# Peter and Paul Fortress, St Petersburg

> The island fortress where St Petersburg began in May 1703. The grounds are free and open daily — the island from 6:00, inside the walls 9:50–19:30. You pay for the sights: the cathedral with the tsars’ tombs (1,000 ₽), the Trubetskoy Bastion prison (500 ₽), or everything on a 1,500 ₽ combined ticket. Museums close on Wednesdays. Allow an hour for a walk, 2–3 hours with the cathedral and prison.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peter-and-paul-fortress

- City: [St Petersburg](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg), Russia
- YesGo score: 74/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 2 h
- Opening hours: Grounds daily: island 6:00–20:30, inside the walls 9:50–19:30; cathedral and prison from 10:00 to 18:00, exhibitions 11:00–18:00, an hour shorter on Tuesdays; museums closed on Wednesdays
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Grounds: Free for everyone
- Hare Island: Entry daily 6:00–20:30, fully closed at 21:00
- Inside the fortress walls: Entry daily 9:50–19:30, fully closed at 20:00
- Peter and Paul Cathedral: Mon, Thu, Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–17:45, Sun 11:00–18:00, Tue 10:00–17:00, closed Wed; may change on service days
- Trubetskoy Bastion prison: 10:00–18:00, Tue 10:00–17:00, closed Wed; last entry 30 min before closing
- Exhibitions & space museum: 11:00–18:00, Tue 11:00–17:00, closed Wed
- Combined ticket: 1,500 ₽ — valid 3 days, includes a 1.5-hour guided tour, excludes the bell tower
- Cathedral & Grand Ducal Burial Vault: 1,000 ₽
- Trubetskoy Bastion prison: 500 ₽
- Bell tower: 500 ₽, guided tour only
- Neva Panorama wall walk: 400 ₽ on the price list, but the Neva walls are closed for restoration — ask at the ticket desk
- Free: Children up to 7
- Audio guide: 750 ₽ plus a 3,000 ₽ deposit
- Ticket desks: Ioannovsky Ravelin 10:00–17:00, Boat House 10:00–17:30; closed Wed
- Metro: Gorkovskaya, ≈ 10 min walk to the Ioannovsky Bridge
- Not allowed: Pets of any size (guide dogs excepted)
- Coordinates: 59.95000, 30.31667
- Facts checked: 29.10.2026

## Key facts

- **27 May 1703** — the fortress was founded — counted as St Petersburg’s birthday (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Peter and Paul Fortress”; Wikidata Q38646)
- **122.5 m** — height of the cathedral bell tower with its spire and angel (source: English Wikipedia, “Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral”; Tonkosti travel guide)
- **The tsars** — almost every emperor from Peter the Great to Alexander III, plus Nicholas II — not Peter II or Ivan VI (source: English Wikipedia, “Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral”; Sputnik8 guide)
- **Domenico Trezzini** — the Swiss-Italian architect of the fortress and cathedral (source: Official website of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg; English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **6 bastions** — named after Peter the Great and five of his closest men (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Peter and Paul Fortress”; Advantour guide; Calend.ru)
- **1873** — the noon cannon has fired from the fortress since this year (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Peter and Paul Fortress”)
- **1872–1921** — the Trubetskoy Bastion prison held inmates; 69 solitary cells (source: Official website of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg; Russian Wikipedia)
- **1924** — the fortress became a museum (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Peter and Paul Fortress”)
- **1998** — Nicholas II and his family were buried in the cathedral (source: English Wikipedia, “Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral”; Russian Wikipedia)
- **1991** — Mikhail Shemyakin’s seated Peter the Great was unveiled (source: English Wikipedia, “Monument to Peter I (Peter and Paul Fortress)”; Russian Wikipedia)
- **28 ha** — the area of Hare Island (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Peter and Paul Fortress”; Travelto guide)

> **The Neva-side walls and the beach are closed** The fortress’s granite river facade is being restored. The walkway along the Neva and the walls above it — the Sovereign’s, Naryshkin and Trubetskoy bastions and the Neva curtain wall — are closed, and the Hare Island beach is shut completely. The Commandant’s Pier still works. The Kronverksky Bridge is also under repair; a temporary bridge across the Kronverksky Strait replaces it.

## Peter and Paul Fortress tickets and prices

**Walking around the fortress is free.** You only pay for the museums inside. The **combined ticket costs 1,500 ₽** and covers the cathedral and Grand Ducal Burial Vault, the Trubetskoy Bastion prison, the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology, four exhibitions and a casemate, plus a 1.5-hour guided tour. It is valid for three calendar days, one visit per sight.

