Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg: The Spit, Museums, Lines

The Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg, guide starts at the Spit, the pointed eastern tip where the Neva splits in two and the Rostral Columns stand against the water. Behind it lie the old Stock Exchange, the Kunstkamera, the Twelve Collegia of the University and a long run of embankments facing the Winter Palace.

The island is easy to misjudge on a map: it is large, and its streets are not called streets. They are numbered Lines, laid out in a grid, and a walk from the Spit to the western side takes much longer than it looks. This page explains how the island is arranged, what is worth the time and which metro stop to use for each part.

Quick Facts

Russian name	Васильевский остров
Address	Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg (Васильевский остров, Санкт-Петербург)
District	Vasileostrovsky
Metro	Vasileostrovskaya (Line 3 (Green), Central part of the island; about 20 minutes on foot to the Spit, or take a bus or tram) Primorskaya (Line 3 (Green), The western side of the island, near the gulf and Erarta) Admiralteyskaya (Line 5 (Purple), On the opposite bank; cross Palace Bridge on foot to reach the Spit)
Opening hours	The embankments, the Spit and the streets are open all day. Museums keep their own hours and weekly closing days, which differ from site to site, so check each one before you plan. (as of October 2026 – check the official sites)
Admission	Walking the island is free. The museums on it sell their own tickets, mostly at ₽₽; the Spit and the embankments are free.
Best time to visit	Late spring to early autumn is best for the embankments and the Spit, and sunset gives the best light. In winter the wind off the river is strong, so dress warmly. Weekday mornings are quietest at the museums.
Recommended duration	Half a day for the Spit and the University Embankment, a full day with museums
Last updated	October 17, 2026

What Is (and Isn't) Part of a Visit to Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg?

Part	Status	Notes
The Spit, Rostral Columns and University Embankment	Included in the standard ticket	Open and free to walk at any hour.
The Lines and the Bolshoy Prospekt	Included in the standard ticket	Public streets on the island.
Kunstkamera	Separate ticket or institution	On the embankment; its own ticket and closing day.
Central Naval Museum	Separate ticket or institution	In the Old Stock Exchange; its own ticket and hours.
Menshikov Palace	Separate ticket or institution	A branch of the Hermitage with its own ticket.
Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art	Separate ticket or institution	On the western side of the island; its own ticket.
Peter and Paul Fortress	Outside / not part of it	Across the Neva, on the Petrograd Side.
Winter Palace and the Hermitage	Outside / not part of it	On the opposite bank, in the Admiralteysky District.

Why Visit Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg?

• The best river view: from the Spit you see the Peter and Paul Fortress on one side and the Winter Palace and the Admiralty on the other.
• Two big museums: the Kunstkamera and the Central Naval Museum stand within a short walk of each other.
• The University Embankment: a long, calm stretch of 18th-century buildings facing the river.
• A grid of Lines: a different street pattern from the rest of the centre, with quiet courtyards and cafes.
• Contemporary art: the Erarta museum sits on the western side of the island.

How Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg Is Laid Out

The island runs west from the Spit, which is the best starting point. At the Spit stand the two Rostral Columns, and behind them the Old Stock Exchange, which now houses the Central Naval Museum. Facing it across the embankment is the Kunstkamera, the first museum of the city.

The University Embankment continues along the south shore, past the Twelve Collegia, the Menshikov Palace and the Academy of Arts with its two sphinxes. The Lines run north from the embankment, numbered in sequence, and the main cross street is the Bolshoy Prospekt.

A sensible order is to start at the Spit, walk along the University Embankment as far as the Academy of Arts, then turn inland along one of the Lines to Vasileostrovskaya metro. Erarta and the gulf side are a separate trip to the west, best reached from Primorskaya.

Highlights of Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

The Spit and the Rostral Columns

The Spit is the pointed eastern end of the island and one of the best viewpoints in the city. The two red Rostral Columns were built in the early 1800s to a design by Thomas de Thomon and once worked as lighthouses. Their sides carry ship prows, and the base of each is flanked by large stone figures.

The area is free and open at all hours.

Tip: Come at sunset or in the evening to see the fortress and the palace across the water.

Old Stock Exchange and the Central Naval Museum

The Old Stock Exchange was built in the early 1800s, also to a design by Thomas de Thomon, in the style of a Greek temple. It now houses the Central Naval Museum, which tells the story of the Russian fleet through ship models and navigation instruments.

