Skyscraper 

Height: 462 m

Can you guess what it is? Of course, it’s the Lakhta Center, now peeking from nearly every angle in the city center. This one’s also the tallest not only in St. Petersburg, but also in Europe, and the sixteenth-tallest in the world. Though it wasn’t (and, perhaps, still isn’t) universally liked, you can hardly deny the spectacular views from its uniquely positioned observation deck. Fairly recently, it became available to the public: you can now visit it as part of a guided tour of the building or as a separate attraction. You’ll have to test your luck with the tickets (available online), as they are a hot commodity, especially during the high season, but it will surely be worth it!

Park

Area: 600 ha

Whenever you crave the peace and quiet of nature, just catch a suburban train to Pavlovsk and get lost in its seemingly endless park. We guarantee you won’t be able to walk all of its lanes in one day (unless you like a challenge)! However, you could bike through the park’s entirety – luckily, there are several cycling routes, as well as bike rental spots in the park in summer. And in fall, you can witness the park’s true colors shine, so it’s definitely a must-visit. In fact, the whole of Pavlovsk, apart from its appealing park, is quite the day trip destination – check it out for yourself. However, if the journey doesn’t fit into your schedule, you can get your nature fix at some other sizable parks closer to the city center: Udelny Park (151 ha), Sosnovka Park (289 ha), or Maritime Victory Park (115 ha).

Island

Area: 16.3 square kilometers

Though it doesn’t have a proper name – it’s literally called Bezymyanny (lit. “nameless”) – it’s the largest island in St. Petersburg, connected to the others by no less than 47 bridges! The island formed when the Obvodny Canal was dug in the 19th century. Back then, the canal used to be the edge of the city. However, the island itself is now very much the city center, with ITMO’s Lomonosova campus located right at its heart. Also framing the island are the Neva, Fontanka, Yekateringofka, and Monastyrka rivers. If you want to give the island its due, we have several guides with must-see locations around Obvodny Canal, Peski, as well as several Russian Revival churches.  

Square

Area: around 13 ha

Yet another item on our list of biggest in St. Petersburg and simultaneously in the global top list, Moscow Square was created just under a century ago and didn’t have an official name until 1968. In Soviet times, the city’s grand development plan suggested that the city center be moved to the south, along the imposing Moskovsky Prospect. According to this vision, the square was meant to host parades and rallies; later, however, relocating the historic city center was deemed counterproductive – but the square remained. You can visit the square as part of your exploration of Moskovsky Prospect, one of the most Moscow-like areas in St. Petersburg, and not in name alone.

Painting

Size: 18.9 × 8.5 m

Gaspare Diziani’s Olympus (mid-18th century) was originally purchased in 1760 in Venice as a decoration of the Winter Palace. However, for nearly a century it remained unused, rolled up somewhere in the palace’s multitude of rooms. It saw the light later, during restorations of the Winter Palace after its fire, when it was suggested that the painting be hung over the palace’s Jordan Staircase. Once restored, the painting became a part of the ceiling ensemble, where it remains to this day – now having undergone multiple restorations due to its significant age.

Model 

Area: 800 square meters

Did you know you can travel through Russian regions without leaving St. Petersburg? You just need to visit Grand Maket Russia, the first and largest model of its kind in Russia and the second-largest in the world. Now, naturally, this isn’t a detailed tour of the entire country, but a 1:87 scale diorama with representations of Russian regions and their day-to-day life – with some funny Easter eggs to boot (we’ve covered just a few of them here). The model took five years and nearly 15 tons of plaster to build, with one square meter of the model taking a month’s work (!), and since its opening in 2012 rightfully remains one of the city’s most popular attractions.

Festival 

Span: entire city center

As the cultural capital, St. Petersburg, of course, hosts many annual festivals, but only one of them claims to be the biggest – and it’s so unique that we just want to give them the title. The annual Leningrad Bridges (Leningradskie Mosty) festival is the only one in the world to be held on bridges: for a weekend, several bridges in the city center turn into a stage, attracting tourists and locals alike to free open-air concerts with impressive lineups. This year’s festival happens to be on the upcoming weekend, so pop by the city center for a chance to witness it for yourself!

Ice rink

Area: 28,000 square meters

We’ve just recently mentioned the Flagshtok space as the home to the city’s first Olympic-size open-air swimming pool, but in winter, this site is most famous for its giant seaside ice rink. In fact, some sources claim it’s among the largest not just in St. Petersburg or even Europe, but in the world! When the season comes, be sure to drop by for an ice-skating session with the most stunning views on the Gulf of Finland.

Title image credit: Germash19 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0