Fun and entertainment Saint-Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург)

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.

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.

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 famous wine bar on Petrogradskaya Island offers a well-stocked and carefully selected wine list (France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, Greece, Chile, Russia, Slovenia, etc.). Warm decor and excellent cuisine. Every Thursday at Wine Freaks is Sea Food Raw Bar day with beautiful seafood platters accompanied by live music. The main menu includes antipastis, tapas, tartars, excellent dim sums and breaded vegetables. A nice address!