Where to stay in St. Petersburg: the best neighborhoods and areas for tourists

St. Petersburg is much easier than Moscow when it comes to picking a neighborhood: practically everything you’ll want to see is concentrated in two adjoining central districts, Tsentralny and Admiralteysky, separated by Nevsky Avenue. If you’re only in town for a few days and it’s your first time, stay in either one. If you’re after quiet or lower prices, look at Petrogradsky (across the Neva, next to the Peter and Paul Fortress) or Vasileostrovsky (Vasilievsky Island). And if you just need to sleep close to the airport, Moskovsky.

That said, before you start looking at neighborhoods there’s one practical issue you need to sort out: Booking.com, Airbnb and the Western booking platforms no longer work for Russia since 2022. If you try to book a St. Petersburg hotel from Europe, the US or the UK with your usual card, you simply won’t be able to. I’ll cover all of this below and at the end I’ll share the alternative I use myself, which does let you pay with any foreign card.

Booking a hotel in St. Petersburg: what you need to know first

Before getting into neighborhoods, it’s worth getting the current situation clear. These are the three things that have changed compared to any pre-2022 guide:

• Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia and Hotels.com don’t show hotels in Russia to most Western users. If you try to search for St. Petersburg you’ll either get an empty list or be blocked outright.
• The international hotel chains officially suspended their operations in Russia after 2022. Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental), Four Seasons, Belmond and Rocco Forte pulled their brands, although the buildings are still open under local management. In St. Petersburg, for example, the former Four Seasons Lion Palace now operates as Lion Palace St. Petersburg; the Belmond Grand Hotel Europe has gone back to its historic name of Grand Hotel Europe; and the Rocco Forte Astoria is now simply the Astoria Hotel. The building, the staff and the location are the same; only the brand has changed.
• Some international brands are still operating under their original names: the Lotte Hotel (Korean), the Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 (Swiss), the Novotel and Ibis hotels of the French Accor group, and the Park Inn by Radisson properties.

The good news is that St. Petersburg’s hotel offer is still huge and prices are reasonable (cheaper than in any European capital of similar size). Average rates per night for a double room look like this:

• Luxury: over €150 (5-star hotels right in the historic center)
• Mid-range: €50–150 (3-4 star hotels, boutique mini-hotels and apartments in central areas)
• Budget: €30–50 (hostels and apartments a bit further from the center)

Prices climb during the White Nights (June) and drop noticeably in autumn and winter. If you’d like to understand what types of accommodation actually exist in Russia (hotels, mini-hotels, apart-hotels, apartments, hostels…), I cover everything in my article on types of accommodation in Russia.

The best current alternative to Booking is the Russian platform Zenhotels, which is essentially identical to Ostrovok (the version Russians use) but lets you pay with any foreign card. I explain step by step how to use it from outside Russia in this article:

1. The historic center: Tsentralny and Admiralteysky

St. Petersburg has 18 districts, but the vast majority of tourist attractions are concentrated in two adjacent ones: Tsentralny and Admiralteysky. Nevsky Avenue runs through them from east to west, so wherever you stay in either district you’ll have everything within walking distance.

Out of the 18 districts, I recommend five for your stay (the ones in bold on the map): Tsentralny, Admiralteysky, Petrogradsky, Vasileostrovsky, and only if you need to be near the airport, Moskovsky. Here they are, one by one.

1.1. Tsentralny: the tourist heart of St. Petersburg

Tsentralny (“center” in Russian) is the most central district in the city and where most of the must-see landmarks are concentrated: the Hermitage, Palace Square, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the State Russian Museum, the Fabergé Museum and Kazan Cathedral. Nevsky Avenue cuts right across the district, and from here you can do everything on foot.

Within Tsentralny, the most interesting areas to stay are around Palace Square (the most central spot) and the stretch of Nevsky Avenue down to the Fontanka River. My advice: avoid booking right on Nevsky Avenue because of the traffic noise, unless your hotel has good soundproofing. Pick one of the quieter side streets instead.

Some standout hotels in Tsentralny:

• Grand Hotel Europe (5 stars): the most historic hotel on Nevsky Avenue. It opened in 1875 and Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Debussy and Elton John have all stayed in its rooms. It operated under the Belmond brand until 2022; after the chain pulled out, it went back to its historic name.
• Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 (5 stars): right opposite the Hermitage, with views of Palace Square. Still operating normally under the Swiss Kempinski brand.
• Lotte Hotel St. Petersburg (5 stars): a historic building right next to St. Isaac’s Square. The Korean Lotte chain continues running it as normal.
• Pushka INN (4 stars): an excellent Russian-run hotel set inside an 18th-century mansion just 200 meters from Palace Square. One of the best value-for-money picks in the area.

Bottom line: if you’re only in town for a few days, it’s your first time in St. Petersburg and you want to maximize your time on foot, this is your neighborhood. It’s the most expensive area in the city, but also the one that saves you the most transport.

