Great Runs in Saint Petersburg, Russia
For the full guide, see the Great Runs website
Saint Petersburg (formerly known as Petrograd and Leningrad) is the second largest city in Russia, and is an important port situated at the mouth of the Neva River on the Baltic Sea. Owing to its Imperial heritage, this UNESCO World Heritage Site features 8,000 architectural monuments and numerous impressive cultural institutions, including the world-famous Hermitage. The best running in Saint Petersburg, Russia incorporates the city’s grand squares, palaces, and gardens, which are all near pleasant riverside paths. Be sure to do a run during the ‘White Nights’ from May-July!
The best places to run in St. Petersburg are centrally located around the its visitor highlights. We’ve put together two ‘runseeing’ tours in the Central District: one focused on the Neva River paths and the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the other featuring the Summer Palace, Field of Mars, Palace Square, and several other important squares and gardens. Running along the embankment of the Fontanka River and Moyka River are pleasant. Other great running spots highlight several larger parks: Sosnovka, Kolpino Park, and the beautiful waterfront of Tsentral’nyy Park in St. Petersburg’s northwest islands.
River Paths and ‘Runseeing’ Tour. A tour of some of the city’s most historic and architecturally intriguing sites, all while offering great views of the Neva River from it’s bridges and embankment paths.
Gardens and Museums Tour. THE must-do run in St. Petersburg! A 9km run along wide paths through the city’s main squares and gardens: Summer Garden, Field of Mars, Mikhailovsky Garden, Mikhaylovsky Sq., Palace Sq., Hermitage, Aleksandrovskiy Garden. River path connects these spots.
Neva River Path & Tauride Garden. A good running option in central St. Petersburg, along the Neva River paths east of the Summer Garden, and through Tauride Garden. The 9 km loop includes Coffee Museum, Universe of Water Museum, Smol’nyy Cathedral, Lamplighter Monument.
Moyka and Fontanka River Embankments. A 13 km run along the two canal-like rivers coming off the Neva. There are pleasant walking paths along the Fontanka and Moyka rivers, and the roads along them are generally quieter. Water views, palaces, older buildings.
Elagin Island/Tsentral’nyy Park. Tucked away on its own island northwest of St. Petersburg but accessible via transport, the sprawling green space of Tsentral’nyy Park is surrounded by the mouth of the Neva River on all sides. One loop around is 5 km. Other adjoining islands are good add-ons.
Sosnovka Park. With wide dirt paths through foggy forests and hidden lakes, running in Sosnovka feels a bit like a fairytale. This 302 hectare park north of the city center is one of the largest green spaces in St. Petersburg. It’s 7 km around the perimeter, with many interior paths.
Kolpino Park. Though it requires a little more travel from the center of St. Petersburg than some of our other routes, Kolpino is a unique park on the Chukhonka peninsula.
For a complete profile of running in St. Petersburg, see the Great Runs website. .
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