Single tickets: **cathedral 1,000 ₽**, **prison 500 ₽**, the city history exhibition 450 ₽, the space museum 400 ₽, other exhibitions 350 ₽ each. The bell tower is guided-tour only, 500 ₽, and isn’t in the combined ticket. Student and pensioner discounts apply to Russian citizens; children up to 7 go free.

Buy at the ticket desks in the Ioannovsky Ravelin and the Boat House or on the website of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg. E-tickets work on your phone screen; same-day online sales stop at 16:00. **Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards don’t work in Russia** (since March 2022), and the fortress has a card-only desk on Cathedral Square — bring roubles in cash or buy with a Russian card or Mir.

Which to pick: on a first visit with more than two hours, the combined ticket pays off with the cathedral and prison alone and gives you the tour. Short on time? Just do the cathedral.

## Opening hours

**The grounds open every day, all year.** Hare Island lets people in from 6:00 to 20:30 and closes at 21:00; the area inside the walls is open 9:50–19:30 and closes at 20:00.

The **cathedral** opens Monday, Thursday and Friday 10:00–18:00, Saturday 10:00–17:45, Sunday 11:00–18:00 and Tuesday 10:00–17:00. The **prison** runs 10:00–18:00, Tuesday to 17:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Exhibitions and the space museum open 11:00–18:00.

**Every museum in the fortress is closed on Wednesdays.** You can still walk the grounds, but nothing inside is open — plan your fortress day for any other day of the week.

## Is the Peter and Paul Fortress worth visiting?

Yes. This is where St Petersburg was born, and it ranks with the [Hermitage](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/hermitage) and [St Isaac’s Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral) on any first visit. The free walk alone gets you the golden spire up close, the gates, the odd Peter the Great statue and river views from the Commandant’s Pier.

The cathedral is the reason to pay: it is the burial place of the Romanov emperors, with a bright, Baroque interior unlike any church in Moscow. The prison is the most memorable hour for anyone into Russian history.

To be honest about now: with the river walls and beach closed, the fortress has lost its best viewpoints. Don’t come only for the panorama — the classic view of the fortress is from the Palace Embankment or the [Palace Bridge](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-bridge) anyway.

## What to see inside the fortress

- **Peter and Paul Cathedral** — the tombs of the tsars, the carved gilded iconostasis and the 122.5 m spire.
- **Grand Ducal Burial Vault** next door, built in the early 20th century for members of the imperial family (same ticket).
- **Trubetskoy Bastion prison** — solitary cells that held Kropotkin, Gorky and Trotsky.
- **Shemyakin’s Peter the Great** — a seated tsar with a tiny head and long fingers, opposite the guardhouse.
- **St Peter’s Gate** with the double-headed eagle, the fortress’s ceremonial entrance.
- **The Mint** — a late-18th-century building that still strikes coins, so you only see it from outside.
- **The Boat House**, built for Peter’s little boat, the “grandfather of the Russian navy”.
- **Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology** in the Ioannovsky Ravelin — good with kids.
- **The hares** — small hare sculptures near the bridges, a nod to Hare Island’s name.

## Who is buried in Peter and Paul Cathedral?

Almost every Russian emperor and empress from **Peter the Great to Alexander III**. The two exceptions: Peter II, buried in the Moscow Kremlin, and Ivan VI, whose grave is unknown.

In **July 1998** the remains of **Nicholas II**, his wife and children were buried in a side chapel.

## What time is the noon cannon fired?

**Every day at exactly 12:00.** A blank shot marks midday — locals once set their watches by it — and it has fired from the fortress since 1873.

The guns normally stand on the Naryshkin Bastion, but during the facade restoration they were moved to the Sovereign’s Bastion. Both bastions are currently off-limits, so listen from Cathedral Square or the embankment across the river — you’ll hear it clearly.

## How to get to the Peter and Paul Fortress

1. Take the metro to **Gorkovskaya** (blue Line 2), walk through Alexandrovsky Park to the wooden Ioannovsky Bridge — about 10 minutes. From **Nevsky Prospekt** station it is one stop.
2. On foot from Palace Square: follow the Palace Embankment east to the Trinity Bridge (Troitsky most), cross the Neva and turn left to the Ioannovsky Bridge — 25–30 minutes, with the fortress in view the whole way.
3. From **Sportivnaya** (purple Line 5) take tram 6 or 40; from **Petrogradskaya** take bus 46.
4. Enter by the Ioannovsky Bridge and St John’s Gate. The Kronverksky Bridge is closed for repairs; a temporary bridge takes its place.
5. In summer, river boats call at the Commandant’s Pier — it stays open during the restoration.
6. Don’t drive: there is nowhere to park by the island, and tour coaches are banned from the Kronverksky Bridge.

