slothis · English

Walking the Neva River in St. Petersburg

2016-09-20 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

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

After spacing out in the park and having a really great time without a single thought, I checked the time and realized it was time for my meetup. Oleg, whom I met earlier, invited me to his djembe class today, so I had to get moving. I'm not sure if it's the equivalent of saying, "I go to a guitar academy, come check it out with me" back in Korea. Either way, it definitely feels like a bit of pressure, but he told me to just bring some food, so I couldn't even run away. Still, I think it's okay to take on that kind of pressure here. Right now, I'm living without a single care in the world.

We agreed to meet near his office, which was about 8km away from my accommodation, so I decided to take a slow walk. I needed to save money since I'm broke, but an old man sharing my room also tipped me off that the path along the Neva River is incredibly beautiful, so I was planning to walk it anyway. As I walked, every single building I saw along the Neva River looked like it belonged in a guidebook. You could honestly say you've seen all of St. Petersburg just by walking along the Neva River and Nevsky Prospect. The tourist spots are so densely packed, which makes the river seem even more beautiful.

View of antique buildings with towers and a bridge lined up across the blue river
Red Rostral Column and the green iron bridge extending next to it
The weird-looking Rostral Column
Back of a child taking a picture of a statue of a man building a boat with a smartphone
Looks like this guy came for sightseeing too
Bronze lion statue with its front paw resting on a round ball
At first, I thought this was the English Premier League lion emblem and wondered why it was here. I still don't know if it's actually that lion, but it looks really similar.
View of a bridge with buses and people passing by beyond the bronze lion statue
White cruise ship crossing the river and red columns visible behind it
Two red Rostral Columns towering over the riverside and people walking around them
Cruise ship crossing a wide river under a blue sky and the riverside scenery in the distance
Fortress with a soaring golden spire and buildings lined up across the wide river
View of a cruise ship passing over the blue river with a bridge and city buildings visible in the distance
If nothing else, there are so many cruise ships on the Neva River. Each cruise has different prices and routes, making it a really great option for people who want to see St. Petersburg quickly.
A time-lapse video of the cruise ships on the Neva River. The music was just something I got for free, so the sync is completely off.
Cityscape and a long bridge with continuous arched piers across the blue river
Long iron bridge made of multiple arches stretching over the river
People walking on the bridge's sidewalk, cars lined up on the road, and decorative streetlights
Cars driving on the bridge's roadway and ornate streetlights lined up on both sides
Bronze double-headed eagle statue decorating the top of a red column
Red obelisk-shaped monument and decorations erected on the bridge railing
Red column-shaped stone monument with ship bow decorations and a double-headed eagle statue.
Every time I pass a bridge, I see one of these statues. In Korea, we place things like Haetae (mythical creatures) on major bridges for superstitious reasons, but in Russia, they all look like monuments.
Monument with a large bronze sailing ship sculpture placed on a square stone pedestal.
Side view of the bronze sailing ship sculpture with intricately depicted masts and cannons.
Intricate bronze sailing ship sculpture erected on a pedestal inscribed with the word Poltava.
A ship-shaped statue on the bridge right in front of the office. Judging by the drawing on the wall, it seems to be a named naval vessel, but it's in Russian so I have absolutely no idea. Besides, I'm covered in sweat from walking, so I'm not even curious.
Wide pedestrian street on a clear day lined with ornate streetlights.
Forget the djembe, I need to sit down and rest a bit.

Expenses

Total Expenses 1038RUB

Total Travel Expenses 525,936 KRW + 40,593 RUB + $152.26