It would be a huge mistake to believe that the residents of St. Petersburg are often melancholic individuals, moving with a volume of Dostoevsky and a glass of coffee from a fashion exhibition to a symphony concert. You will be surprised how many people, regardless of age, choose sports and active recreation, since there are plenty of opportunities for this in the city on the Neva.
Parks aren't just for leisurely walks
Primorsky Victory Park, founded in 1945 in honor of naval victories in the Great Patriotic War, is one of the favorite places for fans of active recreation and picturesque photo sessions, especially for young people. Located on Krestovsky Island and surrounded on all sides by water, the park impresses with its well-developed infrastructure – rental of winter sports equipment, Nordic walking and yoga classes – in short, everyone will find something to their liking, but the Roadside Picnic food parking will not allow you will stay hungry.
On the neighboring Elagin Island there is the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after Kirov, which has remained popular among St. Petersburg residents for almost a hundred years, where families come from generation to generation. Some people prefer to ski and sleigh along the snow-covered alleys (traditional St. Petersburg winter fun), and those who like to slowly glide along the ice to music will find two skating rinks: Bolshoi and Maly. Those who are taking their first steps on the ice will be helped to gain confidence by training equipment for beginner skaters, which, like skates and protective kits, can be rented.
Hot donuts with coffee or tea at the food court will help you warm up on a winter day, and looking at the pictures taken in the photo zones, you will remember with a smile “Frost and sun: a wonderful day!” For those who are tired of too active pastime, we recommend going to the Elagin Palace to admire the ceremonial enfilade and the interiors of the cabinets of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, or discover the world of artistic glass and visit the glassblowing workshop, where before your eyes a miraculous transformation of a mass of molten glass into an elegant piece of art will take place . The closest metro station to both parks is Krestovsky Island.
Come to St. Petersburg for at least a few days, or better yet, plan themed trips for two or three days in order to avoid information chaos and, feeling like a St. Petersburger, slowly enjoy discovering a new facet of the beautiful city each time.
And let such trips to St. Petersburg become a tradition for you, and let the reasons to come to the city on the Neva be very different – a theater premiere or a book festival, a sports match or competition, a romantic walk along the rivers and canals or an interesting exhibition. Visit Petersburg will help you navigate the kaleidoscope of offers and learn more about classic attractions and objects of the new tourist geography.
The youngest, but quickly winning the love of residents and guests of the city, the Park of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland near the futuristic skyscraper Lakhta Center. The park already has its own attractions. A granite column stylized as a lighthouse, the three tiers of which symbolize three centuries of the glorious history of St. Petersburg. Monument to Francisco de Miranda, independence fighter and revolutionary of Spanish origin, whose life is like an adventure novel. He lived in St. Petersburg for a year, was acquainted with Potemkin, Suvorov, Bezborodko, and Empress Catherine II granted him the rank and uniform of colonel in the Russian army. This monument is popular among newlyweds – according to popular rumor, it helps to find family happiness. Three 175-meter flagpoles (the tallest in Europe), on which huge banners the size of half a football field were raised. The tricolor of Peter I (the state flag of the Russian Federation), the flag of the Russian Empire and the Soviet red banner symbolize the inextricable connection between the historical past and the present, as well as the continuity of the strength and spirit of Russia.
People come to this park to admire the panorama of the city, stroll along the embankment, ride on an outdoor skating rink or go snowkiting, helped by the invigorating sea wind. By the way, it is in the 300th Anniversary Park that significant city public events take place. The annual VK Fest will take place in July 2024, and the traditional St. Petersburg Smelt Festival will be held in the first week of June. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the Park. Nearest metro station: Begovaya.
Sosnovka Park is essentially a huge forest area of more than 300 hectares, located in the north of the city. Just like in other parks, rental of sports equipment is available here (electric sleds, tubing, snow scooters), classes in yoga, Nordic walking and gymnastics are held, on indoor football fields you can kick a ball even in winter, and a rope park is open for families with children . Nearest metro station: Politekhnicheskaya.
