Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

Vasilyevsky Island is one of the central districts of St. Petersburg. Vasilyevsky Island (Finnish Hirvisaari - Elk Island; Swedish Dammarholm - Pond Island) is one of the most famous islands of St. Petersburg, formed by the two largest branches of the Neva - the Bolshaya and Malaya Neva. Technically, the northern part of the region beyond the Smolenka River is a separate island of the Decembrists (the former name is Goloday), but local residents, if they are not local historians, ignore the presence of two islands and call the entire region Vasilyevsky or simply Vaska.

The sharp eastern tip of Vasilyevsky Island, where the full-flowing branches of the Neva diverge, is called its arrow; it offers one of the most beautiful views of the Neva and the city center.

There is a beautiful legend about the name "Vasilyevsky Island", according to which it came from the name of the artillery captain Vasily Korchmin, who commanded a detachment in the trenches (i.e., in the fortification) located on this island. Peter I, sending orders to him, supplied the messages with a laconic inscription: "To Vasily on the island." But this is just a legend, because. The name of the island was given long before the founding of the city - Vasiliev Island is mentioned in the census book of 1500.

The Decembrist Island got its name in memory of the leaders of the Decembrist uprising executed in June 1826 - Ryleev, Pestel, Kakhovsky, Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Muravyov-Apostol, because. on the island there is a presumed place of their burial. There are several versions about the origin of its former mysterious name Hunger. It is most likely that Goloday is a distorted surname of the English doctor Thomas Holliday, who owned a piece of land on the island. Other versions say that the name comes from the Swedish word "halaua" (willow) or the English "holly day" (holly day - holy day).

In terms of toponymy, Vasilyevsky Island has its own characteristics. The basis of the layout is Bolshoi, Sredny and Maly avenues leading from east to west. A dozen and a half straight streets-lines were laid perpendicular to them. This is due to the attempt of Peter I in the 1710s-1720s to arrange a regular layout here with the help of a network of parallel channels designed by the Italian architect Domenico Trezzini. Later, the partially dug channels were filled in, and the famous lines of Vasilyevsky Island appeared in their place. Surprisingly, it is not a street that is called a line, but a row of houses standing on an even / odd side, i.e. each side of the street is a separate line. However, this ceases to be surprising if we remember that the sides of the streets, according to the original plan, were supposed to be canal embankments. Such a planning organization took root so much that it remained in use in the 19th and even in the 20th century when laying new street lines.

The lines are numbered from east to west from 1 to 29; there are also several lines with their own names: Mendeleevskaya, Kadetskaya (former Syezdovskaya), Birzhevaya, Kozhevennaya and Kosaya lines. "Nominal" lines (except Kadetskaya) include both sides of the street, that is, both even and odd.

It should also be noted that in St. Petersburg there are other Bolshoi and Maly avenues - on the Petrogradskaya side, therefore, in order to avoid confusion when indicating the address, one should always add either V. O. (i.e. Vasilevsky Island) or P. S to the name of the avenue (i.e., the Petrograd side).

 

How to get here

There are three metro stations in this area:

3 (Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya) line Vasileostrovskaya on Vasilyevsky Island (at the corner of Sredny Prospekt and lines 6-7);
5 (Frunzensko-Primorskaya) line Sportivnaya on Vasilyevsky Island (the second exit from the metro at the corner of the 1st and Kadetskaya lines and Makarov Embankment, near the Tuchkov Bridge);
3 (Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya) Line Primorskaya on Dekabristov Island (on the embankment of the Smolenka River near the Nalichny Bridge).
The city's passenger port is also located on Vasilyevsky Island, the Marine Station (1 Morskoy Glory Square), about which you can read in the article St. Petersburg.

Trams No. 1, 6, 40, trolleybuses No. 1 and 10, as well as buses and numerous minibuses run along Vasilyevsky Island and the Island of the Decembrists.

