Best Time to Visit Saint Petersburg

Summer and the white nights

From late May to mid-July, the sun barely sets. These are the white nights, when the sky stays light until the early hours. July is the warmest month, with highs around 22°C. It's also the wettest-feeling one, with rain on 17 days, though showers tend to be short. August is actually the wettest by total rainfall, at 104 mm.

This is high season, and you'll feel it. Queues build at the Hermitage and Peterhof, and hotels fill up. The Stars of the White Nights festival at the Mariinsky Theatre runs through the season. In late June, the Scarlet Sails celebration brings crowds to the Neva embankments, and the bridges open at night to let ships through. Watching them rise from the Palace Embankment is the classic evening.

Spring and early autumn

Want light without the peak crowds? Try May or September. May is fresh, with highs near 15°C and the city parks turning green. The Summer Garden reopens, and the fountains at Peterhof usually start running in the second half of the month. Evenings can still be chilly along the Neva.

September is calmer and a little gloomier. Days are shorter, but the rain eases off, with 62 mm falling on 12 days. It suits museum-heavy trips, walks around Kolomna, and a slow lunch of pelmeni (Russian dumplings). Golden leaves in Pavlovsk Park are lovely.

April is hit and miss. It's cool and often grey, and ice on the Neva has only just gone. March is still firmly wintery.

Winter: dark, cold and cheaper

From November to February, expect short, dim days. December has less than an hour of sun a day on average, and it's mostly cloud. January is the coldest month, with highs of -7°C and lows of -12°C. February is close behind, at -6°C and -11°C.

So why go? Prices drop and the Hermitage is quiet. Evenings feel cosy in a café with hot tea and a plate of blini (thin pancakes). The New Year and Orthodox Christmas period, in early January, brings lights on Nevsky Prospect and a festive mood, though it's busy with Russian visitors. Pack for icy pavements, and plan your days around the indoor sights.

October is the weakest month. It's damp, dark, and rainy on 15 days, with little sun.