- Private car/public transp
- Cultural heritage
- Sightseeing
- Photo stops
- 4 hours
- Tour guide
The city of Kronstadt is an administrative unit of St. Petersburg, an intracity municipality. Kronstadt is an island city, it occupies completely Is. Kotlin on the border of the Neva Bay and the Gulf of Finland, thirty kilometers west of the city center. Until 1984, when the northern part of the dam with a highway was opened, communication with Kronstadt was carried out only by water. The completion of construction and commissioning of the southern part of the protective structures with a highway and gates for ships took place in 2011, linking Kronstadt with the village Gorskaya in the north and Bronka in the south. However, water transport also remains available. Thus, you can get to Kronstadt by car, public transport from the metro station Chernaya Rechka or Begovaya, as well as from the city of Lomonosov and by meteor (hydrofoil) from the central pier.
What is interesting about Kronstadt?
City-fortress
Throughout the history of Kronstadt, an impregnable and unique fortification system was created around it, the first link of which was Fort Kronshlot, from which the history of the Russian city on the island of Kotlin actually began in 1704. Of particular interest and popularity became the forts “Peter 1” (Citadel), “Alexander 1” (Plague), “Grand Duke Konstantin”, “Pavel 1” (Risbank), “Totleben”, “Obruchev”, etc. Currently, some of them are available for viewing and visiting as part of a boat trip, and Fort Konstantin as part of a city tour. Following the first forts, the construction of a fortress along the perimeter of the city and port began, first wooden, then stone. Few surviving sections of the fortress walls and other fortifications can be seen today in the central part of the city.
Port City
From the very foundation, Kronstadt was conceived by Peter 1 as a seaport; harbors for military and merchant ships were built on the southern side of the city. Their names speak for themselves – Merchant, Military, Medium, Coastal, Forest, Coal. The Medium harbor is also called Petrovskaya after the nearby Petrovsky Park, here is the (Zimnyaya) Winter Quay, from where boat trips depart. The ships of the base of the Baltic Fleet are moored in the harbor, there you can also see an old wooden lighthouse on the pier of the Petrovsky Canal, where the Patriot Park is also located with an exposition of mine-torpedo and rocket-artillery weapons; deep-sea submersibles. The neighboring Merchant Harbor is now also occupied by the military, and once served for reloading from sea vessels to small ones for further transportation to the port on Vasilyevsky Island in the center of St. Petersburg. And the buildings here are reminiscent of the trading past – Fish Rows, Dutch cuisine, Customs. The Merchant Harbor is connected to the Italian Pond in front of the Italian Palace, where the Naval Museum is now located. There are also two most interesting places nearby – the Kronstadt footstock and the Petrovsky dock, both the result of the modernization and optimization of shipping and shipbuilding by Peter the Great.
City of the Navy
All the most important sights in Kronstadt are somehow connected with the fleet. For the sailors and at their request, the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral was erected – a pearl of temple architecture of the early 20th century. The cathedral is located in the heart of the city on Anchor Square and is the tallest building; its central dome, like a lighthouse, is visible from anywhere on the island and far beyond. The cathedral is richly decorated from the inside, along the perimeter of the lower tier there are memorial plates with the names of those who died especially distinguished sailors from the moment the fleet was founded. You can also climb three more tiers, the last of which is located under the very dome, and there a circular view of the entire city opens. Opposite the main entrance to the temple is the Admiralty Park, which is also part of the Patriot Park. The territory is a former warehouses, factories and workshops for the needs of shipbuilding, where they plan to place expositions after the completion of the restoration, there are already expositions of old anchors, various equipment, alleys with busts of fleet admirals, as well as an apple orchard planted more than a hundred years ago. Also on Anchor Square is a monument to the famous Admiral Makarov and an eternal flame.
A little further from the historical center there is a new point of attraction for residents of the city and tourists – the Navy Park “Island of Forts”. This is a large-scale project that involves not only the well-maintained thematic public spaces and playgrounds that have already been completed and presented to visitors, but also the restoration and adaptation for the public good of the nearest southern forts – “Kronshlot”, “Peter 1” and “Alexander 1”. The latter will be connected to the park by a cable car, and from “Petra 1” already depart “meteors” (hydrofoils to the center of St. Petersburg.
