want to have a good time while learning something new about the world. With plenty of interactive exhibits and entertaining storytelling, you get to, say, explore your own emotions and learn fantastic facts that will blow your mind. Plus, we couldn’t but add a shadow museum to the list: you can’t touch anything there, but it’s pure magic.
- Museum of Emotions – 500 rubles (350 rubles for students), Italyanskaya St. 1/8
- Museum of Shadows – 350 rubles (250 rubles), Bolshaya Konyushennaya St. 5A
- Museum of Records and Facts TITIQAQA – 450-550 rubles, Kazanskaya St. 7
Museum of Records and Facts TITIQAQA
Explore St. Petersburg with our ultimate guide to all nooks and crannies of the city and don’t forget to stop by ITMO’s Museum of Optics.
