Peter the Great's 'Venice of the North': the Hermitage and Winter Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St Isaac's colonnade, Nevsky Prospekt, canals and bridges. Outside the city, the Peterhof fountains and the Catherine Palace with the Amber Room at Tsarskoye Selo. From late May to mid-July the 'White Nights' keep the sky light all night and the Neva bridges are raised after midnight; winters are cold and dark. Mongolian citizens stay 30 days visa-free (with an advance RuID application). There is no direct flight from Ulaanbaatar — connect via Irkutsk, Moscow or Istanbul. The airport closes suddenly during drone attacks, mobile internet gets cut and foreign cards don't work, so bring cash and a flexible plan.
🛂 Visa: Visa-free · 30 days✈ Flight: 12h☀ Best months: May, June, July, August
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: May, June, July, August, September.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
The Hermitage and Winter Palace★ 4.8 (90,000)
CultureDepends on time slot: 11:00 session 1,200₽, 16:00 700₽, evening 500₽; free on the first Thursday of the monthWednesday, Thursday, Sunday 11:00–18:00; Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 11:00–20:00; closed Mondays
One of the world's largest museums, in the tsars' Winter Palace: Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, the Egyptian hall and the golden Peacock Clock. You can't see it all in a day, so pick the main halls for 3–4 hours; evening sessions are cheaper and quieter. The Alexander Column on Palace Square is the city's classic photo spot.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goNo visa is needed, but since 2026 visa-free entry to Russia requires an advance application, Mongolian cards barely work there and there is no direct flight — sort these out at home.+
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30 days visa-free
Mongolian citizens with any type of passport stay in Russia up to 30 days without a visa, no more than 90 days in total within 180. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your return. Work or study needs a visa.
From 1 July 2026 visa-free visitors must apply in the 'Gosuslugi RuID' app at least 72 hours before crossing the border (and no earlier than 90 days), uploading a face photo and passport. Once approved you get a QR code to show at the border with your passport. Children under 6 are exempt; parents apply for those aged 6–18.
Tip: The rule is new and enforcement may change — check with the Russian embassy or a travel agency before you go. Print the QR code on paper too.
There is no direct flight from Ulaanbaatar to St Petersburg or Moscow in 2026, so connect via Irkutsk, Moscow or Istanbul; from Moscow the Sapsan high-speed train takes ~4 hours. Pulkovo closes suddenly during drone attacks, so book connections on a single ticket with a long gap between them. During the June–July White Nights hotels and museum tickets sell out early — book ahead.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityFlights land at Pulkovo (LED); the city centre is reached via the metro.+
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Border and migration card
At the border show your passport and the RuID QR code and fill in the migration card — write 'tourism' as the purpose. Keep the second half of the card with your passport until you leave; losing it causes trouble on exit.
From the arrivals exit take bus 39 (≈30–35 minutes) or the 39E express (≈20–25 minutes) to Moskovskaya metro station, then the metro to the centre. The bus costs 88₽ (cash or card) or 65₽ with a Podorozhnik card; it runs roughly 5:15–01:00.
At night or with lots of luggage, order a Yandex Go taxi, use the official taxi desk in the terminal or a hotel transfer; to the centre ≈1,000–1,200₽. Don't get in with unofficial drivers touting at the exit. At night, when the bridges are raised, routes onto the islands close, so check where your hotel is.
Roaming from Mongolian operators such as Unitel and Mobicom works in Russia but data is expensive — check your Russia roaming package before leaving. Foreign eSIMs such as Airalo usually aren't sold for Russia.
Tip: Download the St Petersburg maps in Yandex Maps and 2GIS for offline use — essential when mobile internet is switched off.
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Russian SIM — passport and biometrics
Since 2025 a foreigner buying a SIM needs a passport, the migration card, a verified Gosuslugi account and biometrics (photo and voice) taken at the operator; it takes 30–45 minutes. Buy at an official MTS, Beeline, MegaFon or T2 store.
In 2026 mobile internet in St Petersburg has been cut many times, with only approved sites such as Gosuslugi working — especially during drone threats. Some foreign apps and sites are blocked permanently. Use hotel and café Wi-Fi, and keep your hotel address, QR code and tickets saved on your phone and printed on paper.