 

Attractions

Arrow of Vasilyevsky Island

Arrow of Vasilievsky Island is one of the most picturesque places in the city. In this place, the waters of the two largest branches of the Neva diverge: the Big and Small Neva. Birzhevaya Square is located on the arrow, the ensemble of which includes the Exchange building, Rostral columns, Birzhevaya Square, the Palace Bridge connecting the island with the left bank of the Neva, and the Birzhevoi Bridge, thrown over to the Petrograd side. To descend to the water, the arrow is equipped with two semicircular ramps.

1 Naval Museum/ Exchange Building, Birzhevaya Square, 4. The Exchange Building is the central element of the ensemble of the Spit of Vasilevsky Island. In its modern form, it was built in 1805-1816 by the architect Jean Thomas de Thomon, who designed the entire ensemble. The building is designed in the style of classicism and gives the impression of an ancient Greek temple. It stands on a high granite plinth, surrounded around the entire perimeter by a powerful colonnade of 44 Doric columns and completed with a gable roof. The pediments of the end facades are decorated with sculptural compositions made of Pudozh stone by the French sculptor Joseph Kamberlain: on the east - "Neptune with two rivers", on the west - "Navigation with Mercury and the river". Previously, the Naval Museum was located here, which has now moved to Labor Square in the former Kryukov naval barracks.
2  Rostral Column. This is another integral symbol of St. Petersburg, which forms the appearance of the spit of Vasilyevsky Island. Two columns were built in 1805-1810, also according to the design of Jean Thomas de Thomon. The body of each of them is decorated with six rostra - the bows of the ships, symbolizing the victories of the Russian fleet. At the foot of the columns, allegorical sculptural images of the great Russian rivers are installed: the Volga and Dnepr near the northern one and the Neva and Volkhov near the southern one (according to another version, the sculptures are devoid of specific semantic content). These sculptures from Pudozh stone were made by the master stonemason Samson Sukhanov based on the models of the French sculptors Joseph Cumberlain and Jacques Thibaut. In addition to being decorative, the columns also had practical significance - they served as beacons for a trading port. Inside the Rostral Columns there are spiral staircases leading to platforms with lamps in the form of bowls on tripods. Now the lamps run on gas, and they are lit on holidays.
3  Palace bridge. The Palace Bridge across the Bolshaya Neva connects the spit of Vasilyevsky Island with the Admiralteysky Island on the left bank of the Neva. From 1856 until the construction of a permanent crossing, a pontoon bridge was installed in this place. In 1879, Pavel Yablochkov's experimental electric lights were installed on it. A permanent five-span drawbridge 260 m long was built in 1912-1916 according to the design of engineer Andrey Pshenitsky. He managed to achieve an amazing effect: the bridge, as it were, spreads over the water, preserving the panorama of the Neva banks. For a long time, the bridge remained devoid of decorative decorations; cast-iron railings appeared only in 1939 (sculptor Igor Krestovsky based on a drawing by architect Lev Noskov); they give the impression of old, despite the use of Soviet symbols in the form of five-pointed stars and a hammer and sickle. And the Palace Bridge, divorced in the white night, is one of the main postcard views of St. Petersburg.
4 Exchange Bridge (Builders Bridge). The Birzhevoy Bridge across the Malaya Neva connects the spit of Vasilevsky Island with the Petrogradsky Island of the Petrograd Side. Initially, there was a 25-span wooden drawbridge built in 1893-1894 by engineer N. Mazurov. In the 1930s, it expanded and its spans were replaced with metal ones. The modern five-span drawbridge 250 m long was built in 1957-1960 according to the project of architects Lev Noskov and Petr Areshev. During construction, the embankments on both banks were reconstructed, and the proportions and external forms of the Palace Bridge were given to the Exchange Bridge. As a result, the spit of Vasilyevsky Island acquired a pronounced axis of symmetry, and the new bridge perfectly fit into the architectural ensemble.
5 Pushkin House (Institute of Russian Literature), emb. Makarova, 4. This building was built in 1829-1832 for the St. Petersburg port customs, designed by Ivan Lukini. The main façade overlooking the Malaya Neva is adorned with an eight-columned classicist portico. On its pediment are statues of Mercury, Neptune and Ceres - the patrons of trade, navigation and fertility. The building is crowned with a small dome on a high drum, symmetrical to the tower of the Kunstkamera on the opposite side of the spit of Vasilyevsky Island. There is a bust of Alexander Pushkin in front of the main entrance to the building. In 1927, the building housed the Institute of Russian Literature, the basis of which was the library of Alexander Pushkin, because of which the institute bears its other name - Pushkin's House. Pushkin House has a unique Literary Museum.