## How long do you need?

**One hour** for a free loop of the grounds. Add **30–40 minutes** for the cathedral and about **an hour** for the prison. With the combined ticket and the guided tour, give it half a day.

Time it for **11:30**: you’ll see the cathedral first and be on Cathedral Square for the noon shot.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] It isn’t Wednesday — museums are closed
- [ ] At the cathedral or prison by 17:30 (Tuesday 16:30)
- [ ] There by 12:00 for the noon cannon
- [ ] Same-day online tickets bought before 16:00
- [ ] Roubles in cash or a Russian card — foreign Visa and Mastercard don’t work
- [ ] No pets — they aren’t allowed on the island

## Peter and Paul Fortress vs St Isaac’s Cathedral vs Kronstadt

|  | Peter and Paul Fortress | St Isaac’s Cathedral | Kronstadt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | The city’s first fortress, tsars’ tombs, a prison | The city’s biggest cathedral with a rooftop colonnade | Island naval town in the Gulf of Finland |
| Entry | Grounds free, museums 350–1,500 ₽ | Paid | Town free, museums and forts extra |
| Where | Centre, Gorkovskaya metro | Centre, by the Admiralty | Out of town, about an hour away |
| Museums closed | Wednesday | Own schedule | Varies by museum |
| Time needed | 1–3 h | 1–1.5 h | Half a day to a day |

Do the fortress first — the city starts here. For the view from above, climb the colonnade of St Isaac’s. [Kronstadt](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kronstadt) is a day trip once the centre is done.

## St Petersburg’s historic sights compared

Every historic place in St Petersburg rated by YesGo.

- [State Hermitage Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/hermitage) — YesGo score 76/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · 500–1,200 ₽
- [Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/church-of-the-savior-on-spilled-blood) — YesGo score 75/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 700 ₽, under 7 free
- [Peter and Paul Fortress](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peter-and-paul-fortress) — YesGo score 74/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Grounds free, cathedral 1,000 ₽
- [Kazan Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kazan-cathedral) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Bronze Horseman](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/bronze-horseman) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
- [Palace Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-square) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [St Isaac's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral) — YesGo score 69/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 700 ₽, colonnade 700 ₽
- [Cruiser Aurora](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/cruiser-aurora) — YesGo score 67/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 1,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Nevsky Prospekt](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/nevsky-prospect) — YesGo score 65/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free
- [Mikhailovsky Castle](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/mikhailovsky-castle) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 700 ₽
- [Kunstkamera](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kunstkamera) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · 500 ₽
- [Peterhof](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peterhof) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 4 h · Lower Park from 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Kronstadt](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kronstadt) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free, museums extra
- [New Holland Island](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/new-holland) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Alexander Nevsky Lavra](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/alexander-nevsky-lavra) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, necropolises 200–400 ₽
- [Griboyedov Canal](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/griboyedov-canal) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free
- [Yusupov Palace on the Moika](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/yusupov-palace) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · from 950 ₽
- [Mariinsky Theatre](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/mariinsky-theatre) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Price depends on the show
- [Summer Garden](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/summer-garden) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [State Russian Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/russian-museum) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · from 700 ₽
- [Catherine Palace](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/catherine-palace) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · 2,200 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Fabergé Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/faberge-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 700 ₽
- [Zoological Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/zoological-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 700 ₽
- [Oranienbaum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/oranienbaum) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Park 1,100 ₽, palace 1,800 ₽
- [Pavlovsk Palace and Park](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/pavlovsk-palace) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Palace 800 ₽, park 300 ₽

## Petrograd Side and the Spit in a day

Start at the cruiser Aurora, walk the embankment to the fortress for the noon shot, cross the Birzhevoy Bridge to the Kunstkamera on Vasilyevsky Island, then the Palace Bridge to the Hermitage.