🚇Getting aroundThe metro is fast, cheap and one of the deepest in the world; most central sights are walkable.+
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Podorozhnik card and the metro
In 2026 a metro ride costs 95₽ by token or bank card and 65₽ with a Podorozhnik card. A 90-minute combined ticket is 106₽ and an unlimited 1-day ticket 364₽. Get a Podorozhnik at a metro ticket office and top it up with cash — foreign cards don't work.
Buses, trams and trolleybuses also take the Podorozhnik; see routes and arrival times in Yandex Maps. Yandex Go taxis show the fare upfront and accept cash. The metro closes before the bridges go up at night, so plan how you'll get back between the islands.
In summer boats run on the Neva and the canals, and the Meteor hydrofoil goes to Peterhof from beside the Hermitage. For Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) take a train from Vitebsky station or a bus from Moskovskaya metro. Central sights are close together and easy on foot.
Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards don't work in Russia. Buy roubles at a bank in Ulaanbaatar, or exchange dollars, euros or yuan at a bank in St Petersburg (Sberbank, VTB, etc.) with your passport. Small cafés and markets take cash only. Up to $10,000 can be brought in without a customs declaration.
UnionPay cards from Mongolian banks sometimes work in big Russian shops and hotels, but not reliably — ask your bank before going. Online museum and palace tickets usually need a Russian card, so ask your hotel or a travel agent to book, or pay cash at the box office.
Tip: Split your cash and leave part in the hotel; compare exchange rates between banks.
🍜FoodSt Petersburg has traditional Russian food, Baltic fish, and Georgian and Uzbek cuisine.+
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Russian food and pyshki
Borscht, pelmeni, blini, beef stroganoff, koryushka smelt (in spring) and kvass. Chains like Teremok and Stolovaya are cheap with picture menus, easy with children. The city's signature treat is the 'pyshka', a sugar-dusted doughnut — the Pyshechnaya on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street is famous.
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Georgian and Uzbek food
Close to Mongolian tastes: Uzbek plov, samsa and lagman; Georgian khinkali (like buuz), khachapuri and shashlik. The city has a great many such restaurants at mid-range prices.
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Where to eat and tipping
Markets such as Vladimirsky, New Holland and Rubinstein Street have plenty of cafés and restaurants. Supermarkets (VkusVill, Pyatyorochka, Perekrestok) sell ready meals and fruit. Tipping is optional; leave a little if the service was good.
Tip: Some restaurants only take Russian cards — ask whether they accept cash before sitting down.
🛡️Safety and health+
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Emergency numbers
The unified number 112 works 24 hours, free, even from a phone with no credit. Also fire and rescue 101, police 102, ambulance 103. English-speaking operators are rare — have basic Russian phrases or a translation app ready.
In 2026 Pulkovo airport has closed many times during Ukrainian drone attacks, sometimes opening and closing several times in one day, and dozens of flights have been cancelled. Mobile internet is often cut at the same time. If an air alert is announced, go inside a building or into the metro. Foreign governments advise against travel to Russia.
Police check passports — always carry the original and your migration card; copies are not accepted. Don't photograph military or official sites or airports, and keep away from protests. St Petersburg has an Honorary Consul of Mongolia (25 Zakharyevskaya Street); consular matters such as a lost passport are handled by the Embassy of Mongolia in Moscow (+7 495 690-67-92).
🙏Manners+
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In churches
In Orthodox churches men remove hats, women cover their heads with a scarf and a skirt is appropriate; no shorts or bare shoulders. Don't take photos during services and keep quiet.
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In museums and palaces
At the Hermitage and the palaces, leave big bags and coats in the cloakroom; there are security checks. Flash photography is banned in some halls, and don't touch the exhibits. Some palaces ask you to wear shoe covers. Treat siege-of-Leningrad memorials with respect.
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Dealing with people
Russians don't smile at strangers but are friendly when asked for help. Hello is 'Zdravstvuyte', thank you 'Spasibo'. On metro escalators stand on the right and leave the left for walkers. Drinking alcohol in public places is banned.
📱Useful apps+
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Border and transport
'Gosuslugi RuID' — the visa-free entry application and QR code. Yandex Maps — metro and bus routing. Yandex Go — taxis. Podorozhnik — card balance. The Mostotrest site — the bridge-raising schedule.