Literary Museum, emb. Makarova, 4. ☎ +7 (812) 328-05-02. 11:00–17:00 Mon-Fri. The museum's funds contain more than 200,000 items of pictorial, documentary and historical materials related to Russian literature of the 18th-20th centuries. Its permanent exhibition includes 1528 items (paintings, drawings, watercolors, drawings, miniatures, printed graphics, arts and crafts, photography, etc.)

 

University embankment

University embankment runs from the Palace to Blagoveshchensky bridge.

6  Zoological Museum, Universitetskaya nab. 1. Wed–Mon 11:00–19:00. 400₽, free of charge. Located in the former South Warehouse of the Stock Exchange. One of the largest zoological museums in the world, its funds include about 50 million exhibits. The museum demonstrates the fauna of various biogeographic zones of our planet. Mammals, invertebrates, fish, birds, amphibians, insects, extinct animals are represented here. It exhibits more than 30 thousand exhibits in halls with a total area of 6000 square meters. m. Among the most famous exhibits of the museum are a 27-meter skeleton of a blue whale and the only stuffed adult mammoth in the world (Berezovsky mammoth).
7  Kunstkammer (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography) , Universitetskaya emb., 3 (entrance from Custom lane). Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00. 400₽, preferential 100₽. The first Russian museum founded by Peter I on the basis of his personal collection. Translated from German means "cabinet of rarities". The building of the Kunstkamera designed by Mattarnovi was built in 1718-1734. An observatory was built in the tower and the Gottorp Globe, which has survived to this day, is in fact a planetarium. Due to the abundance of collections in the 1830s, the Kunstkamera was divided into the Zoological, Ethnographic, Botanical and Mineralogical (Moscow) museums.
8  Monument to Mikhail Lomonosov (Mendeleevskaya Line). The monument to the great figure of Russian science near St. Petersburg University was erected in 1986. The authors of the monument are sculptors Valentin Sveshnikov and Boris Petrov and architects Igor Shakhov and Eduard Tyakht.
9 Twelve Colleges (Petersburg University), Universitetskaya emb., 7/9. This building was built according to the project of Domenico Trezzini in 1722-1742 to house the highest bodies of state administration in Russia (the Senate, the Synod and collegiums). The structure consists of 12 identical three-story buildings interconnected. The main facade does not face the Neva, as one might expect, but the Mendeleevskaya line. This is due to the fact that at that time there was a canal on the site of the line, and behind it was the main trading square of Vasilyevsky Island. Subsequently, the canal was backfilled and the area built up. Today, the building houses the geological and natural-soil faculties of St. Petersburg University, as well as its admissions committee.
10  Menshikov’s Palace, Universitetskaya emb. 15. Tue–Sun 12:00–19:00. 600₽, no benefits. The palace of the associate of Peter I and the first governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Menshikov, was built in the Peter the Great Baroque style in the 1710s according to the design of the architects Fontan and Shedel. This is one of the first stone buildings in the city, for some time it was the largest and most luxurious, therefore it was often used for diplomatic receptions and Peter's assemblies. After the disgrace of the owner in 1727, the First Cadet Corps was located in the palace, where commanders Rumyantsev and Suvorov studied. The building was rebuilt several times, several rooms have been preserved from the times of Peter the Great. In the 1960-1970s, reconstruction was carried out with the restoration of the original appearance of the palace and a branch of the Hermitage was created with expositions on Russian culture of the Petrine era. Visit with a guided tour, tickets on the website for the sessions.
11 Rumyantsevsky garden and obelisk, section of Universitetskaya emb. between lines 1 and 2. Here in 1818 the Rumyantsev obelisk was transferred from the Field of Mars in honor of the victories of Field Marshal Count Peter Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky in the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. In 1865-1867, a garden was laid out around it, designed by architect Nikolai Kovrigin. In the garden there are two active cast-iron fountains of intricate shape. In the southern part of the garden there are busts of famous Russian painters Ilya Repin and Vasily Surikov.
12 Academy of Arts, Universitetskaya nab. 17. The largest center of artistic culture in Russia, founded in 1757 on the initiative of Mikhail Lomonosov and Ivan Shuvalov. The purpose of the academy was to train Russian artists, sculptors and architects. The magnificent building on the University Embankment was built in 1764-1788 according to the design of Wallen-Delamot. It is a rectangle with sides of 140 and 125 meters with a round courtyard inside. The main façade overlooking the embankment is decorated with three risalits with four-columned porticos. The central risalit has a domed completion. On the north side of the academy is a small garden.
13 Sphinxes from Thebes, Universitetskaya nab. (opposite the Academy of Arts). These sculptures on the embankment near the Academy of Arts are about 3,500 years old - they are more than three thousand years older than Peter himself. Two granite sphinxes were found in 1820 among the ruins of the temple of Amenhotep III in Thebes, the ancient capital of Egypt. The sphinxes were put up for auction, purchased by the Russian government, and arrived in St. Petersburg in 1832. Now the pier with sphinxes is a favorite gathering place for students and tourists with excellent views of the Neva.

