There are many fantastic cultural activities and things to do in St. Petersburg. One of the most popular events occurs during the last 10 days in June this event known as the White Nights takes the city by storm and is one of the busiest times of the year both because of the high influx of tourists as well as the increased activity by local residents. The Hermitage Museum is often times considered to be one of the world's most impressive museums. The Hermitage Museum is actually a renovated palace, and has a huge number of art pieces by some of the largest names in all of art history. Guided tours can be rather pricey, however tickets themselves are fairly inexpensive making this a definite must see place.

There is a good deal of St. Petersburg shopping available however the shopping experience is no more enjoyable than what you probably have in your own city. Naturally because you are in a foreign destination the shopping experience will be interesting however St. Petersburg is not really known for its shopping. The only real drive to St. Petersburg shopping is that many street vendors located throughout the city that sell everything from Russian dolls to cheap vodka. For the entire St. Petersburg experience definitely spent an afternoon shopping from street vendors, though be aware that you will have to carry around the local currency as none of them will accept other forms of currency. A word of warning to travelers do not exchange money on the streets as there is a high risk of receiving counterfeit cash; always go to a bank.

Driving in St. Petersburg can be a little bit frustrating for tourists not accustomed to having bridges being drawn on a schedule, however it may be necessary depending on your trip to car hire in St. Petersburg in order to get around. Much of the public transportation in St. Petersburg stops running at night therefore having a car is necessary unless you are willing to pay the high taxi fares. Car parking is relatively decent and uneventful, though obviously the closer you get to the city center the more difficult parking will be to find. However, unlike in other cities parking does exist in St. Petersburg and driving your self is a valid way to get around.

Travelers will be happy to find an entire range of St. Petersburg hotels available at their disposal. St. Petersburg is a rather large city therefore the amount of hotels available is nearly limitless and will match almost any budget. Of course the more you can pay the better your experience will be, and the most expensive hotels in the city tend to be the internationally known chains. Students traveling should consider staying at youth hostels to save a little bit of cash and get an interesting experience in the process. St. Petersburg restaurants focused largely on regional cuisine therefore unless you are willing to eat cheaply prepared fast food be prepared to eat traditional Russian cooking at many hotels.