Kayak cruising St. Petersburg: Park Islands

St. Petersburg is a city of many dimensions; during its more than 300-year history, it has accommodated within itself all manner of architectures including emperors’ palaces, ‘revenue houses,’ a variety of apartment houses specific to the times of Kirov’s, Stalin’s, and Khrushchev’s rule, high-density 25-storey developments, and even one skyscraper. However, most locals, not to mention tourists, rarely consider any destinations beyond the historic center of the city when going for a walk. Too bad, we say, because St. Pete has a lot more things to look at!

When working on our Park Islands itinerary, we wanted to tell people about the famous parks of St. Petersburg located on Aptekarsky, Kamenny, Krestovsky, and Yelagin Islands. Immersed in greenery, these are popular destinations for leisurely promenades, runs, bicycle rides, and walks with children. By the way, it is here that rowing sports first sprang up in the city, which explains why the Girl with an Oar stands where she does.

2 hours of unhurried paddling will bring the tour participants, seated in their kayaks and baidarkas, along the Malaya Nevka and Krestovka Rivers, where they will cruise past the Girl with an Oar. Next, having worked their way up the Bolshoi Canal, the group members will hit the waters of the Bolshaya Nevka and, after skirting Kamenny Island, will retreat for a break in the backwaters of the Lopukhinsky Garden, from where they will return to the same place where the tour began.