 

Embankment Lieutenant Schmidt

The Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment is a continuation of the Universitetskaya Embankment to the west beyond the Blagoveshchensky Bridge (the former Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge).

14  House of Academicians , Lieutenant Schmidt emb. 1.
15 Naval Institute (Frunze Naval School, Naval Cadet Corps), emb. Lieutenant Schmidt, 17. The oldest naval educational institution in Russia, originating from the Moscow school of mathematical and navigational sciences, created by Peter I back in 1701. Admirals Fyodor Ushakov, Ivan Kruzenshtern and Pavel Nakhimov, the discoverer of Antarctica Thaddeus Bellingshausen, composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, writer Konstantin Stanyukovich, rear admiral and designer of the first aircraft Alexander Mozhaisky, encyclopedist Vladimir Dahl and many others can be noted among his teachers and pupils. Since 1753, the school has been located here, in the former palace of Count Munnich. In 1796-1798 the building was completely rebuilt according to the design of the architect Fyodor Volkov. The main façade of the building overlooking the embankment is decorated with a ten-columned portico with a tower used for astronomical observations. The side pavilions are crowned with flat domes.
16  Monument to Ivan Kruzenshtern (opposite the Naval Institute). This monument to Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, installed opposite the building of the Naval Corps, was laid according to the project of the architect Ippolit Monighetti in 1870 on the centenary of the great naval commander. The three-meter bronze sculpture was made by Ivan Schroeder. The grand opening of the monument took place in 1873.
17 Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, emb. Lieutenant Schmidt, 27. This Orthodox five-domed three-aisled church was built in 1895-1897 according to the project of architect Vasily Kosyakov on the territory of the courtyard of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. In 1935 the church was closed and a warehouse was arranged in it. Since 1991, the temple has been transferred to the Kozelskaya Svyato-Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, since 1993 divine services have been held here. Restoration work began in 1996. By mid-2013, the church was completely restored outside and inside.
18  Mining Institute, 21st line V.O., 2. The oldest higher technical educational institution in Russia, founded in 1773. Among its graduates, many outstanding scientists can be noted: the founder of mining mechanics Alexander German, the creator of domestic petroleum geology Ivan Gubkin, geologists Alexander Karpinsky and Alexander Zavaritsky, paleontologist and geologist Alexei Borisyak and many others. The building of the Mining Institute in the Empire style was built in 1806-1811 by architect Andrey Voronikhin. The main façade is a twelve-column portico of the Ionic order. To the right and left of it there are sculptural groups by Stepan Pimenov. The institute has an interesting museum.
19  Icebreaker-Museum Krasin, emb. Lieutenant Schmidt (at the Mining Institute). Wed–Sun 11:00–18:00. 300₽, preferential 150₽. The only icebreaker museum in the world. It is organized on board the historical ship "Krasin". The icebreaker was built in 1916-1917 at the English shipyards "Armstrong and Whitworth" according to the drawings of Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov and at that time was named "Svyatogor". It was assigned to the port of Arkhangelsk and, during the civil war in 1918, was flooded at the mouth of the Northern Dvina in order to prevent ships of interventionists. Soon he was raised from the bottom and towed to England as a war trophy. In 1921, thanks to the efforts of the diplomat Leonid Krasin, the ship was purchased from the British government. In 1927, after the death of Krasin, the icebreaker received his name. In 1928 he participated in the rescue of the Italian polar expedition Umberto Nobile after the crash of the airship "Italia". During the Great Patriotic War, the ship escorted Allied convoys in the Arctic. In the post-war period, the icebreaker worked on the Northern Sea Route. In 1992, it was put into eternal parking at the Mining Institute and a museum was organized on it, dedicated to the history of the ship and Russian icebreaking.