1.2. Admiralteysky: from the Admiralty to the Mariinsky

Admiralteysky is right next to Tsentralny on the west side and just as central, but with a quieter, more monumental feel. This is where you’ll find the Admiralty, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Mariinsky Theatre, New Holland Island and Yusupov Palace.

Some standout hotels in Admiralteysky:

• Astoria Hotel (5 stars): a historic 1912 hotel facing St. Isaac’s Cathedral, a 10-minute walk from the Hermitage. It operated under the Rocco Forte brand until 2022; after the British chain pulled out, it went back to its original name.
• Lion Palace St. Petersburg (5 stars): a 19th-century historic palace flanked by two marble lions, right next to the Admiralty. It operated as a Four Seasons until 2022; it’s now under local management but keeps the same level of service.
• Boutique Hotel Albora (5 stars): my favorite pick in this neighborhood. 700 meters from the Mariinsky, with every room decorated around a theater theme. Small, unique, with exquisite service.
• Galunov Hotel (4 stars): an excellent option a bit further from the center, 450 meters from Moskovsky train station. Great value for money.
• Silver Sphere Inn (3 stars): if you’re after something more affordable without venturing far, it’s only 400 meters from St. Isaac’s.

Bottom line: just as central as Tsentralny but quieter. It’s my favorite area if you’re coming from Moscow and planning to spend three or four nights here.

2. Other neighborhoods near the center: Petrogradsky and Vasileostrovsky

If you’re after something more affordable without giving up on being a stone’s throw from the center, there are two districts on the other side of the Neva that are an excellent option: Petrogradsky and Vasileostrovsky. Both are well connected to the center by metro and many of their hotels cost 20-30% less than their equivalents in Tsentralny or Admiralteysky.

The one catch: to walk to the center, you have to cross the Neva via one of the city’s famous drawbridges. And during the navigation season (April to November), the bridges go up at night and leave these districts cut off from the center for several hours. Worth keeping in mind if you’re planning to head back to your hotel late.

2.1. Petrogradsky: next to the Peter and Paul Fortress

Petrogradsky is the district where the Peter and Paul Fortress sits, the exact spot where St. Petersburg was founded in 1703 and the second most-visited tourist attraction in the city. It’s a quiet, residential neighborhood with pretty streets and far less tourist crush than the center.

Petrogradsky is dominated by tourist apartments, but there are also good hotels. My recommendation is to stay as close as possible to the Fortress so you have quick access to Palace Bridge and the center:

• Tradition Hotel (4 stars): a beautiful hotel right by the Fortress and 1 km from the Hermitage across Palace Bridge.
• Seven Bridges Hotel (2 stars): a more affordable option, 650 meters from the Fortress.

Bottom line: a perfect area if you’re traveling with family and want quiet, but still want the center within a 15-minute walk. Better value for money than the center.

2.2. Vasileostrovsky: Vasilievsky Island

Vasileostrovsky covers Vasilievsky Island, right opposite the Hermitage. It’s a less touristy district, with a grid layout that’s very different from the rest of the city, and better suited for longer stays than for a short first visit.

If you go for this area, try to book as close as possible to Palace Bridge or Annunciation Bridge, the two that connect the island to the center. The most recommendable hotel here is probably the Trezzini Palace Boutique Hotel (5 stars), set in a historic palace.

Bottom line: a good option if you’re after lower prices and you’ll be in town for more than four or five nights. For shorter stays, the center is better.

3. Moskovsky: near Pulkovo Airport

Moskovsky district is huge and stretches south of the city all the way to the airport. It’s a very different area from the rest: Soviet-era buildings, vast squares, Stalin-era monuments and considerably lower prices. It’s not a sightseeing neighborhood, but it is the best option if you have an early flight or a long layover in St. Petersburg.

Near Pulkovo Airport there are several 3 and 4-star hotels with free shuttle service to the terminal. If you have an early flight or a layover, you’ll save yourself a stressful 5 a.m. wake-up call.

4. Day trips to Peterhof and Pushkin: should you stay there?

Just outside St. Petersburg there are two gems you’ll want to visit: the palaces and gardens of Peterhof (in the Petrodvortsovy district, to the west) and Catherine’s Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkinsky district, to the south).

Many readers ask me whether it’s worth staying nearby to visit them at a relaxed pace. My short answer is no: they’re too far from the rest of the city’s attractions and you’ll waste a lot of time on transfers. The best strategy is to stay in the center and dedicate a full day to each one as a return day trip.

How to book your St. Petersburg hotel with a foreign card

As I mentioned at the start, Booking.com, Airbnb and the rest of the Western platforms no longer show hotels in Russia. The alternative I use and recommend is the Russian platform Zenhotels, which is essentially identical to Booking in terms of interface, has the same hotel inventory, and accepts any foreign card (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and American Express).

If you live outside the European Union (the Americas, Asia, Turkey, etc.), you go straight in and book. If you live in the EU or the UK, since October 2025 there are a couple of extra steps (installing a free VPN and clearing cookies) to be able to see the hotels, but payment with European cards still works without any issue. I explain the full step-by-step process here:

Quick summary: where to stay in St. Petersburg based on your trip