Neva River Night Boat Tour in St. Petersburg

2016-10-01 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

Even though there were passing showers during the day, I sat blankly in the park until it was almost sunset. I wasn't sure of the exact time, but since the sun goes down around 10 PM here, it must have been between 8 and 9 PM. Walking along the Neva River, you see so many cruise boats passing by that it creates this strange charm making you want to hop on one. Thanks to that, it became the number one item on my "add-on itinerary."

There were so many touts on the street selling boat trips that I didn't even have to look for one. However, the local Russians I met told me I absolutely had to take the night boat after sunset because you can see the opening of the Palace Bridge (a famous drawbridge). When I asked if the bridge going up was really that cool, they said it wasn't just that—the Neva River is simply much prettier after dark. With a recommendation like that, I couldn't say no.

As soon as I arrived at the ticket office, I asked for the night trip, and they asked for 900 RUB. It's a huge amount of money that easily exceeds my current daily living expenses in St. Petersburg. Still, the reason I could splurge without much hesitation was probably thanks to the strong recommendations from the Russians I met. After buying the ticket, they told me to come back in two hours. It was 9 PM, and true to a boat that only runs at "night" when the sun is completely down, this impressive tour tells its customers to show up at 11 PM. Since I was hungry, I used my remaining 100 RUB to buy two instant ramens and slurped them down while waiting for the highly anticipated night boat.

Small blue and white cruise ship moored in the canal at night

11:00 PM

I arrived right on time, but I was the only one there. I briefly held onto the vain hope of "Am I getting a private boat?", but about 15 minutes later, crowds of tourists from all over the world started pouring in one by one. Actually, "pouring in" is an understatement—so many people showed up that the boat was fully packed and ready to depart immediately. I had no idea this was such a popular activity this late at night.

As people boarded one by one, I noticed the tickets the Russians were holding looked a bit different from mine. The ticket itself was the same, but it seemed to say 600 RUB for the price. "Wait?! I bought mine for 900 RUB. Did I get ripped off?" I couldn't confirm it for sure, but it definitely felt like I was overcharged. My mood instantly sank right at the start, thinking, "How much profit are they really making by ripping off foreigners for a little extra?" As I'll mention again later, they charge tourists a bit more in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Whether you go to a museum or an art gallery, Russians get a discount while tourists pay the full price. (To put it a bit sarcastically, tourists pay a premium to buy tickets.)

Canal and cruise ship flowing between illuminated yellow buildings at night — Departure!

There was no refreshing boat horn to signal the start, but with an equally loud engine roar, the thrilling night tour began. Right from the start, the illuminated city unfolding before my eyes was incredibly beautiful. During the day, I couldn't have even imagined that the day and night here could be so completely different.

White cruise ship passing in front of illuminated riverside buildings

Moon in the night sky seen while passing under a bridge on a cruise ship

Illuminated yellow riverside buildings and people walking on a bridge at night — Even an ordinary bridge feels special right now.

Dark trees by the river and an illuminated building in the distance seen from a cruise ship — Passing by the Summer Garden.

Boat passing under an ornately decorated bridge

Large, grand yellow palace building on the riverside brightly illuminated at night — Streetlights that look like they were intentionally set up just for tourists are beautifully illuminating the St. Petersburg buildings.

Long row of illuminated riverside buildings seen from a cruise ship

Illuminated yellow building and trees by the river at night — Was it City Hall... or a museum... My memory is a bit fuzzy, but it's a state-owned building. It stands receiving the brightest lighting on this street.

Illuminated riverside buildings and moored boats seen from a boat

Brightly illuminated long and ornate building located on the riverside

Roofed structure floating on the river in front of an illuminated building

Horse statue erected on a bridge and an illuminated riverside building — Passing by the Anichkov Bridge with its impressive statues. Passing under each bridge like this brings back memories of the bridges and buildings I've walked past.

All of this was just a teaser before entering the Neva River. Even just seeing the teaser was satisfying enough to bring a full smile to my face. But the real deal starts now. Suddenly, the wide-open Neva River appeared, making my stuffy chest feel refreshed, and there was so much more to see. Even though it was summer, the chilly St. Petersburg night had everyone shivering under blankets, but everyone instinctively felt that this was where it really began and stood up with their cameras. A few people were so excited they were bustling around. But why were the Chinese women next to me sleeping...? Hey! Wake up!!

People on a boat taking pictures of an illuminated bridge in the distance with their smartphones — Rock and roll!! Everyone put your hands up with your cameras!

Night view of an illuminated bridge and riverside buildings with lights reflecting on the river

Long, grand building by the river illuminated at night

River flowing under an illuminated bridge

Tall spire and mast-shaped structure seen across the river — This is the Peter and Paul Fortress, looking like something might descend from the sky. That building is the scene-stealer of this area.