 

Around station  3 (Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya) Vasileostrovskaya line

20 Andreevsky Cathedral (Cathedral of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called), 6 line 11. One of the first temples of Vasilyevsky Island, a wooden building was built in 1729-1732, later burned down. The current building was built in 1764-1780 according to the design of the architect Vista. The cathedral had the status of a chapter church of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Inside the cathedral, you should pay attention to the magnificent carved iconostasis of the 18th century. The complex of buildings of the cathedral includes the neighboring Church of the Three Saints (built in 1740-1745), a bust of the first cavalier of the Order of Andrei the First-Called, Admiral Golovin, and an obelisk in honor of the 300th anniversary of the order.
21 Annunciation Church, 8 line 67B. An elegant baroque church with a bell tower was built in 1750-1762. instead of the earlier wooden one. The pre-revolutionary interior has not been preserved, it has been restored. An ordinary, highly frequented parish church.
22  Church of St. Catherine near Tuchkov Bridge, Kadetskaya Line 27A. The huge dome and bell tower of the church in the classical style (1811-1823, architect Andrey Mikhailov) are visible in many panoramas of Vasilyevsky. The interior of the church did not survive the vicissitudes of the 20th century - now a small room at the entrance is used as a parish church, the rest is under a long reconstruction.
23 Lutheran Church of St. Catherine, 1 line 20B. The building of the Lutheran Church adorns the beginning of the Grand Avenue (classicism, architect Felten, 1768-1771). In niches on either side of the portico are statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The interior is in good condition, but typically austere Lutheran. Organ concerts are held (mainly in the summer), information on the website.
24 St. Michael Lutheran Church, 18B Sredny Ave.

Smolensk cemetery
25   Chapel of Xenia of Petersburg, Kamskaya st. 24B.
26 Resurrection Church near the Smolensk cemetery, Kamskaya st. eleven.
27 Smolensk Church, Kamskaya st. 24.

Around Lenexpo
28  Church of the Merciful Icon , 100 Bolshoi pr. VO.
29   Vasileostrovskaya part (Police department and fire department of Vasileostrovskaya part), Bolshoy pr. VO 73. Mon–Fri 10:30–17:00. An old building with a monument to firefighters. Inside - Fire-technical exhibition.

