Peter and Paul Fortress — Attraction in округ Кронверкское

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original Citadel of St. Petersburg. Founded in 1703 by order of Peter the Great and designed and built by Domenico Trezzini between 1707 and 1740, there is a nice collection of attractions within the fortress grounds.

Entering the small island where the fortress grounds are located by way of the Ioannovskiy Bridge and Ivan Gate, you soon encounter the Information Centre where you buy entry tickets. Opening hours for the Information Centre are 10-7pm (closed on Wednesdays).

The Fortress makes for a nice place to spend 1/2 a day or longer. There are several small museums with special exhibitions. One particular museum that we found to be worthwhile is the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. This attraction is worth an hour or two of your time. We also liked the Exhibition of the History of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

There are some nice architectural structures worth viewing as well. We must enjoyed seeing St. Peter's Gate on the eastern side of the fortress as well as the Neva Gate which faces the river to the south.

Another highlight that we enjoyed within the fortress was the Peter and Paul Cathedral, a Baroque masterpiece as well as the oldest church in St. Petersburg. This was a beautiful church and the attraction that we remember the most from our time in the fortress.

In the end, we spent over 3 hours at the Peter and Paul Fortress and only visited a handful of the attractions available for entry. This is a good area to spend time in St. Petersburg and a place we would be interested in spending more time to visit during future trips...

Probably the most underwhelming of all STP sites - for RUB 450, you get to enter a cathedral that is hardly different from inside than what you would have seen in other cathedrals around the place. Of course there is the customary golden iconostasis- but if you have done st. Isaac's and then the hermitage, this one would seem bling especially as it juxtaposes some tombs (of Royalty). The cathedral this museum has a bit of morbid feeling. A bit confusing too - is it a chamber of tombs or it is a religious place? How does one conduct happier rituals here? But that's just me. Anyway the tour inside gets over in three and a half minutes so it does not really matter to think so much. Then there is a very forgettable section with some photos of Tsars. And another room with some photos and a chair. That's it. Finish. Nothing else to see here. I would rather come and roam around outside which is slightly better. Which is what I did, though after wasting my money to go inside. There are many better places in STP than this. Come here to tick the box, but that's really all to it. (Also, if sadism is your thing, then you would get great pleasure in visiting the place where they keep torture...

The only reason I wanted to see the Peter and Paul Fortress was Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is my favorite Russian author (IMHO, his best books: The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov) and I wanted to see where he had been imprisoned. Our guide, a Russian, knew nothing about Dostoevsky. How can you by Russian, grow up in Russia and know nothing about Dostoevsky? I grew up over 6000 miles away from Russia and I know about Dostoevsky. My asking him questions about Dostoevsky and his not knowing anything would be tantamount to me not knowing about Mark Twain. We fired our guide! Although, I thought about recommending he go read The Idiot, but I refrained.

Wheelchair users: You should always call ahead to find out if there is wheelchair access to bars, clubs, museums, and restaurants. In most cases the answer, sadly, will be in the negative. Alternatively, assume it is inaccessible and hire a few people to lift you and your chair up the stairs, and then be sure to pay very generously for...