If you’re looking for a quiet, romantic spot in the city to take a stroll or read a book, the best place to go is undoubtedly the Summer Garden (Letniy Sad), located where the Neva River meets the Fontanka River. This is a beautiful and easily accessible spot in the city to take a break from the cars and the crowds. It is one of the places in St. Petersburg that immerses you in old-style Russia – you can truly escape reality and experience the luxury and nobility of the Tsars for a little while.

Its many statues and vine-covered alleyways create a haunting, romantic atmosphere. I think it’s best to visit on a warm day around dusk (I don't recommend it when it's raining!).

History

The Summer Garden was built adjacent to Peter the Great’s first Summer Palace as a place to host balls and other events in the summer. It was constructed in 1704 by Dutch designers and adapted several times after that. A huge amount of statues were acquired from Europe to decorate the park, mostly of Greek gods and mythical figures. Huge effort went into the park to make it one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the city. Even the fence was designed by an architect as a decorative element, placed around the park during the late 18^th century. There was once a Grotto pavilion and a labyrinth within the park grounds, but in 1777 the park was flooded, which damaged many of the structures and sculptures. The park was restored but not exactly the same way as it had been previously.

The Summer Palace, one of St.

Petersburg’s first stone palaces, lies within the park grounds and can be visited. It’s a fairly modest palace for Russian royalty standards, which makes it an interesting contrast to constructions such as the Winter Palace and the Peterhof palaces.

Many parties, aristocratic gatherings and meetings took place in the park, with designated areas devoted to specific kinds of guests and events. In the 19^th century the park was opened to the public, available as a city park for the “finely dressed”. A Tea House and a Coffee House were designed by European architects and are still there to this day. In 1855, the first statue to the Russian writer I. A. Krylov was placed on the park grounds and unveiled to much public fanfare.

Now

Most recently the park has been reconstructed to look the way it did when it was first built. The main change is the beautiful vine-covered arches that have been planted and now create a tunnel that runs the length of the park. Many of the sculptures were restored to their former glory as well, and extensive gardening projects were undertaken to restore the trees and plants.

Getting There

Take the Metro to Nevsky Prospekt/Gostiny Dvor and walk down Sadovaya Ulitsa. The park lies across from the Field of Mars, after the Mikhailovsky gardens. The entrance can be found on the bank of the Moika river.

There are two functioning cafes within the park, the old Tea House and Coffee House if you wish to take a break from walking or warm up for a while. There are also (paid) public toilets within the park grounds.

You can visit the park every day except Tuesdays (find the opening hours on their website). The park is free to visit, although you can pay for an automated audio guide to take with you (these are available in a booth located just inside the entrance to the park).