 

Museums

1 Museum of the Academy of Arts, in the building of the Academy of Arts. Wed–Sun 11:00–18:00. 300₽, preferential 150₽. An underrated and under-visited art museum. The premises of the museum are scattered inside the academy, on the first visit it is recommended to ask the curators which departments are available and how to get there. The most interesting are the main halls of the second floor with copies of frescoes by Raphael from the Vatican, paintings by Titian from Venetian churches and other works; a collection of copies and models of ancient sculpture and architecture on the ground floor; a collection of unique historical architectural models on the third floor (for example, a model of the Smolny Monastery, with the help of which Rastrelli explained the project to Empress Elizabeth; similarly, a model of St. Isaac's Cathedral from Montferrand for imperial approval). There are interesting temporary exhibitions, it is worth looking in advance on the website.
The museum has 4 branches in different parts of the city: the museum-apartment of Isaac Brodsky on Arts Square, Repin's estate "Penates" in Repino, Chistyakov's estate in Pushkin and the museum-apartment of Kuindzhi on Vasilyevsky.

2  Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art, 29th line of Vasilievsky Island, building 2. Wed–Mon 10:00–22:00. 1000₽, valid for 1 year, pass through the turnstile by face recognition. Erarta is the largest private contemporary art museum in Russia. The museum's collection contains about 2,800 works by more than 300 artists from different regions of the country. The name of the museum is formed from two words - era and arta, which means "time of art". Area - 12,000 sq. m, one wing of which is reserved for the permanent exposition of the museum, the other for temporary expositions. In addition to painting and sculptures, Erarta presents author's projects: total installations U-Space, multimedia performance "Theatre without Actors", audio installations, "Isoanimation", "Isoliterature ". Erarta regularly hosts events of various formats: film screenings, lectures, creative evenings, conferences. The museum restaurant is pricey but good. The shop is one of the best museum shops in town. In addition to books and souvenirs, you can buy reproductions of exhibits, as well as original works of contemporary art.

3 Museum-Institute of the Roerich family, 18th line 1.

4 Museum of Urban Electric Transport, 77 Sredny Prospekt V.O. ☎ 321-5404. 10:00–18:00 except Mon and Tue. 300 rub. A nice transport museum created by enthusiasts on the basis of the existing tram depot. Entrance through the usual checkpoint: say that you are going to the museum, and they will let you through. In the old red-brick building of the beginning of the 20th century, there are about two dozen beautifully restored trolleybuses and trams, you can enter them and take pictures unlimitedly. Separately, they tell about the history of composters and travel tickets, show a scheme for the development of urban electric transport, and for children there are mock-ups of control cabins with the ability to turn the knobs and a ride on a retro tram around the depot (+100-150 rubles to the ticket price). Several times a day, free tours are organized by real transport fans, so if you wish, you will learn everything about induction motors, current leads and other fascinating things.
5  Museum of Optics, Birzhevaya linija, 14. Tue–Thu 11:00–20:00, Fri–Sun 11:00–21:00. 350-400 rub. A primitive science museum created on the basis of ITMO - the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Optics, now one of the largest Russian universities. Half of the exposition is devoted to holography, the bust of Lenin captured on photographic plates, but at the same time absolutely naturalistic, which, by the way, stands next to the ticket office and can be viewed without buying a ticket to the museum, is especially effective. The remainder of the exhibition is filled with standard installations such as distorting mirrors, gas discharge balls and rotating drums, explaining the principle of cinematography. Some of the installations are broken or turned off. Excursions are held every 20 minutes, where ITMO students explain to visitors the basics of optics at the level of the basic school curriculum. Children may be curious, adults will surely find more interesting museums in St. Petersburg.

