St Petersburg, Russia: What It Costs Now
The Honest Cost of Visiting St Petersburg, Russia
This is Saint Petersburg, Russia, not St. Petersburg, Florida, and that distinction matters before any price does. Russia sits at the US State Department’s Level 4, Do Not Travel, tier, reissued 2 January 2026, the same tier given to active warzones, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the country. No airline has flown direct from the US, UK, or EU since 2022, and no foreign-issued Visa, Mastercard, or Amex has worked here since March 2022. So the real cost of a trip starts before the Hermitage: a longer flight routed through a third country, and a wallet full of cash, because no card is going to bail you out. Here is what things actually cost once you’re through passport control, in rubles, cash only.
| What | Cost (cash, RUB) |
|---|---|
| E-visa, if your passport is eligible | about 4,000 (roughly $52) |
| Hermitage entry | around 500 |
| Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, interior | around 500 |
| Peterhof, lower park and fountains | around 1,000 |
| Mariinsky Theatre, upper tier | from around 1,500 |
| Metro ride, loaded onto a rechargeable card | a small flat fare, cash only |
| Nevsky Prospekt, the canals, the fortress grounds | free |
Every figure above assumes cash rubles or a Russian MIR card. No foreign-issued Visa, Mastercard, or Amex has worked at a Russian till, ATM, or website since March 2022, so plan to exchange money inside the country rather than counting on a card at the ticket window. That e-visa row only applies if your passport is on the eligible list at all: the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded and need a slower consular visa instead. One more current fact worth knowing before you plan around any of this: Russia’s “gay propaganda” law was broadened in 2022, and the Supreme Court declared the international LGBT movement extremist in 2023, a real legal risk for LGBTQ+ travelers, not a formality.
Can you actually get to St Petersburg, Russia right now?
Only with real effort, and most Western governments advise against it outright. No airline flies direct from the US, UK, or EU since both sides banned each other’s aircraft in 2022, so getting here means routing through Istanbul, Belgrade, or a Gulf hub, adding a connection and hours to the trip. Pulkovo Airport, the city’s own gateway, has been shut for hours at a stretch by drone activity more than once in the past year.
The US State Department cites the war with Ukraine, the risk of wrongful detention (at least seven Americans held as of May 2026), and an embassy in Moscow with limited ability to help a detained citizen. The UK Foreign Office cites drone attacks, no flights home, and guidance that can change without notice. Treat both as the current situation, not routine caution.
Do foreign cards work anywhere in the city?
No, not anywhere, and this is the fact that reshapes every cost above. Visa, Mastercard, and Amex all suspended Russian operations in March 2022, so a foreign-issued card is declined at ATMs, in shops, and even on the Hermitage’s own ticket portal , which takes only Russian-issued cards. Apple Pay and Google Pay fail the same way.
The Hermitage’s main site is worth checking before you travel for current hours and whether a free or discounted day is running, but don’t expect the ticket portal above to complete a purchase with a foreign card: you will pay again in cash at the door regardless. For a longer stay, a Russian MIR card, obtained through remote verification with a Russian e-wallet provider before you travel or at a bank branch on arrival, is a real option. A short visit is simpler: carry enough rubles, or hard currency to exchange locally, for the whole trip.
What can you actually see for free?
More than you’d expect for a city under this much pressure. The exterior of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, riotously mosaic-covered and onion-domed, and the gilded dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral both cost nothing to look at and photograph; only stepping inside costs anything. The Peter and Paul Fortress grounds and outer walls, on their own island in the Neva, are free to walk, and Nevsky Prospekt, the roughly 4.5 km spine of the historic core, along with the canals crossing it, costs nothing beyond your own time.
If your trip falls in White Nights season (late May to mid-July), the raised bridges at night and the Scarlet Sails fireworks around the summer solstice are both free to watch from the embankments, no ticket required.
For a full day-by-day route through these costs, see our St Petersburg, Russia guide or the 3-day and 7-day plans. Change more rubles than you think you’ll need before you land: there is no ATM workaround once you’re through passport control, and no tap-to-pay backup waiting on the other side.