slothis · English

A Secret Rooftop Tour in St. Petersburg

2016-09-26 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

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

Yesterday in St. Petersburg, Oleg—who introduced me to the world of African music and the djembe—suggested we go on a "rooftop tour" this evening. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant just from the name, so I asked him about it.

"We just climb up on a roof and look at the city," he explained.

His vague explanation didn't help much. 'Are we just climbing onto a roof?' 'Are we going to jump from roof to roof like Lupin?' I still had absolutely no idea what it was. I figured I'd just have to experience it for myself, so I held in my curiosity all day until I finally headed to our meeting spot that evening.

When I arrived on time, I saw we had another companion today. Unlike the typical Russian women I'd seen—who are usually tall with shoulders broader than mine—she was a tiny 20-year-old girl, maybe 155 cm tall. At a glance, she gave off an aura of someone living a truly unique life. She claimed she couldn't speak English, but she was incredibly fluent and talkative. I tried hard to listen, but I couldn't even keep up with half of what she was saying. As the three of us walked briskly toward the subway station to meet our rooftop tour guide, the things she said while panting for breath left quite an impression.

"Did you see those guys smoking on the way here? They were smoking marijuana."

"Marijuana definitely smells different from cigarettes."

"Still, the drugs I do at home are my favorite."

Are drugs taken more lightly in Russia than in East Asia? This girl didn't even drink alcohol; she said she only did marijuana and other drugs. Wow! I couldn't believe I was walking down the street with someone who does drugs. I'd heard of troubled kids sniffing glue or gas back in middle school, but this was my first time seeing someone who actually touched real drugs. And to talk about it like it was no big deal! Meeting her gave me the biggest culture shock I've had here, second only to seeing Russian people actually smile. 'Am I going to get arrested just for being with her?' 'Is she on a wanted list?' I arrived at the subway station filled with these useless worries and sigh-inducing imaginations.

To the college girl whose name I've forgotten: I'm only saying this now, but I think your short height might have something to do with all that. Hehe.

People reaching out towards a small statue on the lower wall from the stone wall next to the canal
A bronze bird statue on a small pedestal on the stone wall and coins scattered around it
The Chizhik-Pyzhik statue. I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing it right. Anyway, they say that landing a coin on it brings good luck. Interestingly, Chizhik-Pyzhik is also a folk song, but if you listen to it, you can't help but make a face wondering what on earth it is.

Chizhik-Pyzhik - It might sound weird, but that's actually what this little bird statue is called. Click the link to check out the details.

After a frantic conversation and a frantic walk, we stopped at the subway station. Ah, next time I should just insist we take the subway. We had just spent 20 minutes speed-walking—not quite running, not quite walking. We were supposed to meet our tour group and guide here, but 15 minutes passed with no word. I walked so hard to get here, and nobody was around! The three of us optimists (well, not me, but I had to play along given the situation) waited in the best way we could, saying, "Good thing we didn't pay in advance." Thinking back, since arriving in Russia, I really hadn't seen people waiting around or killing time in a relaxed, laid-back way like in India or Pakistan. Maybe it's because I mostly stuck to big cities, but I only saw expressionless crowds rushing by at breakneck speeds. The only people who usually made you wait here were government officials, and I often saw people getting worked up and arguing with them (except for the police). Given those experiences, this current wait was definitely not normal.

Another 15 minutes passed before Oleg's phone rang. Then, a group approached from a distance, and except for one person, they were all women. Since it was a tour that involved climbing roofs, I thought it would be a pretty intense, life-risking activity, but it was almost entirely made up of women. A slight feeling of disappointment about the tour started to creep into my chest.

After we all gathered, I think we walked for another 10 minutes. On the way, our tour guides—a very fashionable man and woman who both loved to smoke—gave us a briefing. They explained that this kind of tour is popular in Western Europe, like in Spain, and while it's currently illegal here, it's more accurate to say that there are no specific laws about it yet, so it's fine if we get caught. They had a hard time reassuring this clueless guy from the East with their "it's illegal but not illegal" explanation. The one saving grace was that I had Oleg and my fluent-English-speaking, light-drug-user friend (who was out of it from staying up all night for an exam) with me, so my understanding of the explanation was perfect. Though maybe that wasn't the important part...

