# Yelagin Island, St Petersburg > A car-free island park in the Neva delta with Carlo Rossi’s Yelagin Palace, ponds and a western tip that faces the open Gulf of Finland. **Free on weekdays**; on weekends and public holidays it costs 200 ₽ between 10:00 and 20:00. Open daily 6:00–23:00. Allow 1.5–2 hours for a walk, about 3 with the palace. Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/yelagin-island - City: [St Petersburg](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg), Russia - YesGo score: 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Entry: Free weekdays, 200 ₽ at weekends - Opening hours: Park daily 6:00–23:00; Yelagin Palace and Glass Museum 10:00–18:30, later on Wednesdays, closed Mondays - With kids: Fine with kids - Weekdays: Free, 6:00–23:00 - Weekends & holidays: Paid 10:00–19:59; free before 10:00 and from 20:00 - Park ticket: 200 ₽ adults; 50 ₽ for full-time students and schoolchildren with ID - Always free: Children under 7, pensioners, visitors with disabilities (with documents) - Yelagin Palace: State rooms 200 ₽ (concessions 150 ₽); upstairs exhibition 100 ₽ - Museum of Art Glass: 200 ₽, concessions 100 ₽ - Museum hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:30, last tickets 18:00; Wednesdays 13:00–21:00 in summer, 12:00–20:00 in winter - Museums closed: Mondays; palace cleaning days 24 November and 31 December 2026 - Metro: Krestovsky Ostrov or Staraya Derevnya, Line 5 (purple) - Not allowed: Dogs (except guide dogs), e-scooters, bikes on weekends (except kids under 10 with an adult), swimming - Rowing boats: Summer only: about 600–800 ₽ an hour plus a 2,000 ₽ cash deposit - Address: Yelagin Island 4 (Elagin ostrov, 4) - Coordinates: 59.97861, 30.25500 - Facts checked: 29.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1818–1822** — Carlo Rossi rebuilt Yelagin Palace as a summer home for Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (source: Official website of the Kirov Central Park; Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”) - **2.1 km** — end to end, with no cars allowed (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”; park visitor rules) - **3 bridges** — link it to Kamenny Island, Krestovsky Island and the Primorsky district (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”; official park website, “Getting there”) - **Ivan Yelagin** — courtier of Catherine the Great who owned the island from 1777 and gave it its name (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”) - **350,000 rubles** — paid by the Imperial Cabinet to Count Orlov for the island in 1817 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”) - **1934** — the park was named after Sergei Kirov (source: Encyclopaedia of St Petersburg (encspb); Russian Wikipedia) - **Lions** — on the granite terrace at the Strelka, brought from the Stroganov dacha (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”; T—Zh guide to the park) - **≈ 300 years** — the age of the old oak standing among newer trees (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Yelagin Island”) - **2010** — the Museum of Art Glass opened in the Orangery; a glassblowing workshop followed in 2018 (source: Official park website; T—Zh guide to the park) ## Yelagin Island entrance fee: when is it free? **Monday to Friday, entry is free all day.** On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays you pay **200 ₽** between 10:00 and 19:59; full-time students and schoolchildren pay 50 ₽ with ID, and children under 7 go free. Arrive before 10:00 or after 20:00 and even a weekend visit costs nothing. Tickets are sold at the gates and online on the park’s official website. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards haven’t worked in Russia since March 2022, so on a weekend bring roubles in cash or come in the free hours. The palace and the glass museum charge separately — 200 ₽ each for adults — and you can visit them on a weekday without paying for the park at all. ## How to get to Yelagin Island 1. From [Palace Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-square), walk about 10 minutes to **Admiralteyskaya** metro station — it’s on Line 5 (purple), the line you need. 2. Ride three stops north to **Krestovsky Ostrov**, roughly 10 minutes. 3. Walk up Ryukhina Street to the Martynova embankment; the 2nd Yelagin Bridge, the main entrance, is straight ahead. Allow 10–15 minutes. 4. Alternatively, stay on one more stop to **Staraya Derevnya**, walk down Lipovaya Alley to Primorsky Prospekt and cross the 3rd Yelagin Bridge — about 15 minutes, handy for the northern boating ponds. 5. Buses 32 and 93 and trams 2, 21 and 48 also run to the entrances. 6. No cars on the island — taxis drop you at the bridges. 