1. [Cruiser Aurora](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/cruiser-aurora) — YesGo score 67/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 1,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
2. [Peter and Paul Fortress](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peter-and-paul-fortress) — YesGo score 74/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Grounds free, cathedral 1,000 ₽
3. [Kunstkamera](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kunstkamera) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · 500 ₽
4. [Palace Bridge and the bridge openings](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-bridge) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free from the embankment
5. [State Hermitage Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/hermitage) — YesGo score 76/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · 500–1,200 ₽

> **See it from across the river** The best view of the whole fortress — bastions, walls and spire over the water — is from the Palace Embankment by the Hermitage or the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. Go after dark when it’s floodlit, or during the White Nights in June.

## Good to know

Locals call it “Petropavlovka”. In Russian it is Petropavlovskaya Krepost — useful for signs and taxis. The fortress is run by the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg, whose website is the official one for tickets.

## Tips

- Free in an hour: Ioannovsky Bridge → St John’s and St Peter’s gates → the cathedral from outside → Shemyakin’s Peter → the Mint → the Commandant’s Pier for the river view.
- In 2–3 hours: add the cathedral and the prison — or take the combined ticket and get the guided tour thrown in.
- Wednesday is a bad fortress day: spend it at the Hermitage or the [Russian Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/russian-museum) instead.
- Afterwards, walk 15 minutes along the embankment to the [cruiser Aurora](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/cruiser-aurora) or cross the Birzhevoy Bridge to the [Kunstkamera](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kunstkamera).
- With kids: the space museum and a hare hunt around the island; children up to 7 get into museums free.

## Questions

### Is the Peter and Paul Fortress free?

Yes, the grounds are free. You pay for the sights inside: the cathedral is 1,000 ₽, the prison 500 ₽, and the combined ticket 1,500 ₽ for three days.

### What are the opening hours?

The grounds open daily — the island 6:00–20:30, inside the walls 9:50–19:30. The cathedral and prison open at 10:00, exhibitions at 11:00, and close at 18:00 (17:00 on Tuesdays).

### Is the Peter and Paul Fortress open on Wednesday?

The grounds are, but every museum inside, including the cathedral and the prison, is closed on Wednesdays.

### How do I get to the Peter and Paul Fortress by metro?

Take the blue line to Gorkovskaya and walk through Alexandrovsky Park to the Ioannovsky Bridge, about 10 minutes. It is one stop from Nevsky Prospekt.

### How long should I spend at the Peter and Paul Fortress?

An hour for the grounds, 2–3 hours with the cathedral and the prison, half a day with the combined ticket and guided tour.

### Who is buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral?

Nearly all Russian emperors from Peter the Great to Alexander III, and since 1998 Nicholas II and his family. Peter II and Ivan VI are the exceptions.

### What time does the cannon fire?

Every day at 12:00. During the restoration the guns fire from the Sovereign’s Bastion instead of the Naryshkin Bastion.

### Can I pay by card?

Only with a Russian bank card or Mir: foreign Visa and Mastercard have not worked in Russia since March 2022. Bring roubles in cash.

### Is the beach at the fortress open?

Not now. The Hare Island beach and the Neva-side walls are closed for restoration. Swimming in the Neva there isn’t allowed in any case.

## How we checked

Prices, hours, the Wednesday closure, concessions, rules and closures come from the official museum website. Its own pages disagree on the grounds’ hours: the FAQ gives 10:00–21:00 in summer and 10:00–20:00 in winter, while the opening-hours page gives 6:00–20:30 for the island and 9:50–19:30 inside the walls — we show the more detailed opening-hours page. The Neva Panorama is on the price list (400 ₽), but it runs along the walls from the Sovereign’s to the Naryshkin Bastion, which are now closed for restoration, and the site gives no hours — so that row is marked “verifying”. The audio guide price appears only in the FAQ, so it is “verifying” too. The museum dates the cathedral 1712–1732, Wikipedia 1712–1733. The noon cannon’s move to the Sovereign’s Bastion was reported by Delovoy Peterburg; we found no confirmation yet that the guns are back on the Naryshkin Bastion. Walking times from the metro and Palace Square are our estimate from the map.

## Sources

- Official website of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg: opening hours, ticket prices, concessions, getting there, FAQ, Neva Panorama route, cathedral and Trubetskoy Bastion prison exhibition pages, 29.10.2026
- English and Russian Wikipedia: Peter and Paul Fortress, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Monument to Peter I (Peter and Paul Fortress); Wikidata Q38646
- Delovoy Peterburg: temporary move of the noon cannon to the Sovereign’s Bastion, 2025
- Tonkosti and Sputnik8 travel guides: Peter and Paul Cathedral
- Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022

---

This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.