Fun and entertainment Russia

This majestic building was built by Emperor Nicholas I for his third son... Grand Duke Nicholas. Today it is a hall that organizes folklore shows all year round. The opportunity to discover songs and dances from all regions of Russia. One of the headliners of the program is the Feel yourself Russian dinner show, a real tourist attraction in itself with its Cossack dances and songs as well as many other typical performances.

A family burner opened by the creators of Bolshe Koffee Roasters, creators of several reputable coffee spots in the city. Its privileged location, an intimate cocoon in the historic Aleksandovskiy Park, is tastefully decorated. The menu of coffees on offer changes almost every day. The menu also includes milkshakes, smoothies and light dishes. You can leave with packets of ground or bean coffee blends and other items that will delight aficionados of the precious nectar.

A nice discovery! It must be said that the place is quite singular. Located on the roof of a former manor house of a company of German craftsmen, converted into a loft, it offers a clear view of the historic centre of St Petersburg. The wine bar offers a wide selection of local, European and world wines. On the food side, pizzas and pastas are in the spotlight, as well as salads, starters, soups and a choice of breakfasts. Don't forget to check the weather forecast before you go to get the best view.

Concert hall located in an old printing room with an area of more than 5 000 m ² and can hold up to 5 000 people. The club includes two concert halls, a restaurant, bars and appendices.

Bar with a minimalist decoration. There is a selection of Scandinavian spirits, some house cocktails ("Ingrie liberée" and "Nordique"), ciders and beers as well as Danish smeurebreud for healthy cravings (large slices of buttered rye bread topped with fish or cold cuts and condiments). DJ sets at night and continuously rotating vinyl decks. A mandatory stop on the neighbourhood Barathon route!

If you had only one good reason to visit St. Petersburg's infamous "thirsty street" (Doumskaya Street), it would be for the Apotheke Bar. To find the entrance, locate the red cross in the window, then press the doorbell above the door. Once inside, no draught beers but only very good cocktails and spirits. Experienced bartenders will inevitably inquire about your tastes and preferences, so stimulate your imagination. "Think what you drink", the slogan of the place, then becomes clear.

If you want to combine your shopping trip with the romantic atmosphere of the St. Petersburg courts and a glass of good wine, this is the place to go. This wine bar located on the ^2nd floor of the Fligel creative space is the meeting place for the trendy shoppers and offers a nice little wine list and affordable entrance tickets. It offers two areas, one of which has a warm atmosphere and is transformed into a terrace open on sunny days, a particularly pleasant spot to take a break before attacking again.

This jazz bar/club looks like it's straight out of a 1950s American movie. Founded in 2012, The Hat quickly became a must for music lovers in the city. Word of mouth worked so well that a The Hat opened in Berlin and then in Moscow. Here you can easily meet world-famous musicians who come to the Hat after their concert (the Tiger Lilies when we were there) to have a drink and play 2-3 compositions. The program is unpredictable but always very festive. A place that smells of love for music.

A bar with a cosy atmosphere, ideal for tasting good spirits. The Dead Poets Bar is particularly well stocked with whiskies (it offers some 80 references from Scotland, Ireland, Japan, the United States, etc.) and beers. No room here for noisy parties, the music is not played too loud and that's a definite plus! The audience is trendy but older and quieter than in the neighbouring establishments, so you won't have to elbow your way through the bar to order your drink.

One of the oldest and best known ryumochnayas in the city. Here people eat and drink simple things, like at a Russian grandmother's house, cheaply and until late. As an anecdote, the local cook used to work on a boat. It is also the haunt of artists and musicians of the Museum of Non-Conformist Art and the nearby Art Centre (Pushkinskaya 10, don't miss it). A real neighbourhood spot.

Friendly and trendy, a trendy bar-club with very frequent parties, lives and DJ sets of excellent quality. Several rooms with different atmospheres (cocktail bar, lively bar, dance floor or restaurant). A sure value of the Petsbourgian night that never fails to fill up. For food lovers or night owls with cravings: they serve the best burgers in town (or even in the world!), the meat is perfectly grilled and juicy to perfection, and the products are impeccably fresh. Literally to damn themselves...