2GIS — opening hours of shops, clinics and cafés, offline maps. Yandex Translate or Google Translate's camera mode translate menus and signs — download Russian for offline use.
Get to Pulkovo at least 3 hours ahead — it can close during drone attacks and security checks are slow. At the border hand over your passport and the remaining half of the migration card. Overstaying the 30 days brings a fine and a re-entry ban.
Imperial Porcelain cups, matryoshka dolls, Pavlovo Posad shawls, St Petersburg chocolate and tea make good presents. Spend or exchange leftover roubles before leaving — the rouble rate in Mongolia is poor. Cash over $10,000 must be declared at customs.
The 1703 fortress where the city began: the gold-spired Peter and Paul Cathedral holds the tombs of the tsars from Peter I onwards, plus the Trubetskoy Bastion prison and a space museum. A cannon fires from the Naryshkin Bastion every day at noon; in summer people sunbathe on the Neva shore beneath the walls.
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood★ 4.8 (50,000)
Culture≈450₽ (under-7s free)Daily ≈10:30–18:00 (later in summer)
The colourful onion-domed church built where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. Its walls and ceilings are covered in over 7,000 m² of mosaics. Photograph it free from the Griboyedov Canal embankment.
CityCathedral ≈550₽, colonnade ≈600₽Cathedral 10:30–18:00 (closed Wednesdays); colonnade also open in the evening in summer
A huge gold-domed cathedral with malachite and lapis lazuli columns and mosaic icons. Climb 200-plus steps to the colonnade for the rooftops, the Neva and the Admiralty — the best viewpoint in St Petersburg.
The main street: the Dom Knigi bookshop in the Singer building, the Eliseev food hall and the Gostiny Dvor arcade. Kazan Cathedral, with its semicircular colonnade, holds Kutuzov's tomb. Lovely to walk when lit up at night; watch for pickpockets.
KidsLower Park foreigners 2,000₽ (weekends 2,500₽), under-7s free; palace extraLower Park 9:00–20:00; fountains 10:00–19:45 (May to autumn; until 4 November in 2026)
The 'Russian Versailles' on the Gulf of Finland: the Grand Cascade with gilded statues, over 150 fountains and 'trick' fountains that children run through and get soaked. In summer the Meteor hydrofoil from beside the Hermitage gets there in about 40 minutes — going by boat and back by bus is easiest.
The imperial summer palace 25 km south of the city: a blue, white and gold facade, the famous restored Amber Room and Catherine Park. Book a timed ticket early on the official site — few are left at the box office.
One of the largest collections of Russian art: early icons, Bryullov's 'The Last Day of Pompeii', Aivazovsky's 'The Ninth Wave', Repin and Malevich. Behind the palace, the Mikhailovsky Garden is good for a walk.
Canal and river boats and bridge raising★ 4.8 (30,000)
City≈800–1,500₽ (1–1.5-hour trip)Day and night trips April–October; Palace Bridge raised ≈1:10–2:50 and 3:10–4:55
Seeing the city from the water on the Moika, Fontanka and Griboyedov canals is one of St Petersburg's best memories. During the White Nights, a night boat on the Neva lets you watch the bridges rise. While bridges are up you can't cross between islands, so plan your way back to the hotel.
Culture700₽ (reduced 350₽); with audio guide 990₽Daily 10:00–21:00 (entry slots every 5 minutes)
A private museum in the Shuvalov Palace: nine imperial Fabergé eggs made for the tsar's family, jewellery and silverware. You'll see it in an hour; children enjoy the tiny pieces in the glass cases.
CultureTickets ≈1,000–15,000₽ (depending on seat)Performances usually at 19:00; the 'Stars of the White Nights' festival in summer
The world-famous ballet and opera house: 'Swan Lake', 'Giselle' and Tchaikovsky operas. The 19th-century historic stage and the new Mariinsky II stand side by side. Buy tickets on the theatre's site or at the box office with your passport.
An 18th-century naval warehouse island turned into a city park: lawns, a ship-shaped children's playground, cafés in the round 'Bottle' building and food stalls. Picnics in summer, an ice rink in winter.
