{"id":1313,"date":"2019-05-11T16:40:45","date_gmt":"2019-05-11T16:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/russiable.com\/?p=1313"},"modified":"2024-01-06T12:23:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T12:23:30","slug":"drawbridges-st-petersburg-schedules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/russiable.com\/drawbridges-st-petersburg-schedules\/","title":{"rendered":"Drawbridges (and Pedestrian Bridges) of St. Petersburg: Schedules and Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

St. Petersburg is a city of bridges. The opening and closing of the city\u2019s drawbridges is a magnificent spectacle, especially during the White Nights season. In this article I\u2019ll explain how to organize the visit to the bridges of St. Petersburg, both drawbridges and pedestrian bridges: schedules, night cruises, recommendations, etc.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Saint<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

1. St. Petersburg, the city of bridges, rivers and canals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Known as the “Venice of the North”, St. Petersburg stands out because of its islands, canals and bridges that cross the Neva River with its tributaries and branches. Only a few are drawbridges for practical navigation requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figures are impressive: there are 342 bridges within the city limits, 5 in Kronstadt, 54 in Tsarskoye Selo, 51 in Peterhof<\/a>, 16 in Pavlovsk and 7 in Oranienbaum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The total length of these bridges, if we were to join them, would be about 16 kilometers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of them are true works of art<\/strong>. The opening of some of them at dawn makes them even more impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each bridge has its own decorative motifs and artistic details, as well as its own functionalities, its history and its legends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article I\u2019ll tell you everything about the drawbridges of Saint Petersburg, as well as the opening schedules and recommendations for viewing them. I\u2019ll also let you know which pedestrian bridges you should not miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Drawbridges over the Neva River<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The drawbridges of St. Petersburg are probably the most spectacular, so much so that their opening at dawn has become a real tourist attraction of the city, with many night cruises sailing the Neva River to get a close up view of them opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.1. Why do some St. Petersburg bridges open over the Neva River?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people think that drawbridges open for tourists. But the truth is that the bridges of St. Petersburg open at night to make way for the large tonnage vessels coming from the Volga heading towards the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea (or ships making the reverse journey).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the Neva River is the last section of the Volga-Baltic canal built during the Soviet era for the passage of river boats from inland Russia to European ports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bear in mind that the Volga is navigable for most of its course, due to the enormous engineering work done to condition it during the Soviet era. A series of canals connect the river with the Baltic Sea, the Azov Sea, the Black Sea and Moscow. There are even river cruises that make the trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drawbridges open at night, the rest of the day they remain closed to allow the passage of cars, trains, trams, cyclists and pedestrians. In short, the bridges are raised at night to hinder as little as possible the car traffic, which is very high during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Ship<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

2.2. Opening schedule for the drawbridges of St. Petersburg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you go out at night in the city it is important to know the bridge opening schedule<\/strong> because you might find one of these bridges open and you won\u2019t be able to cross it. In that case, you will have to look for alternative routes on other bridges that are still open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find out the bridge opening schedules, it is best to check the website of Mostotrest<\/a>, the government agency that manages the maintenance of the city\u2019s bridges and other public infrastructure, such as tunnels or pedestrian crossings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Mostotrest<\/a> you can see the opening and closing schedules of the bridges. Just access the main page of this website to see the bridge schedules one by one for each day. For example, in this screenshot you can see the opening schedule of the Palace Bridge:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Opening<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Regarding the opening schedules, it is important to bear in mind the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n