# St Isaac's Cathedral, St Petersburg

> St Petersburg's great gold dome — a 101.5 m cathedral that is both a museum and a working church. Entry is 700 ₽; the colonnade viewing deck is a separate 700 ₽ ticket. Open 10:00–18:00, closed Wednesdays, with evening openings until 21:30 from May to September. Allow an hour inside, an hour and a half with the climb.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral

- City: [St Petersburg](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg), Russia
- YesGo score: 69/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 1 h
- Entry: 700 ₽, colonnade 700 ₽
- Opening hours: Museum 10:00–18:00, last tickets 17:30, closed Wednesdays; 1 May–30 Sep also 18:00–21:30. Colonnade 10:00–18:00, open daily in summer and evenings; Oct–Apr closed on the third Wednesday
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Cathedral museum: 700 ₽ — the same price for foreign visitors
- Colonnade (43 m viewing deck): 700 ₽ by day, no concessions; stairs only
- Evenings, 1 May–30 Sep: Museum 800 ₽, colonnade 800 ₽; 18:00–21:30, no guided tours
- Children under 7: Free (museum)
- Ages 7–18: 300 ₽
- ISIC card: 330 ₽
- Audio guide: 300 ₽, several languages
- Museum hours: 10:00–18:00, ticket office until 17:30; evening entry until 21:00
- Museum closed: Wednesdays and 1 January (open daily during public holidays)
- Colonnade hours: 10:00–18:00; 1 May–30 Sep daily plus 18:00–21:30; 1 Oct–30 Apr closed on the third Wednesday and 1 January
- Payment: Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards don't work in Russia — bring roubles in cash
- Metro: Admiralteyskaya (line 5), ≈ 7 min walk
- Coordinates: 59.93405, 30.30595
- Facts checked: 29.10.2026

## Key facts

- **101.5 m** — tall to the cross — the largest church in St Petersburg (source: Official St Isaac's Cathedral museum website; English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **40 years** — to build, 1818–1858, to a design by Auguste de Montferrand (source: Official museum website; English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **43 m** — height of the colonnade, the viewing walkway around the dome (source: Official museum website, prices page; Russian Wikipedia)
- **112** — monolithic red granite columns on the outside (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Saint Isaac's Cathedral”)
- **114 t** — the weight of each of the 48 portico columns, 17 m tall (source: Official museum website, “The building”; Russian Wikipedia)
- **St Isaac of Dalmatia** — the cathedral's saint — Peter the Great was born on his feast day, 30 May (source: Official museum website; Russian Wikipedia)
- **4th** — church of St Isaac on this site; three earlier ones stood here from the early 18th century (source: Official museum website; Russian Wikipedia)
- **25.8 m** — outer diameter of the main dome (source: Official museum website; Russian Wikipedia)
- **111.2 × 97.6 m** — length and width of the cathedral (source: Official museum website; English Wikipedia)
- **1931–1986** — a Foucault pendulum swung beneath the dome (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)

> **Closed on Wednesdays — but the colonnade usually isn't** The museum shuts every Wednesday and on 1 January. The colonnade stays open on Wednesdays: every day from May to September, and from October to April it closes only on the third Wednesday of the month. If Wednesday is your only day, climb the colonnade and save the interior for later.

## St Isaac's Cathedral tickets and prices

A standard ticket to the cathedral museum is **700 ₽**, and the colonnade is a **separate 700 ₽** ticket — 1,400 ₽ for both. Foreign visitors pay the same price as locals. Children under 7 get into the museum free, 7–18-year-olds pay 300 ₽ and ISIC holders 330 ₽. There are no discounts at all for the colonnade.

From 1 May to 30 September both open again in the evening, 18:00–21:30, for **800 ₽** each; there are no guided tours then. The audio guide costs 300 ₽ and comes in several languages.

**Paying:** Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022, and the museum's online ticket site takes Russian cards. Bring roubles in cash for the ticket office, or ask your hotel or a local tour operator to book for you.

## Opening hours

The museum is open **10:00–18:00** and the ticket office closes at 17:30. It's closed on **Wednesdays** and 1 January, though it opens every day during public holidays.

From 1 May to 30 September there's an evening session, **18:00–21:30**, with last entry at 21:00. The museum is still closed on Wednesday evenings, while the colonnade runs every day and every evening all summer.

