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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Saint Petersburg

23 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Updated October 4, 2022

Unusual Attractions in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Rasputin Museum at Yusupov Palace

Palace where the nearly un-killable Rasputin was murdered.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Kunstkamera (Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography)

The oldest museum in Russia is home to a fascinating collection of nearly two million anthropological artifacts and anatomical curiosities.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Russian Vodka Museum

The past, present, and future of Russia's signature alcohol is remembered in the world's only museum dedicated to the starchy spirit.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Peacock Clock

A 250-year-old timepiece-automaton adorned with golden mechanical birds, which still sing to this day.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Literary Café

Once frequented by heavyweights of the Russian arts scene, this café is stuck in the 1800s.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Freud's Dream Museum

Dark, eerie exhibits make for a surreal exploration of the subconscious.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Nabokov's Butterflies

Specimens collected by the author of "Lolita" and self-taught lepidopterist are exhibited in his childhood home.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

F. M. Dostoyevsky Literary Memorial Museum

An ever-growing literary collection housed in the apartment where the Russian author penned his final novel.

See All 23 Things To Do in Saint Petersburg

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Russian Vodka Museum

The past, present, and future of Russia's signature alcohol is remembered in the world's only museum dedicated to the starchy spirit.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Literary Café

Once frequented by heavyweights of the Russian arts scene, this café is stuck in the 1800s.

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Guided Tours of Saint Petersburg

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Museums And Collections 7

Natural History 2

Medical Museums 2

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Stories About Saint Petersburg

The Time a Russian Empress Built an Ice Palace and Forced Her Jester To Get Married In It

Cruel joke, power move, or both?

October 4, 2022

The Weekly Cross-Dressing Balls of 18th-Century Russian Royalty

How empresses used "metamorphosis" to show their male courtiers who’s the boss.

October 4, 2021

Way Before Roller Coasters, Russians Zipped Down Enormous Ice Slides

These artificial mountains were fast, thrilling, and probably very dangerous.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

August 21, 2019

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