We might as well warn you right away, as its name suggests (Хромой синий кот-the lame blue cat), this place is out of the ordinary. Also note that siniy, the Russian word for blue, can also mean "drunk". It is well hidden in the back of a grocery store. Go through the first room, then turn right and immediately left. They serve draught Russian beer and homemade nastoïkis (try the homemade Limoncello for the anecdote). Most guests are neighbours and regulars.

Although Petrogradka, as the locals affectionately call it, cannot boast the same profusion of restaurants and bars as the city centre, you can easily find something to eat and drink there. Located in a rather quiet street, The Wall is a sure bet. The festive atmosphere in the evening contrasts with the calm of the surroundings. An island of good humour irrigated by 12 springs of draught beer and daily specials served at all hours around the huge wooden counter. But don't forget the bridge-raising time!

A ryumochnaya as we like them. The alcohol is cheap, it is accompanied by small Baltic sprat fish sandwiches while the pictures hanging on the walls awaken nostalgia. The audience is very local and rather young. The bar fills up quickly at weekends. Come a little early to take your place at the counter and make new acquaintances. The barmen are not the warmest bartenders, but that's part of the decorum.

To enjoy an evening in a festive atmosphere with live concerts and delicious cocktails, it's this way. Strategically nestled between the MKhAT and Bolshoi Theatres, the Hidden Bar is a multi-faceted venue. At first glance the decoration reminds one of a classic English pub, until one discovers the cocktail menu! At the beginning of the evening, you can attend a concert, then the place quickly turns into a nightclub with a DJ until 6 o'clock in the morning. Moreover, most of the waiters speak English.

Denis Simachev is a designer-stylist who recently opened his first boutique-restaurant-bar in one of Moscow's upmarket districts. It is one of those trendy places that attract a select clientele. The place in any case is worth the detour and surprises with its rooms equipped with washbasins and flushing toilets! You can visit the shop on the ^first floor, but you'll soon come back to the bar: T-shirts cost twice the average salary in Russia.

Nestled in a once abandoned industrial zone, the team at AF Brew, which is growing in popularity every year, has opened this taproom with its huge selection of beers, adjacent to its own beautiful brewery. Homemade beers, local brands and a fine selection of foreign productions are sold at factory prices, both draught and bottled. On the kitchen side, a street food with Indian influences is served. An unmissable beer-gik landmark.

Located on the ground floor of the Gogol house-museum, this small café has won over tourists and locals alike. Opened and run by a passionate Italian couple, this is the place in Moscow where you can taste the true flavours of Italian coffee, from 7 different types of coffee. The reputation of the place was formed mainly thanks to the kindness and attentions of the barist-owners, so don't hesitate to come and chat! Finally, their pastries and croissants are also very good. Be careful, the place is very small.

Dom Kultur is the name of this cluster, where you can also find a bar, THE trendiest hair salon in the capital, and the brasserie on the first floor we're talking about. You'll find cuisine by chef Sergey Rakhmanin, good vodkas and great cocktails by Daria Solovieva. Go there to eat as well as to take a break at the end of the day in the bar, or even dance the night away on Fridays and Saturdays.

Every weekend there are brunches from various local urban culture leaders (MMOMA).

600 m ² on six floors in the heart of Moscow with Internet space, a restaurant, games room (billiards, Uno, etc.), shisha, short it is also a place to warm up, a place of "pre-party".

A small alternative café that combines the services of a bar and a laundry. Settled like at home in an old sofa, you can drink a coffee or a beer, and even smoke a chicha, while waiting for your laundry. Good music, some DJs of the district come to mix the weekends. The public is quite young, we often meet foreigners (expats and tourists).

The country's first winter circus, the Ciniselli (so named in honor of the bicentennial of the birth of its founder, the Italian horseman Gaetano Ciniselli) opened its doors to performances in 1877. Home of the world-famous St. Petersburg circus, it is a place where adults become children again and children are invariably amazed. Don't miss the opportunity to visit the 3-story Museum of Circus Arts, which has some 130,000 exhibits.