Tour around Kronstadt
So, as part of my standard sightseeing tour to Kronstadt, you will see and get acquainted with the following historical and cultural attractions:
- Anchor Square with the Nikolsky Naval Cathedral located on it (including an observation deck if requested), a monument to Admiral Makarov and an eternal flame, Makarov Bridge, a cast-iron pavement and the Dock Admiralty Park;
- Summer Garden - the first garden in the city with a deep history, a dock pool, monuments and a magnificent fence;
- Embankment of the Middle (Petrovsky) harbor with the Winter Quay, Navy ships and Petrovsky Park;
- Makarovskaya Street with a complex of houses of the time of Peter the Great, a museum of lighthouse service and a square where Popov invented the radio;
- Petrovsky Canal with Petrovsky Dock, an operating swing bridge, an exposition of the Patriot Park and a wooden lighthouse;
- Embankment of the Merchant Harbor with a beautifully restored building of the former Dutch kitchen, which houses an interactive multimedia space about the history of Kronstadt and an exposition of models of Kronstadt forts (visit of your choice);
- Embankment of the Italian Pond with the Italian Palace, which houses the Naval Museum and the A. Popov Museum-Apartment (visit at your choice), Kronstadt footstock and mariograph.
The walking tour lasts 4 hours. The cost of my services is 1500 rubles per hour, entrance tickets to museums are paid separately according to the museums price list beforehand. Namely: the Naval Cathedral, the Patriot Park on the Petrovsky Canal, the Dutch Cuisine Museum, the Museum of Fort Models, the Museum of the Navy, the Museum of the Lighthouse Service.
This sightseeing route can also be supplemented and extended by prior agreement:
- a boat trip on a private boat through the forts
- a visit to the Island of Forts park
- a visit to the ground fort Konstantin
- visiting the Museum of the History of Kronstadt.



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We could not have had better guidance around St Petersberg. Anna brought the history alive with her stories and her knowledge of the architecture, political history and Russian dynasty. We felt very safe and she was so helpful with getting tickets, timing of visits and taxis. We both feel we have learned so much about this beautiful and interesting city. Thank you Anna.
I connected with Anna sometime ago for our dream trip around Russia. Anna immediately assisted me with everything I needed going above and beyond her duties as a tour guide. I am travelling with two young children who are full of energy yet she was patient, kind & understanding. Her vast knowledge of the city was much more than expected. This type of knowledge comes with years of experience and passion for her city. By booking Anna will be the best decision you make with an unforgettable experience. Thank you once again Anna for impressive memories.Read mоre Hide
I highly recommend this tour. Anna showed me many metro stations and gave me insights into the significance of them, how they are decorated and why that is significant. She also took me to a couple of places that I wouldn't have been to if I had just stayed within the standard area of where you would go as a tourist of St Petersburg. A lovely afternoon
The whole process of booking the tour was very easy, with the date and time being agreed with Anna prior to booking. The tour was very interesting with Anna sharing information about the Metro system and also what we could expect to see when we went to see other places of interest. We learnt a lot about the history of St. Petersburg and Russia. The stations themselves were beautiful and I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to see the amazing stations and learn about the history of the Metro.Read mоre Hide
My wife and I were planning a cruise this summer that included 2 days in St. Petersburg. We had already been to St. Petersburg and visited the main sites and wanted something different. I selected Anna because of her great website and the chance to put together a private tour. Over several weeks we worked to put together a great 2 day tour at less than 1/2 the cost of our ship tour. Anna was going to purchase tickets for several sites so we would not have to wait in line, plus get government approval for our private tour, so I send the funds by paypal . Unfortunately with the corona virus, we decided to cancel our cruise. When I told Anna she was very understanding and refunded our funds the very day we let her know we were not coming. It was a pleasure to work with her and put together a private tour. Hopefully one day we will get to go and tour with her.Read mоre Hide
My daughter and I have enjoyed a most wonderful 3 day visit to St Petersburg. We engaged the services of Anna for a 2 day private tour and we couldn’t have been happier. To start with she is friendly, warm and accomodating and her knowledge is outstanding. Anna also helped us with restaurant and retail recommendations all of which were spot on. As first timers to Russia we wanted to make the most of our time and thanks to Anna we accomplished more then we ever hoped to. I highly recommend using Anna if your are considering a private tour.Read mоre Hide