From October to April the colonnade keeps 10:00–18:00 and closes on the third Wednesday of each month. The museum warns that hours can change for technical reasons, so check its official website on the day.

> **The colonnade has its own entrance and a long climb** Your cathedral ticket doesn't get you onto the colonnade. It has a separate door and a narrow spiral staircase of more than 200 steps, then an open staircase onto the roof. There's no lift for regular visitors, and the tight stairwell isn't great if you're claustrophobic.

## Is the colonnade worth climbing?

On a clear day, yes — it's the best 700 ₽ you'll spend in the centre. The walkway circles the dome between 24 granite columns, **43 m up**, and gives you the whole historic city in one turn.

Look north for the Neva, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and the spire of the [Peter and Paul Fortress](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peter-and-paul-fortress); east along [Nevsky Prospect](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/nevsky-prospect) to the dome of [Kazan Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kazan-cathedral); west to [New Holland](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/new-holland) and the port.

Skip it in rain, fog or strong wind: you won't see much and it gets cold up there fast. In summer, the evening session is the one to go for — during the White Nights the sun sets late over the Gulf of Finland.

## How to get to St Isaac's Cathedral

1. Take the metro to **Admiralteyskaya** (line 5, purple). Exit onto Malaya Morskaya Street and walk straight on — about 7 minutes to the cathedral.
2. From **Nevsky Prospekt** (line 2) or **Gostiny Dvor** (line 3), walk along Nevsky and turn onto Malaya Morskaya — about 15 minutes.
3. From **Sennaya Ploshchad**, **Sadovaya** or **Spasskaya**, head north up Voznesensky Prospekt — about 15 minutes.
4. From [Palace Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-square), walk past the Admiralty along Admiralteysky Prospekt — 10 minutes. From the [Bronze Horseman](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/bronze-horseman) it's 3 minutes.
5. Driving isn't worth it: parking in the centre is paid and scarce around St Isaac's Square.

## Is St Isaac's Cathedral worth visiting?

Yes — if you see only one church interior in St Petersburg, make it this one. The scale is the point: a 101.5 m building with walls of marble, a malachite-and-lapis iconostasis and a dome painted by Karl Bryullov. Add the colonnade and you get the city's best view in the same visit.

It's less worth it if you've already done the [Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/church-of-the-savior-on-spilled-blood) and only want mosaics, or if it's a grey day and you were mainly coming for the view — then go inside only, or come back when the sky clears.

## What to see inside

- **The main dome** from below — Karl Bryullov's painting covers about 800 m²; a Foucault pendulum hung here from 1931 to 1986.
- **The iconostasis** of white marble with columns of malachite and lapis lazuli.
- **The mosaics** — 62 of them, made from more than 12,000 shades of smalt glass; from a distance they look like oil paintings.
- **The stained-glass window** of the Resurrection above the altar — unusual in an Orthodox church.
- **Montferrand's bust**, assembled from the stones used to finish the cathedral.
- **The portico columns** outside — 17 m and 114 tonnes each, raised before the walls went up.
- **The gold dome** — fire-gilded with mercury; records say 60 craftsmen died from the fumes.

## Who built it and why it's called St Isaac's

French architect **Auguste de Montferrand** designed the cathedral, and it took **40 years, 1818–1858**, to build. It's dedicated to St Isaac of Dalmatia because Peter the Great was born on his feast day, 30 May — and it's the fourth church of St Isaac on this spot. Peter married Catherine in the first one, a modest wooden church, in 1712.

The Soviets turned it into a museum; services came back in 1990 and are now held daily, so today it is a museum and a church at once. A 2017 plan to hand the building over to the Orthodox Church was never carried out.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] It isn't Wednesday, if you want the interior
- [ ] At the ticket office by 17:30 (summer evenings: by 21:00)
- [ ] Two tickets: cathedral and colonnade
- [ ] Roubles in cash — foreign Visa and Mastercard don't work in Russia
- [ ] A clear sky for the colonnade
- [ ] Comfortable shoes for 200+ steps
- [ ] Modest clothing — services take place inside

## St Isaac's vs Spilled Blood vs Kazan Cathedral

|  | St Isaac's Cathedral | Savior on Spilled Blood | Kazan Cathedral |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Museum and church, 43 m colonnade | Museum and church covered in mosaics | Working cathedral on Nevsky Prospect |
| Entry | 700 ₽, colonnade another 700 ₽ | Paid museum | Free |
| Best for | Scale, iconostasis, city view | Mosaics inside and out | A quick stop, the curved colonnade outside |
| Time needed | 1–1.5 h | 40–60 min | 20–30 min |

Short on time? Pick St Isaac's with the colonnade — interior and view in one go. Spilled Blood is for the mosaics; Kazan Cathedral is a free stop on your way down Nevsky.