7. From the 2nd Bridge to the Strelka is a 20–25-minute walk; give yourself the same to get back before the 23:00 closing. ## Is Yelagin Island worth visiting? Yes — if you have a free afternoon or evening and want a break from museums and crowds. It is the greenest, quietest place within metro reach of the centre: no traffic, water on every side, a neoclassical palace and the best sunset spot in the city. On the YesGo score it beats most city parks for that mix. It isn’t worth it on a two-day first trip, when the [Hermitage](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/hermitage) and the centre come first, or on a cold, windy winter day, when the Strelka is bleak. In summer and early autumn, though, it’s one of the easiest good evenings St Petersburg offers. ## Things to do on Yelagin Island - **Watch the sunset at the Strelka** — the western tip, with granite steps, lions and the open Gulf of Finland; the [Lakhta Center](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/lakhta-center) rises on the horizon. - **Tour Yelagin Palace** — Rossi’s state rooms on the ground floor, rotating exhibitions upstairs, and a granite landing on the pond outside. - **See glass being blown** at the Museum of Art Glass in the Orangery: 700-plus pieces of glass and crystal and a hot-glass workshop. - **Rent a rowing boat or pedalo** on the ponds in summer. - **Lie on the Butter Meadow** (Masleny Lug), the big lawn in the middle where festivals and concerts are held — including a tulip festival in spring. - **Check the Stable Block** for its monthly art exhibitions. - **Skate in winter** on the Big Rink — the ponds themselves are off-limits. ## Yelagin Palace: hours and tickets The palace opens **Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:30**, with the last tickets at 18:00. Wednesdays run late: 13:00–21:00 in summer and 12:00–20:00 in winter. It is closed on Mondays and on cleaning days — 24 November and 31 December for the rest of 2026. The state rooms cost **200 ₽** (150 ₽ concessions) and take 30–40 minutes. The upstairs exhibition is another 100 ₽. Carlo Rossi rebuilt the palace in 1818–1822 for the widow of Paul I, and it is a compact, crowd-free way to see his interiors — the same architect behind the General Staff arch on Palace Square. The Museum of Art Glass, a short walk away in the Orangery, keeps the same hours and costs 200 ₽. Glassblowing classes are extra and need booking. > **No dogs, no e-scooters, no weekend bikes** Park rules ban dogs of any size (guide dogs excepted) and anything with an electric motor. Bicycles are allowed on weekdays up to 10 km/h, but not on weekends or holidays, except for children under 10 with an adult. Swimming in the ponds is not allowed either. ## When to catch the sunset at the Strelka The Strelka is the one spot near the centre where the sun sets straight into open sea. During the White Nights in June it goes down after 22:00 and the sky never fully darkens — you still make it before the 23:00 closing. September and October are the sweet spot: the sun sets between 18:30 and 20:30 in September and between 16:30 and 18:30 in October, the lime avenues turn gold, and on a weekday entry is free and the paths are quiet. Bring a jacket — it is always windier at the tip than in the city. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Weekday — or a weekend before 10:00 or after 20:00 for free entry - [ ] Weekend daytime: 200 ₽ in roubles — foreign cards don’t work - [ ] Palace or glass museum: not a Monday, at the desk by 18:00 - [ ] Dog left at the hotel - [ ] Bike only on a weekday - [ ] Sunset time checked, back at a bridge by 23:00 - [ ] Windproof layer for the Strelka ## Yelagin Island vs Krestovsky Island vs Summer Garden | | Yelagin Island | Krestovsky Island | Summer Garden | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Island park with Rossi’s palace, ponds and the Strelka | Neighbouring island: sports, avenues, the stadium | Peter the Great’s formal garden with statues | | Entry | Free weekdays, 200 ₽ weekend daytime | Free | Free | | Location | Three metro stops from Admiralteyskaya | One bridge away from Yelagin | City centre, on the Neva | | Sea sunset | Yes, at the Strelka | Partly | No | | Time needed | 1.5–3 h | 1–2 h | 40–60 min | Pick Yelagin for water, nature and the sunset. The [Summer Garden](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/summer-garden) fits better into a day in the centre, and [Krestovsky Island](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/krestovsky-island) is the walk from the metro to Yelagin anyway. ## More sunset spots in St Petersburg Every St Petersburg sunset spot rated by YesGo. - [Sevkabel Port](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/sevkabel-port) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Yelagin Island](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/yelagin-island) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free weekdays, 200 ₽ at weekends ## Petrograd Side and the islands, ending at sunset Spend the day at the [Peter and Paul Fortress](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peter-and-paul-fortress) and the [cruiser Aurora](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/cruiser-aurora), take the metro to Krestovsky Island and finish with Yelagin Palace and the Strelka. 