6 Museum of Contemporary Art "Artmuza", 13 line V.O., 70 (Metro Vasileostrovskaya - 10 minutes on foot.). ☎ +7 (812) 313-47-03. 12:00–22:00. For free. The Artmuza Creative Cluster is a four-story space that houses ten contemporary art galleries and many residences: a theater, artists' workshops, dance, music, art and design studios and schools, a restaurant, a cafe, a bar. The Artmuse also hosts an annual competition for young artists called The Muse Must Work.
7  Museum-apartment Kuindzhi, Birzhevoy per. 1/10 (entrance through the gateway from Birzhevoy Lane). Wed–Sun 11:00–19:00. 200₽. Here the artist Arkhip Kuindzhi (1842-1910) spent the last 13 years of his life. This branch of the Museum of the Academy of Arts is quite small - three rooms and a workshop. In addition to the biographical exposition, the museum presents several works by Kuindzhi, as well as his students - Nicholas Roerich and others. IZI.travel has a free audio guide. The museum is clearly secondary, but when visiting Vasilyevsky, you can allocate half an hour.
8 Metro Museum (Interactive Center for the History of the Metro), Odoevskogo st. 29 ( 3 (Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya) line Primorskaya). 10:00–19:00. 400₽, preferential 200₽.

9  Submarine D-2 "Narodovolets" , Skipper channel, 10 (metro station "Primorskaya"). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 356-52-66, +7 (812) 356-52-77. 11:00–17:00 Wed-Sun. Memorial complex arranged in the compartments of a submarine. The exposition tells about the history of the D-2 submarine and the actions of Soviet submariners during the Great Patriotic War. The boat is one of the branches of the Naval Museum.
10 Submarine S-189.
11  Mining Museum  , emb. Lieutenant Schmidt, 45/2 (Drive from metro station Vasileostrovskaya, bus 1, 128, 152, stop Bolshoi Prospekt). ☎ +7 812 328 80 35. Mon-Thu 08:30-17:15; Fri 08:30-16:15. Located in the building of the Mining Institute One of the oldest and largest geological museums in the world. Its funds include more than 230 thousand samples collected from more than 80 countries of the world. It houses a unique collection of minerals, a collection of meteorites, geological-stratigraphic and paleontological collections, models for mining and mining, a collection of edged weapons, miniature jewelry works by Carl Faberge. The museum serves only excursion groups by prior arrangement.

 

Entertainment

12 Lenexpo Exhibition Complex, 103 Bolshoy pr. Today Lenexpo consists of five pavilions on the coast of the Gulf of Finland with a total area of 40,000 m² and 60,000 m² of open space.
13 Satire Theater on Vasilyevsky, 48/27 Sredny pr. V.O. (metro station "Vasileostrovskaya"). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 323-02-84. A young theater founded only in 1989. The production of "Tanya-Tanya" in 1997 received the "Golden Soffit" award, and "Russian Jam" was nominated for the 2008 award. In addition to performances for adults, there are also performances for children. The theater's repertoire can be viewed at this link, and ticket prices - at this one.

 

Shopping

Chain grocery stores are ubiquitous in the area, there are no large shopping centers, except

Skippersky mall, Maly pr. VO 88 (1300m from  3 (Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya) Primorskaya line). 10:00–22:00. The only shopping center on Vasilyevsky with a cinema and a food court, not very big.

 

Eat

Cheap
1 "McDonald's", Sredny Ave. V.O., 29a (metro station "Vasileostrovskaya"). 07:00-23:30 (McExpress - 06:00-04:00). Bistro of a well-known international chain.

Average cost
2 "Vasileostrovskiy Rynok", Bolshoi Prospekt V.O., 16/14b. ☎ +7-921-967-67-70. A food court converted from an ordinary market into one of the most popular points of attraction among local fashionistas.
3  MarketPlace  , Vasilyevsky Island, 7th line, 34/2. ☎ +7 981 784-98-14. Market restaurant. European cuisine, healthy food.
4  "Mama Roma", Sredny Ave. V.O., 6. ☎ +7 (812) 328-06-39. 11:00-01:00. One of the restaurants of the Mama Roma chain.
5  Restobar "Artist", 13 line 70. ☎ +7 (812) 321-76-16. 12:00-21:00. from 750 rub. Restaurant on the third floor of Artmuza.
6 "Pizza Hut", Sredniy Ave. V.O., 36/40. International network of pizzerias in St. Petersburg.
7     # SUN RIGHT (on the roof of Artmuza)      , 13 line VO house 72. ☎ +7-931-218-82-77. Restaurant and music club, live bands from Tuesday to Sunday. There is no entrance fee, but a deposit of 500 rubles per person is provided.