This 200-person hall directed by David Goloshokin offers old-fashioned jazz concerts and shows. Bar-restaurant on site. Probably a little more stuffy than what you would expect from a jazz show elsewhere in the world. In Russia, music is still serious. In fact, since 1997, the only museum of jazz history in St. Petersburg and northwestern Russia has been located here, with its old posters, photos and documents. However, the translation of the explanatory notes is missing.

Much less popular with tourists than the Mariinsky, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic is nevertheless of a very high musical standard. You will no doubt be reminded that all of Shostakovich's symphonies were inaugurated here. Notably the 6th, played while German shells were hammering the city. Mainly Russian public, but often excellent programming, available on the website. For music lovers and others, enough to spend a very good evening.

Central Station, which also exists in Moscow, was awarded the prize for the best gay club in St. Petersburg in 2007, a year after it opened. It consists of 4 floors, 8 bars, several stages for really daring shows and many backrooms. Dance and electro classical music, affordable drinks, for this club which is also gay friendly and therefore welcomes straight people. Downstairs, a bar-restaurant with carmine red walls offering Japanese and European cuisine in a jazzy atmosphere subdued like a French boudoir.

The Eifman Theatre is a real laboratory for research into new scenic and choreographic expressions. His productions of classical as well as modern works question the infinite complexity of human existence. Among his best shows, drawn from the classical or folk national heritage, are The Idiot, A Crazy Day, The Firebird, Second Lieutenant Romachov, Minkus' ballet Don Quixote, and The Brothers Karamazov.

It replaces the former Mikhailovsky Theatre, which mainly hosted foreign companies. Today, this theatre of scenic and choreographic research has gained international renown. His productions of Boris Godounov, Prince Igor, the Lady of Spades and Eugene Onegin have enchanted the well-informed spectators that are the people of St. Petersburg. It is also more central than the Mariinsky and tickets are cheaper. So you have to look at the programming, and if a Russian opera comes up, don't hesitate.

This club, which opened in 1996, has very good acoustics and offers rock concerts (but not only) almost every night. Griboedov includes three spaces: a concert hall, the musical café "Griboedov Hill" and the "Amsterdam Bar", its seasonal terrace in the quiet. The quality of the program and its variety have contributed to the reputation of the place, which has been regularly cited among the most interesting in the city for many years. The club has a heated semi-open veranda with a pool table. The concerts are filmed and available on the website, so you can get an idea.

This mythical underground concert hall of the 1990s, which is located at Pushkinskaya 10 (Artistic Centre/Museum of Non-Conformist Art) still welcomes the supporters of the alternative rock scene, but also all the young people who follow their example. The evenings without concerts are less fun but we always come across local regulars or artists and musicians who still live in the squat of Pushkinskaya 10. On concert evenings, don't hesitate to arrive an hour early.

An original place inspired by the cat bars so popular in Japan and recently in France. In Russia, where the situation with abandoned animals is more than complicated, this establishment is more than useful. All the cats present, mainly males, are available for adoption. The Republic is part of a project that brings together three places: the Cat Republic (Yakubovicha 10, mainly females) and the Cat Museum in Vsevolojsk (20 km from SPB).

Located in the spectacular cultural wasteland of Sevkabel Port, a former Siemens & Halske cable factory at the mouth of the Neva River, Machti is a concert hall, bar and party venue. Rather quiet during the day, the place can be appreciated at any time of the day thanks to its location facing the Gulf of Finland, its huge volumes with impressive ceiling heights, its large windows and its industrial design. Parties and concerts every week. Programming available on the venue's Facebook page.

This immense Soviet achievement from the time of Nikita Khrushchev had created a scandal when the project was revealed. The construction nevertheless took place and the State Palace (Государственный Кремлёвский дворец) in the heart of the Kremlin, still unofficially called the Congress Palace, has since then hosted all the major events of the Soviet state. Its excellent acoustics made it an early Bolshoi concert hall and it is now a concert hall. It is also the venue for the state-organized Christmas party.

The enthusiast is a small bar nestled with its small courtyard on the garden belt. The place was a real favorite for us because of its atmosphere and its relaxed setting that lasts throughout the evening. It feels like being in a local bistro in a French movie, where everyone knows each other and has a good time. This is where you will find the best selection of beers in the capital, with many small breweries and craft beers. Be careful though, they close early and as a result there are quickly crowded.