## St Petersburg's churches compared

Every church and monastery in St Petersburg rated by YesGo.

- [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
- [St Isaac's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral) — YesGo score 69/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 700 ₽, colonnade 700 ₽
- [Kronstadt](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kronstadt) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free, museums extra
- [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 ₽

## Palace Square to New Holland in half a day

Start on Palace Square, walk to the Bronze Horseman, climb St Isaac's colonnade, follow the Moika to the Yusupov Palace and finish at New Holland.

1. [Palace Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-square) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
2. [Bronze Horseman](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/bronze-horseman) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
3. [St Isaac's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral) — YesGo score 69/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 700 ₽, colonnade 700 ₽
4. [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 ₽
5. [New Holland Island](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/new-holland) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free

## Good to know

Locals often just say “Isaakiy”. If you saw news of a fire “at St Isaac's” in October 2026, it was the Miller mansion across the square (No. 3); the cathedral itself wasn't hit. Don't confuse it with Kazan Cathedral, a different church on Nevsky Prospect.

## Tips

- One hour: the interior — dome, iconostasis, mosaics. An hour and a half: add the colonnade.
- Keep the colonnade for a clear day; on a grey one, do the interior only.
- In summer, the evening colonnade (18:00–21:30) beats the daytime one — fewer people and softer light.
- Arrive at 10:00 in high season to avoid the midday ticket queue.
- Combine it with the Bronze Horseman, the [Yusupov Palace](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/yusupov-palace) on the Moika and New Holland — all within 15 minutes on foot.
- Want the story of the 114-tonne columns and the mercury-gilded dome? Take the 300 ₽ audio guide or a guided tour.

## Questions

### How much are tickets for St Isaac's Cathedral?

700 ₽ for the museum and a separate 700 ₽ for the colonnade. Summer evening tickets are 800 ₽ each. Children under 7 enter the museum free, and 7–18-year-olds pay 300 ₽.

### Is St Isaac's Cathedral closed on Wednesday?

The museum is — every Wednesday and on 1 January. The colonnade is open on Wednesdays, except the third Wednesday of the month from October to April.

### What are the opening hours?

10:00–18:00, ticket office until 17:30. From 1 May to 30 September there is also an evening session, 18:00–21:30.

### How many steps are there to the colonnade?

Sources differ: about 200 on the spiral staircase alone, 262 counting the open stairs onto the roof. There's no lift for regular visitors.

### Is the colonnade worth it?

On a clear day, yes — it's a 360° view of the historic centre from 43 m. In rain or fog, skip it and visit the interior only.

### How long do you need at St Isaac's Cathedral?

About an hour inside, an hour and a half with the colonnade.

### Which metro station is closest?

Admiralteyskaya on line 5, about a 7-minute walk along Malaya Morskaya Street. Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor are about 15 minutes away.

### How tall is St Isaac's Cathedral?

101.5 m to the top of the cross. It has the city's highest dome; only the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral (122.5 m) rises higher. The colonnade walkway is at 43 m.

### Who built St Isaac's Cathedral?

Auguste de Montferrand, a French architect. Construction took 40 years, from 1818 to 1858.

### Can I pay by card?

Not with a foreign Visa or Mastercard — they haven't worked in Russia since March 2022. Bring roubles in cash for the ticket office.

## How we checked

Prices, hours, closures, evening sessions and colonnade rules come from the official museum website on 29.10.2026. The metro walking time is our estimate from the map, and the payment row is marked “verifying”: we know foreign cards don't work in Russia, but couldn't confirm on the official site that the ticket office takes cash. Step counts differ — Russian Wikipedia gives 200, Kultura.RF 262 (211 spiral plus 51 open) — so we say “more than 200”. The 60 gilders who died is the figure in Wikipedia, citing construction records.

## Sources

- Official website of the St Isaac's Cathedral State Museum: opening hours, prices, the building, 29.10.2026
- English and Russian Wikipedia: Saint Isaac's Cathedral; Wikidata Q215423
- Kultura.RF: St Isaac's Cathedral colonnade
- Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022

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