We finally arrived at a building that looked like an apartment or a large townhouse. As soon as we got there, everyone stopped talking and crept up to the top of the building as quietly as thieves. It was about a five-story apartment building, and they asked us to keep quiet while moving because people would report us if we were loud. Hey, didn't you just tell me it wasn't illegal and that it'd be fine even if we ran into the police...?

And soon, after passing through the dusty area right beneath the roof, St. Petersburg came into view.

Rooftop view of St. Petersburg with layers of building roofs covered in metal panels
We literally just walked on the roof without any safety cables.
Panoramic view of the city with wide stretches of red and metal roofs and a cathedral dome in the distance
A massive cathedral with a golden dome and surrounding buildings seen from a rooftop at sunset
View of downtown St. Petersburg seen beyond buildings with connected metal roofs
Climbing up on a roof to look around the city like this is exactly what a rooftop tour is. It's a tour with no insurance or anything, where you're the only one who loses out if you get hurt, but the view of the city with its low-rise buildings from up here is indescribably beautiful.
Silhouette of St. Isaac's Cathedral and city roofs under the setting sun
Cityscape with domed buildings in the distance beyond roofs equipped with antennas and satellite dishes
People standing on a building roof seen from a distance
There were more people doing rooftop tours like us in the distance. It definitely seems to be a hot tour in St. Petersburg right now, especially for locals.
Panoramic view of the city with endless red roofs
Red-roofed buildings and a courtyard seen from a building rooftop
In Korean terms, it's like a tour where you look at Seoul from an apartment rooftop. I guess tours like this can exist here since there are no big mountains like Namsan.
People gathered on a rooftop at sunset looking at St. Isaac's Cathedral
Silhouette of St. Isaac's Cathedral under the sunset sky
People sitting or standing on a sloped roof sightseeing the city
Russian girls are less afraid of heights than anyone else. My legs were shaking, though.

I think we spent about 30 minutes here. Maybe even longer. The most impressive part was definitely the setting sun seeping into the city, but aside from that, it was the fact that the roofs were entirely made of sheet metal, the metal sheets were connected with tape, and absolutely no one seemed concerned about safety. Just as I was thinking that for 600 RUB, I got a much closer and better look at the city than I did from St. Isaac's Cathedral, they told us we were heading to a second building. Ah... was this a trekking course? I really wanted to stop walking now.

People walking carefully on a silver metal roof
Back view of a person bending down to enter through a narrow wooden door gap
Between the roof and the hallway, there's a dusty, attic-like space, and this is the small door leading to it.

We walked for another 20 minutes from the first location. In my mind, this rooftop tour was turning into a trekking program focused heavily on walking.

Peaceful view of a canal lined with stone embankments and trees
Walking again.
I shot a time-lapse at the second location, but due to a miscalculation, it ended up being incredibly short. The blue building you can see in the distance is Kronstadt, which I didn't get to visit this time.

It seems like the rooftop tour I did today would be hard to do unless you're Russian. It doesn't really show up on Google, and I have no idea where you'd even get the information to book one. But there are plenty of Google masters out there, so I'm sure you guys can find it much better than someone like me. If you do find it, it's an activity I highly recommend trying. Climbing up on a building and reflecting in a city where the horizon stretches endlessly—unlike Seoul—is a truly unique experience. Of course, you walk quite a bit and it gets pretty cold at night, so packing water and long sleeves in your bag is a must. And for safety, you should wear proper sneakers instead of slippers or high heels.

Illuminated canal at night and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in the distance
Night view of a grand cathedral with its massive dome and semicircular columns glowing with lights
Night street view of St. Petersburg brightly lit by streetlights and building lights
Street musicians performing with instruments on a wide sidewalk at night
Night canal with illuminated buildings reflecting on the water and moored cruise ships
Wide night road with yellow lights illuminating the classical buildings lined up on both sides

By the time it was all over and I got back to my accommodation, it was 11 PM. I hadn't even done that much, but four hours had flown by. Even so, the sun was only just setting in St. Petersburg. I felt so at ease here that it was almost a shame I was running out of things to do in this city. It's an unwritten rule for travelers to be back at their accommodation by 10 or 11 PM, but in St. Petersburg—especially on Nevsky Prospect—it's fine to walk around. There are plenty of people out who aren't worried about tomorrow morning.

Expenses

Total Expenses 1660 RUB

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 42,253 RUB + $152.26