St Petersburg Nightlife

St Petersburg has all the nightlife you would expect from a historic European capital. Depending on your tastes, you can dress up for the ballet, weep at the opera, get transported to imperial Russia in a Chekhov play, or dance until the early hours at a host of pumping bars, clubs and live music venues.

Tickets and programmes for concerts and shows are available directly from the venues, but you can buy discounted tickets from the theatre ticket kiosks or kassas located throughout the city (open 1000-1900). You’ll find lots of these along Nevsky Prospekt, around the junction with Mikhailovskaya ulitsa.

For upcoming events, check the weekly listings in the St Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.ru). St Petersburg is a popular stop for touring rock bands, so look out for posters around the city centre advertising upcoming gigs. Foreign visitors are officially charged higher rates than Russians and ticket collectors are reluctant to admit foreigners with Russian-price tickets.

Bars in St Petersburg

Bar 812

If you’re sick of having your vodka cold and straight, this stylish cocktail bar certainly shakes things up a little. It’s all about imaginative and inventive drinks devised in all manner of scientific ways. If you’re not sure what to plump for, just ask the bartender to go wild, and then sip back and enjoy.

Address:
ulitsa Zhukovskogo 11, St Petersburg, 191014, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 956 812 9.
Website:
Stirka 40°

Cold beers, DJs, beautiful people and… laundry? Welcome to Stirka 40°, part bar, part art-café and part laundrette. It’s a pleasingly bohemian hangout, and the atmosphere is refreshingly uncontrived, despite the hipster setting. As well as DJ sets, there are occasional live acts, from rock bands to poetry. You can get your clothes washed while you bop.

Address:
Kazanskaya ulitsa 26, St Petersburg, 190000, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 314 5371.
Website:
Union Bar & Grill

St Petersburg hipsters groom carefully before putting their facial hair on display at this popular beer hall and cocktail bar. Serious cocktail mixology and craft beers keep the punters happy, and crowds mob the long wooden bar at weekends. Be warned though: this place gets super busy at the end of the week.

Address:
Liteyny prospekt 55, St Petersburg, 191014, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 644 5414.

Clubs in St Petersburg

Efir Club

An exponent of everything electronic, the Efir Club is home to St Petersburg’s best cutting edge DJs. It welcomes a host of international tastemakers too, spreading the love across two rooms. With innovative visuals and a throbbing dancefloor, expect to drag yourself out around 6am – if you’re cool enough to get past face control.

Address:
Malyy prospekt P.S. 54, St Petersburg, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 940 0548.
Griboedov

The focal point for the Petersburg underground scene, Griboedov is renowned for its cheap drinks, loud music and spirit crowd. The stage hosts everything from rock and ska bands to hardcore techno and house nights, and energetic locals gather at weekends to rock out Russian style.

Address:
Voronezhsakaya ulitsa 2A, St Petersburg, 191119, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 764 4355.
Jesus Club

It’s house and techno all the way at this throbbing nightclub, which attracts big name DJs from across Russia and Europe. There are two dancefloors and plenty of beautiful people, but the dress code is strict, so you’ll need to look at your very best to get past face control.

Address:
Ligovsky prospekt 50/13, St Petersburg, 191040, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 949 4995.
Website:

Live Music in St Petersburg

Fish Fabrique

A bohemian crowd gathers at Fish Fabrique to listen to the latest up-and-coming St Petersburg rock bands, play table football, and enjoy loud nights out with friends, fuelled by plenty of beer and vodka. It’s small and friendly, and a great place to plug into the alternative scene in St Petersburg.

Address:
Ligovsky prospekt 53, St Petersburg, 191040, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 764 4857.
Website:
Jazz Philharmonic Hall

Founded by the legendary jazz violinist David Goloshchokin, this is Petersburg’s leading venue for jazz and blues, hosting everything from Dixieland to ragtime and big band blues. Jazz-dancing nights fill the dancefloor and there are also special morning shows for children. Book a table near the front for the best views.

Address:
Zagorodny prospekt 27, St Petersburg, 191180, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 764 8565.
Money Honey

Bringing a taste of the 1950s and a hint of the Wild West to St Petersburg, Money Honey is the top spot to hear Russian rockabilly – perhaps Russia’s most surreal music scene. To experience Money Honey at its best, come when the double-bass rhythms are pumping on Friday or Saturday.

Address:
Sadovaya ulitsa 28-30, St Petersburg, 191036, Russia
Telephone: +7 812 310 0549.
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