Expensive
8 "Restaurant", Customs lane, 2. ☎ +7 (812) 327-89-79. One of the restaurants of the Elba group of companies.
9 Restaurant "Academy", Birzhevoy pr-d, 1. ☎ +7 (812) 327-89-49. One of the restaurants of the Elba group of companies.
10 Bellini Restaurant, Universitetskaya Embankment, 13. ☎ +7 (812) 331-10-01. One of the restaurants of the Elba group of companies.
11  FermA, 6th line of VO, 13. An expensive cafe in the former house of Troekurov in the 1730s. buildings, this is an example of a typical house "for eminent people."

 

Hotels

Average cost
1 Mini-hotel "Vasilyevsky Island", 7 line V.O., 28, 2nd floor (380 m from the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya"). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 913-43-15. Standard double room - from 3,000 rubles. Mini-hotel with 6 rooms (3 standard rooms, 2 junior suites and 1 suite). The rooms are equipped with free internet access.
2  Hotel SpbVergaz, 7th line V.O., 70. ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 327-8888. From 3200 rubles for a single room in the off-season to 6200 rubles for a two-room suite on white nights. A very modest 3* hotel in a quiet location, not far from metro station Vasileostrovskaya. The rooms do not have air conditioning (only fans), but there is a teapot. The ringing of bells from the nearby Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is not very disturbing. Breakfast is usually included in the price of the room. When booking on the website for 7 or more nights - 25% discount (except for single rooms). The peculiarity of this hotel: the front door is always closed, you need to ring the bell to open it, but the reception is open around the clock.

Expensive
3 Hotel "Polo Regatta" (former "Morskaya"), pl. Morskoy Glory, 1a (3,700 m from the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya"). ☎ 8 (800) 500-51-27. From 6 500 rub. The hotel has 62 single rooms, 64 double rooms, 4 suites, a restaurant, a conference complex and a cafe.
4 “Noteburg” hotel, 3rd line V.O., 20 (560 m from the metro station “Vasileostrovskaya”). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 323-45-32. From 5600 rub. Mini-hotel with 11 rooms (single and double standard rooms and double junior suites).
5  Park Inn by Radisson Pribaltiyskaya, st. Shipbuilders, 14 (2,000 m from the Primorskaya metro station). ☎ +7 (812) 329-26-26. From 7000 rub. A large (1,200 rooms) fashionable four-star hotel of the well-known Park Inn chain. In addition to the regular rooms, there are 40 junior suites, consisting of a living room and a bedroom, overlooking the Gulf of Finland, and 20 two-level suites, consisting of a living room, study, kitchen and bathroom on the first floor and a bedroom and a second bathroom on the second. All rooms are equipped with air conditioning, have access to the Internet (WiFi in rooms located on floors 4 to 9 and modem in the rest). There are also restaurants Replika (Mediterranean and Russian cuisine) and Three Moons (Oriental cuisine), the Living Room bar, a bowling alley, the Roman Holidays wellness center, the Leningrad Congress Hall and the Pribaltiysky Conference Hall. » (with a total capacity of up to 1,000 people).
6 Hotel complex "Marco Polo", 12 line, 27 (550 m from the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya"). ☎ +7 (812) 449-88-77. From 6000 rub. A small hotel with 47 rooms (business class, suites and three personalized suites). The rooms are equipped with Internet access (WiFi).
7 Sokos Hotel Vasilievsky, 8 line V. O., 11-13 (780 m from the metro station "Vasileostrovskaya"). ✉ ☎ +7 (812) 335-22-90, fax: +7 (812) 335-22-91. From 8000 rub. A large hotel with 255 rooms of the Sokos network.