1. [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 ₽ 2. [Cruiser Aurora](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/cruiser-aurora) — YesGo score 67/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 1,000 ₽ for foreign visitors 3. [Krestovsky Island](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/krestovsky-island) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free 4. [Yelagin Island](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/yelagin-island) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free weekdays, 200 ₽ at weekends ## Good to know You’ll see it spelled Yelagin or Elagin; locally the whole island is also called TsPKiO, the Kirov Central Park of Culture and Leisure. Yelagin Palace and the Yelagin Island Palace Museum are the same building. The football stadium and Seaside Victory Park are on neighbouring Krestovsky Island, not here. ## Tips - 90-minute loop: 2nd Yelagin Bridge → Butter Meadow → Strelka → back along the southern ponds. - Three hours: start at the palace on the eastern end, add the glass museum, then walk the length of the island to the Strelka for sunset. - Free weekend visit: come after 20:00 in summer — it’s still light and the sunset is ahead. - With kids: the boats, the mini zoo and the glassblowing workshop are the hits. - Card trouble: foreign cards don’t work in Russia, so keep some roubles for weekend tickets and cafés. ## Questions ### Is Yelagin Island free? On weekdays, yes — all day. On weekends and public holidays you pay 200 ₽ between 10:00 and 19:59; before 10:00 and after 20:00 it is free. ### How much is the entrance fee to Yelagin Island? 200 ₽ for adults at weekend daytimes, 50 ₽ for full-time students and schoolchildren with ID. Children under 7 and pensioners go free. ### What are Yelagin Island opening hours? The park is open every day from 6:00 to 23:00, all year. Yelagin Palace and the glass museum open 10:00–18:30, later on Wednesdays, and close on Mondays. ### How do I get to Yelagin Island by metro? Take Line 5 (purple) to Krestovsky Ostrov — three stops from Admiralteyskaya — and walk 10–15 minutes to the 2nd Yelagin Bridge. Staraya Derevnya, one stop further, leads to the 3rd Bridge. ### How long do you need on Yelagin Island? 1.5–2 hours for a walk from the bridge to the Strelka and back; around 3 hours if you add the palace and stay for sunset. ### Can you see the sunset from Yelagin Island? Yes — from the Strelka, the western tip, the sun sets straight into the Gulf of Finland. In June that is after 22:00, still before the park closes at 23:00. ### Can I bring my dog to Yelagin Island? No. Park rules ban dogs of any size; only guide dogs with documents are allowed. ### Can you rent boats on Yelagin Island? Yes, in summer: rowing boats and pedalos on the ponds, roughly 600–800 ₽ an hour with a 2,000 ₽ cash deposit. The park doesn’t publish prices, so treat these as a guide. ### Who is Yelagin Island named after? Ivan Yelagin, a courtier of Catherine the Great and a leading Russian Freemason, who owned the island from 1777. ## How we checked Prices, park and museum hours, concessions, rules and transport come from the park’s official website; the rise to 200 ₽ is confirmed by news reports citing the park’s press office. The park doesn’t publish boat-rental prices, so that row comes from the T—Zh guide and is marked “verifying”. Sources disagree on when the Kirov park opened (1931 in the Encyclopaedia of St Petersburg, 1932 in Russian Wikipedia) and on the island’s area (96.8 ha in Russian Wikipedia, 94 ha in English), so we give neither and use the 2.1 km length both agree on. Walking times and sunset times are our own estimate from the map and the calendar. ## Sources - Official website of the Kirov Central Park of Culture and Leisure: prices, getting there, visitor rules, Yelagin Palace Museum, Museum of Art Glass, rentals, 29.10.2026 - Delovoy Peterburg and Mail.ru, 1 October 2025: park ticket rises to 200 rubles, citing the park’s press office - English and Russian Wikipedia: Yelagin Island; Wikidata Q4174533 - Encyclopaedia of St Petersburg (encspb): Kirov Central Park of Culture and Leisure - T—Zh guide to the park on Yelagin Island (boat rental, the Strelka, glass museum) - 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.