We arrived in St Petersburg on a cruise ship and Anna arranged a great 2 day trip of the city for us. She communicated with us in advance to agree what our tour would involve and all timings, and gave us useful advice. When we arrived, she was there on time to meet us and start our tour. It was an action packed couple of days and Anna was full of information about all the places we were visiting. We were whisked to the front of the queue at each place we went to so no standing in line! And on our final day she had us back exactly when she said she would do we were back on board on plenty of time for the ship leaving. For anyone visiting St Petersburg I would recommend Anna as your guide, she was excellent!Read mоre Hide
I spent a fantastic 2 days seeing the sights of beautiful St Petersburg with Anna as my private guide. The tour was very well organised and managed to cram in all the things I wanted to do in my short time there. There was no waiting in line to get into any of the attractions as Anna had pre booked the tickets and we were able to skip the long queues. She was very accommodating to fit in all the things I wanted to see in my time in St Petersburg including transport options. Anna was always on time with meeting me in the morning and including at midnight when we did the open bridges tour. It was a very informative 2 days and there was not a question I asked she was unable to answer. Her knowledge of the city and history of Russia is second to none and extremely impressive!! Anna is an absolute professional, very friendly and easy to communicate with. It was a pleasure to explore St Petersburg with someone who is passionate about their city and I recommend her services while visiting!!Read mоre Hide
We did an nice and flexible tour, according to my wishes. Anna impressed often by the great knowledge about Details of the history and art of her City SPB - and you can easily imagine, that she loved SPB.
Anna was extremely knowledgeable and informative. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the Metro. I couldn't have done it on my own. I would definitely recommend any tour that Anna does if this one was indicative of her ability to provide a wonderful experience.
We spent two fantastic days in St. Petersburg and had the great pleasure to have Anna as our private guide. She planned our visits to all fantastic places and arranged all tickets in advance. Somehow she always got us among the first in line. Anna has a great knowledge about history, buildings and all worth knowing about the city and the life in Russia. We can really recommend Anna if you want to explore St. Petersburg. Best regardsRead mоre Hide
Anna was a fabulous guide today. I really enjoyed how well the tour was planned and having a guide who has a genuine passion for the magnificent culture of St Petersburg. She was also understanding of my interest of having some of the tour in Russian though her English is excellent. I highly recommend her!
It was our pleasure and good fortune to spend time with you in your favorite city. We enjoyed all our conversations with you: historical, architectural, cultural, political and spiritual. Every year on the feast day of Epiphany I will be thinking of you and your sacramental rite of baptism in the Neva River! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. We were so blessed to have you to guide us in St. Petersburg! I hope you and I can keep in touch a littleRead mоre Hide
Dear Anna, thank you so much for a wonderful time we have spent with you in St Petersburg... We really enjoyed, and had an excellent, joyful tours with you and so many amazing learnings you have shared with us! The whole organization, professional approach and especially positive energy during the days we spent with you were amazing!
Fantastic tour Anna, we cant wait to come again! Looks like we might be doing 2 trips to russia next year. So excited
Dear Anya,
It was very pleasent to work with you for trips we recently done to Saint Petersburg. We are not getting proper response from guides for our trips but later we found you. We appreciate your work with professionality and accurate explanation of all places. I personally like to recommend you to other and for sure all future trips for our group, you are the only one we would like to walk at nevskiy. Thanks for making our trip memorable :-) Best of luck!! Regards
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She was excellent, patient and very knowledgeable. She took us to hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress and Peterhof. We had a great time and she even took interest in the kids and showed them things that would interest then. If I travel back to St. Petersburg I would surely get in touch with her. Her service was affordable and extremely professional. Thanks for making our vacation in St. Petersburg pleasurable.
We got to St. Petersburg for a couple of days, wanted to watch something special from russian history. Our guide Ann suggested to get to Pushkin City. It was really fun!!! We heard lots of things! Amber room is something special! Ann thanks for interesting tour.
Will surely recommend your name to my family and friends who wish to visit st Petersburg.
Thanks so much again for today. You helped make my stay here more meaningful. You are very good at what you do!
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