Park “Ekateringof” (Catherine's Courtyard) is not so widely known, although it is the oldest in the city. Located in the southwest of the Admiralteysky district, it was founded in honor of the victories of the Russian fleet in the Northern War. By decree of Peter I, the wooden Ekateringof Palace was built, alas, not preserved, and the specially created Garden Office laid out a landscape park around it. This country residence became a truly royal gift from Peter I, which he presented to his wife Catherine I for their wedding. In 1824, the Molvinskaya Column was installed on the southern edge of the park, which is believed to have been used by Montferrand as a model for the Alexander Column on Palace Square.
In the 19th century, Ekateringof became a public holiday destination. This picturesque corner is still loved by residents and guests of the city at any time of the year.
In the western part of the park there is a small stadium and an equestrian club, where you can learn horse riding or rent a horse for walks around the park. Well, Ekateringof Park invites all winter sports lovers to the Admiralty Ski Track competition on February 10, 2024. You can watch the strongest races, take part in the mass start and simply get in a good mood by spending the day in the fresh air. Nearest metro station: Narvskaya.
If you don’t have the time or desire to go far from the center of St. Petersburg, you still want to relax surrounded by the beautiful St. Petersburg architecture and take a break from the everyday bustle with a mug of aromatic mulled wine, skate to the music, compete in a chess tournament, meet creative people, go to a comic book store, vinyl records or original photography, and then have lunch or a quick snack – you’re on your way to New Holland. This is a relatively young, but already very popular public space, which arose as a result of the restoration and reconstruction of buildings and the territory of the island, bounded by the Moika, Kryukov and Admiralty canals. Nearest metro station: Admiralteyskaya.
Another historical site in the center that opened relatively recently is Nikolsky Rows. The courtyard of the former Nikolsky market is open to the public. This year, areas for unusual winter fun in the open air were equipped here – curling tracks and a small ice mini-golf course. There is also an outdoor skating rink and sports equipment rentals. Children are attracted by the Venetian carousel with its festive lights and bright figures, and lovers of musical improvisation in all its forms will be delighted by the “Jazz in Nikolskiye” project, whose concerts will run until March 2024. Nearest metro station: Sennaya/Spasskaya.
And the whole stadium shouts: “Russia is the champion!”
What to do when you absolutely don’t want to be physically active, but your love for sports requires emotions, preferably positive ones? Dear fans, Gazprom Arena and SKA Arena are waiting for you for exciting football and hockey matches!
You definitely need to go to the Gazprom Arena at least once to see this incredible building with your own eyes.
Built according to the design of the famous Japanese architect Kurokawa, in the foggy St. Petersburg twilight it resembles a giant spaceship sparkling with illumination. All significant football matches and concerts of the most popular performers take place here. St. Petersburg residents, by the way, more often call the stadium “Zenit Arena” – in honor of their favorite football team, for which the whole city supports, worries, rejoices and is sad, even those who are not interested in football. On match days, blue-white-blue scarves and flags are seen at every turn, and there is a joyful excitement in the air. After all, they have been together for almost 100 years – the city and Zenit. Nearest metro station: Zenit.
The Ice Palace is inferior in size to its brother, and perhaps a little less popular. Until recently, this was the domain of the SKA team and all fans of this fast-paced game of real men who fill the stadium on the days of KHL matches. The St. Petersburg hockey club SKA successfully performs in KHL matches, becoming the champion of Russia and a two-time winner of the Gagarin Cup. On non-playing days, concerts and ice performances are held here, and an ice skating rink is open during the day and evening. Nearest metro station: Prospekt Bolshevikov.
It is impossible not to mention the main sporting event of the outgoing year – the opening of the SKA Arena, the largest hockey stadium in the world, which combined in its architecture elements of the Tatlin Tower and the dynamics of unique figures performed on the ice by the first Russian Olympic figure skating champion Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin . In December, the KHL All-Star Game took place here, and starting from the next 2024/2025 season, all SKA home matches will be held. There is a park around the arena with various areas and recreational facilities. Nearest metro station: “Park Pobedy”.
It is clear that the vast majority of guests come to St. Petersburg for cultural and aesthetic experiences: beautiful architecture, world-class museum collections of the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, theaters and concert halls attract millions of tourists every year. However, we should not forget that St. Petersburg is a living organism, young and creative, and evidence of this is the variety of opportunities for active recreation that will help you recharge your batteries and make your trip interesting and unforgettable.
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