The museum has its own ticket, opening hours and closing day, and it is a separate institution from the other museums on the island.

Tip: Photograph the building from the Spit rather than from the front, to get the columns in the frame.

Kunstkamera

The Kunstkamera was founded in 1714 by Peter the Great and is regarded as the first museum in Russia. The present building, with its blue-and-white tower, was built in the 1720s and 1730s. It holds anthropological and ethnographic collections, including the famous cabinet of anatomical curiosities that Peter began to collect.

It has its own ticket and closing day.

Tip: Visit on a weekday, when the rooms with the anatomical collection are less crowded.

The Twelve Collegia

This long, narrow building stands along the University Embankment and was built in the first half of the 18th century to a design by Domenico Trezzini. It was made for the government ministries of Peter's time and is now part of Saint Petersburg State University. Its repeated bays and red-and-white colours make it easy to spot.

The building is a working university, so you can only see it from the outside.

Tip: Walk the full length of the facade to see how the twelve sections repeat.

Menshikov Palace

The palace on the embankment was built in the 1710s for Alexander Menshikov, a close ally of Peter the Great, and is among the oldest stone buildings in the city. It is now a branch of the Hermitage and shows interiors from the early 18th century.

It has its own ticket and hours, and it is not included in the main Hermitage ticket.

Tip: Check whether a combined ticket with the main Hermitage is offered before you buy.

Academy of Arts and the Sphinxes

The Academy of Arts building was built in the second half of the 18th century and faces the river with a wide central entrance. In front of it, on the embankment, stand two ancient Egyptian sphinxes brought from Thebes and set up in the 1830s. The building is still an art school.

The sphinxes are free to see at any time.

Tip: Cross to the embankment steps for the best view of the sphinxes with the Neva behind.

Atmosphere

Vasilievsky Island feels roomy. On the Spit the wind comes off the river, gulls cry over the water and the whole city seems laid out across the Neva like a stage set. The embankments are broad and mostly quiet, with students from the University and the Academy walking along them.

Inland, the Lines are calmer and more residential, with long straight streets, shops at street level and courtyards behind arches. Mornings are quiet, and evenings fill up near the Spit and around Vasileostrovskaya. In winter the river freezes at the edges and the Rostral Columns stand out against a pale sky.

History of Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

The island was one of the first areas of the new city that Peter the Great planned. After 1703 he intended to make it the centre of Saint Petersburg, and a grid of canals and straight streets, the Lines, was planned for it. The idea of canals was dropped, but the grid of Lines stayed.

In 1714 Peter founded the Kunstkamera, and the island became home to the Academy of Sciences, founded in 1724. Domenico Trezzini designed the Twelve Collegia in the 1720s, and Menshikov, one of Peter’s closest advisers, built his palace on the embankment.

In the second half of the 18th century the Academy of Arts was built, and in the early 19th century the Stock Exchange and the Rostral Columns rose on the Spit, turning it into the island’s ceremonial front. The sphinxes were brought from Egypt and placed in front of the Academy in the 1830s.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries the island became a district of universities, institutes and residential streets. The metro station Vasileostrovskaya opened in the 1960s and linked the island with the centre.

During the siege of Leningrad in the Second World War the island was shelled and its institutions suffered. After the war the old buildings were restored, and in the 21st century new cultural spaces appeared, including a contemporary art museum.

Today the island is both a student district and a visitor destination, with the Spit as its most famous viewpoint.

Legends and Myths about Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

The sphinxes of Thebes

Legend – historically unreliable. A popular tale says that the two sphinxes in front of the Academy of Arts carry a curse or bring luck to those who touch them. It is a modern local belief and has no historical basis.

Peter's plan for canals

Disputed by historians. Many accounts say that Peter wanted to make Vasilievsky Island the centre of the capital, a Venice of the north with canals instead of streets. Historians disagree on how far this plan went, and the Lines were laid out in a grid that was never turned into canals.

Tickets and Booking for Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

The island itself is free to walk, so there is no single ticket. Each museum sells its own tickets, and each has its own booking window and rules. Check the official site of each institution before you plan.

• ID: carry your passport, as some sites ask for it.
• Payment: the sanctions rules of your own country may limit the use of some Russian payment services, so check this yourself.

Rates for Russian citizens and concessions differ from those for foreign visitors; the official site of each museum lists all categories.

