Touch grass (literally)
While sunlight may still be a rare visitor during the colder months, the shades of green disappear entirely. Luckily, there are several evergreen oases scattered throughout the city, the largest one being the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden. Inside its glass greenhouses, you can travel to different climate zones: ferns and blooming camellias await on the subtropical route; if you’re more of a cacti and palm person, go with the tropics route instead.
For a more relaxed activity, opt for a greenhouse cafe. Instead of listening to and following the tour guide, you can enjoy your drink in the peace of the indoor jungles of the Greenhouse of the Tauride Garden or The Choco. Another emerging trend that’ll add some color are combination coffee-and-flower shops. So, in case you want to not only contemplate, but also bring a touch of summer home, visit August Flowers, Kraft Flowers, or Plombir Flowers.
Walk on sand
Just imagine standing barefoot on the beach… Even the thought of it can evoke memories of a warm breeze and put a smile on your face. Turns out, some creative minds came up with the idea of sand-covered indoor playgrounds so you can play sports as if by the seaside. In St. Petersburg, you can join such badminton training with BB club, or get yourself an entrance ticket to the Sand center with special areas for tennis, football, and volleyball.
Credit: Toa Heftiba (@heftiba) via Unsplash
Water cure
Apart from swimming pool training, there may be a few reasons to wear a bathing suit in winter. One more could be to take your inner child to a water park! Under the spacious dome of Piterland, the city’s monopolist water park, you can spend 3 or 5 hours, depending on your pass, while enjoying a full range of aquatic activities: swimming in pools, relaxing in jacuzzis, and zooming down thrilling slides.
For an extra dose of excitement, try indoor surfing at Surf Club or Sunpark. Catching an artificial wave may sound easy, but it actually is a great test of your balancing skills. The facilities provide a safe environment where you can master the basics and even learn a few tricks with an instructor.
Prefer to admire water from a distance? Explore the underwater world at the St. Petersburg Oceanarium with fish and jellyfish from the warmest seas and oceans. Walking through their famous underwater tunnel surrounded by marine creatures feels almost like scuba diving on that trip to the sea!
Credit: Lama Roscu (@lamaroscu) via Unsplash
Summer treats
To survive the cold, we crave carbs, but the summer diet is all about iced drinks and light textures. Ice cream, iced coffee, homemade lemonades, kvass, and bubble tea fall out of sight but are still available in shops and cafes! Even in February, M-TEA offers refreshing bubble and tapioca tea, Café Italia serves exquisite, authentic gelato, and Drinkit has iced lattes with cheese foam and bumble coffee.
Read also:
Summer Drinks for When it’s Hot in St. Petersburg
Ice Cream Lover’s Guide to St. Petersburg
