pslande

Does St Petersburg in August make any sense? It seems high season ends in July, but not sure if that means August is dead or just less active. Was thinking about tacking on to a Scandinavian trip. Will have a (well-traveled) 5 yo along, if that makes any difference. And total trip would be 10 days max. Thanks in advance for any insight!

vyuga

August is fine but the city is still very crowded, although a bit less than in July. All major crowds are still there: Hermitage, Russian Museum, summer residences. September is much less active. As to the weather, the past few years (and beginning of this summer, too) have shown that May-June are pretty cold, around 15C, whereas August-September are warm, around 18-20C. So far May and June have proved this observation.

lerasp

the only consideration is if you are interested in cultural events, August is a vacation month. There will be no ballet, opera, etc except maybe some visiting companies. But you won't be able to see Bolshoi or Mariinsky performances. Other than that, August is a good time. Most russian (like other europeans) go on vacation in August, so some shops/restaurants may be closed. but in big cities it's not a problem, unless there's some specific place you have your heart set on.

Dukey

Please tell me you are NOT going to drag a child through the Hermitage....

fluffnfold

Do the Bolshoi or Mariinsky begin performances again in early September? I'll be in Russia until September 5, and am hoping to see the ballet. Thanks.

pslande

Thanks vyuga and lerasp. I realize southern/western Europe goes on vacation in August, but it seems vacation is earlier in Scandinavia. If we're going all the way there, I thought it would be nice to tack on St P as well. We'll have to see.

fnf - My understanding is that performances don't begin again until mid to late September.