St. Petersburg Planetarium (Sankt-Peterburgskiy Planetariy)
Spend a few hours at the St. Petersburg Planetarium (Sankt-Peterburgskiy Planetariy) and learn all about Russia’s long history of space exploration. Attend a talk or film screening, gaze through telescopes in the observatory, or visit the “star hall.”
The Basics
Opened in 1959, the St. Petersburg Planetarium is one of the largest in the country. Seven different halls feature exhibits, movies, and programs on various aspects of space and earth science (including astronomy, aeronautics, physics, geography, and environmental studies). Tickets to the halls are sold separately.
Things to Know Before You Go
Students, seniors, kids under age 18, and visitors with disabilities pay reduced ticket prices.
The shows are best suited to kids over age 7.
Most of the exhibits are entirely in Russian, though you don’t necessarily need to know the language to appreciate them.
How to Get There
The planetarium is located in central St. Petersburg, not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress. To get there by public transit, take tram 60 or 40, or bus 2MB or 14, to Sytny Market, just across the road from the planetarium.
Trip ideas
When to Get There
Popular with school groups on weekdays, the planetarium is open daily from late morning until early evening. Check the online calendar for showtimes.
Visit the St. Petersburg Zoo
For more family-friendly fun, head to the St. Petersburg Zoo (aka Leningrad Zoo), located near the planetarium. Founded in the mid-19th century, the zoo is home to approximately 2,000 animals from Russia and around the world.
- Military Historical Artillery Museum
- Leningrad Zoo St. Petersburg
- Peter and Paul Fortress (Petropavlovskaya Krepost)
- The State Museum of the Political History of Russia
- Neva River (Reka Neva)
- Winter Palace of Peter the Great at the Hermitage
- Museum of Optics
- Summer Palace of Peter the Great (Letniy Dvorets)
- Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera)
- State Hermitage Museum
- Pushkin Museum
- Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
- Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines
- Admiralty Building
- St. Petersburg Palace Square (Dvortsovaya Ploshchad)