Here are some ideas for off the beaten track full-day trips from St Petersburg I’ll write more detailed posts dedicated to each one of these places . Some of these one-day trips are easy ( Kronstadt), others take longer but are no less interesting. In my opinion, Kronstadt and Vyborg look more interesting during the warm period of the year, while Novgorod the Great is picturesque in winter as well.
Novgorod the Great. You have the chance to visit the most ancient church on the territory of present-day Russia- the beautiful St Sophia, see the Kremlin of Novgorod, lots of ancient Russian churches and even if time permits – museum of wooden architecture. This trip is recommended to anyone who is interested in Russian history and traditional architecture. But it-s a very very long day trip – one-way bus ride takes about 3,5 – 4 hours.
Kronstadt. It’s a navy base founded by Peter the Great famous for its sea forts. Kronstadt is situated on Kotlin island (which is now connected with mainland though). Now it’s a very nice town where you can visit a beautiful newly-restored navy cathedral of St Nicholas and (especially if you come in summer when it’s possible to take a boat ride) 1 or two sea forts. It’s a little bit off the beaten track destination for foreign tourists, but if you have time and are interested in navy it can be an interesting experience. A bus ride from Staraya Derevnya metro takes about an hour one-way if there are no serious traffic jams.
Vyborg. It’ s a town situated very close to Finland with the only castle in Russia and an extremely beautiful park with Karelian landscapes called Monrepos. If you love nature, don’t have time to go to Finland or Karelia and are a little bit adventurous – try to visit Monrepos. A one-way trip to Vyborg takes about 3 hours.