Suggested itineraries Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

2 hours

Start at the Spit, look at the Rostral Columns and the view of the fortress and the Winter Palace, then walk a short way along the University Embankment past the Kunstkamera.

Half day

The Spit, then the Kunstkamera or the Central Naval Museum, then along the University Embankment past the Twelve Collegia to the Academy of Arts and the sphinxes.

Full day

Morning at the Spit and one museum, a walk along the whole University Embankment, lunch on a Line, then afternoon at the Menshikov Palace or Erarta, ending at Vasileostrovskaya or Primorskaya.

How to Get to Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

The island has two metro stations on the Green Line.

• Vasileostrovskaya (Line 3): in the middle of the island; take a bus or tram, or walk about twenty minutes, to the Spit.
• Primorskaya (Line 3): on the western side, close to Erarta and the gulf.

From the centre, the most direct approach on foot is across Palace Bridge from the Admiralty, which leads straight to the Spit. See How to Use the Metro, Saint Petersburg and How to Ride Buses, Trams and Trolleybuses, Saint Petersburg.

Food Nearby

Cafes and restaurants of every level cluster around Vasileostrovskaya and along the Bolshoy Prospekt. For sit-down options see Best Restaurants, Saint Petersburg.

What to Bring

Comfortable shoes and a windproof layer; the Spit is open to the river wind. Museums may check bags.

Best Views and Photo Spots of Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

The Spit between the Rostral Columns

The two columns with the fortress and the Winter Palace across the water.

Best time: Sunset

The University Embankment

The long facades of the Twelve Collegia along the river.

Best time: Morning

The sphinxes in front of the Academy of Arts

The ancient figures with the Neva and the city behind them.

Best time: Late afternoon

Palace Bridge looking back

The Spit and the Stock Exchange from the bridge.

Best time: Evening

Photography Rules

Photography is free on the Spit and the embankments. Rules inside museums vary and flash is often banned. Drones are not allowed in the centre.

Family Suitability

Suitable for families: the embankments are flat and open, and the Kunstkamera interests many children. Distances on the island are long, so plan to use a bus or tram. Strollers work on the embankments but not on every Line.

Russia Vibes Tips

• The island is bigger than it looks; use a bus or tram between the Spit and the western part.
• The Lines are numbered in pairs, with odd numbers on one side of a street and even on the other, so check which side you need.
• Combine the Spit with the Peter and Paul Fortress for a full day on the northern bank.
• Cross Palace Bridge on foot from the Admiralty for the most direct approach to the Spit.
• Keep Erarta for a separate trip to the west, with Primorskaya as the nearest stop.

Explore Nearby Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

Sights near Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

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  Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
  Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, Saint Petersburg · typical visit: 1–2 hours, plus time for any museum
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  AI

  Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
  Kunstkamera, Saint Petersburg · typical visit: 2 hours
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  AI

  Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
  Central Naval Museum, Saint Petersburg · typical visit: 2–3 hours
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  Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
  Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art, Saint Petersburg · typical visit: 2–3 hours

Metro stations near Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

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  Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
  Vasileostrovskaya Metro Station, Saint Petersburg

Related guides

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  Vasilievsky Island Walking Itinerary, Saint Petersburg: Spit to Erarta

Browse more: More in Vasileostrovsky · All Architecture · All Neighborhoods · All Neighborhoods in Saint Petersburg · All Saint Petersburg

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FAQ: Vasilievsky Island, Saint Petersburg

Is the Spit part of Vasilievsky Island?

Yes, it is the pointed eastern tip, with the Rostral Columns and the Stock Exchange.

Is the Kunstkamera the same as the Hermitage?

No, it is a separate museum with its own ticket.

Which metro station is closest to the Spit?

None is very close; Vasileostrovskaya is about twenty minutes on foot. Many visitors walk across Palace Bridge from Admiralteyskaya.

What are the Lines?

Numbered streets laid out in a grid on the island, instead of named streets.

Is the Menshikov Palace part of the main Hermitage ticket?

It is a branch of the Hermitage but has its own ticket; check the official site.

Can I walk from the Spit to Erarta?

It is a long walk; take the metro to Primorskaya or a bus.

Is the island good in winter?

Yes, for the museums, but the river wind makes the Spit cold.

Where does the island start?

At the Spit, in the east, and it runs west to the gulf.

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