Illuminated castle walls and a golden spire rising behind them

Illuminated large sailing ship floating on the river — I didn't go inside the Peter and Paul Fortress so I don't know what this ship is, but it looks really cool from the river.

Building with a round dome roof and red pillars seen across the river

Brightly illuminated palace building stretching along the riverside

Red pillars erected by the river and a classical building behind them

Illuminated antique buildings line the riverside after dark.

After reaching the Neva River, our boat sped up and took a quick spin around famous tourist spots around the Neva River, like the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress. Like a proper cruise, they slowed down a bit when there was a spot to take pictures and then accelerated again. However, once we hit the wide Neva River and started picking up speed, it got really, really cold. I highly advise anyone planning to do this tour to wear long sleeves, bring a jacket if you have one, and bundle up as much as possible. By the way, I wonder if the Chinese women next to me froze to death. Seriously, wake up already...

A cruise ship is passing under a long bridge decorated with colorful lights. — Now, boats from all over the area are starting to gather in one place to see the highlight: the Palace Bridge opening.

I spent about an hour battling the cold while taking in the beautiful Neva River. Now for the highlight. Countless boats were lined up in front of the bridge to watch the Palace Bridge open. On some boats, people were waiting while drinking wine (I was so cold I desperately wanted a sip of that wine), and on another, a guy had rented the whole boat to himself and was waiting while smoking a cigarette. Even large merchant ships, which actually needed to pass through when the bridge opened, were waiting alongside the tourist boats. Different races, types of boats, and group sizes, but everyone was waiting for exactly one thing: the bridge opening.

A building with a spire is seen beyond a drawbridge wide open on both sides.

The road surface of the highly raised drawbridge and the structure under the bridge are seen up close.

Overall view of a drawbridge rising high on both sides under the dark night sky. — It's opening!
It opens this slowly. Honestly, it was a bit frustrating to watch.

You might think, "What's the big deal about a bridge opening when it was built to open?" (I didn't know what the big deal was before I went, either), but the opening ceremony was more impressive than I thought. Everyone on the boat—including the Chinese women next to me who had been sleeping the whole time—started making comments, taking pictures, and cheering at the sight, and soon everyone was completely drawn into the spectacle, letting out gasps of awe. In life, there are many times when we fail to feel moved by things designed to move us. In those moments, experiencing it with a large crowd, or with many people who love me, seems to thaw my frozen heart and bring out genuine emotion and applause. That's why I absolutely loved this boat ride, where we all clapped together just watching a bridge do what it's supposed to do. (Of course, it goes up so slowly that everyone calms down right away after about 10 seconds.)

One deck of the illuminated bridge is open diagonally upwards.

Bright lights shine on the steel structure of the diagonally raised bridge deck.

A small cruise ship passes over the river under the highly raised bridge deck. — This time, only one side opens. A massive merchant ship even passes through the opening.
If you hear the wind, you can guess how cold it was. The thought "I'm catching a cold tomorrow" wouldn't leave my mind.

When we first departed, I was told it would be about an hour and a half, but we were on the boat for almost three hours. I fell asleep with my mouth open in the cabin, and when I came to, everyone was getting ready to disembark. It was a beautiful cruise with fantastic views, but I was exhausted. I didn't do anything but get hit by the wind, yet my lips were completely chapped.

I gathered my senses and stumbled off the boat, but wait... I had no idea where I was. How does it make sense that the drop-off point is different from the departure point?! Plus, it was 2 AM, so there were no people on the streets—not even the usual stray dogs and cats—just the echoing shouts of a drunkard from somewhere. I urgently checked the map on my phone and saw that my hostel was about 1 kilometer away. I think I sprinted that 1km faster than I've run in a long time. Arriving at the hostel panting, I really wondered what on earth just happened.

A video I took from almost the beginning to the end. Even sped up 8x, it's still 16 minutes long. I thought it would look cool if I just set the camera down to record, but it wasn't that easy.

Night Boat Tips

The wind and cold are truly beyond imagination, so you must bring extra layers.
The arrival point might be different from the departure point, so I recommend going in a group or wearing sneakers so you can run. And make sure to bring a phone with working GPS so you can get back to your accommodation safely.
It ends very late. To avoid any safety risks, leave all your valuables behind and travel in a group.
I recommend arriving a bit earlier than the departure time to wait. You need a good seat to take good pictures.
It was 900 RUB when I went in 2016, but I expect the price will go up every year.

Expenses

Lunch 266 RUB
Water & drinks 152 RUB
Room rate until the 27th 600 RUB
Dinner (two instant ramens) 80 RUB
Night boat 900 RUB (I think I got ripped off)

Total Expenses 1998 RUB

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 44,251 RUB + $152.26