7 Best Hotels in City Center, St. Petersburg

Behind the stunning neobaroque facade lies an art-nouveau interior with stained-glass windows, antique furnishings, and stylish and comfortable guest rooms done in pleasing shades of mauve, cream, and gold. The Russian staff upholds the highest European standards, and an endless list of amenities includes the hotel's own brand of cigars and chocolates. Nevsky prospekt, the Hermitage, and ploshchad Iskusstv are all within walking distance. If money is no object, this is the place to stay.

Spartan but stylish, these basic and clean lodgings have two draws—price and a location right in the fashionable center of the city. This member of IYH offers a choice between dorm rooms and a small number of coveted singles and doubles. The multilingual staff is friendly and available 24 hours a day; a communal kitchen is fully equipped; and the public areas include nice lounges and a small library.

Behind a 1853 facade are sumptuous rooms furnished with substantial antiques, loaded with modern amenities, and, in many cases, overlooking the Hermitage. St. Petersburg's other great hotel, after the Grand, is also noted for superior service and offers a fine French restaurant, as well as a tearoom, lounges, and a spa.

It's a steep climb to these plain, sunny rooms on the fourth floor (there's no elevator), but this little inn is friendly and just opposite the Admiralteysky metro station. It's just a two-minute walk to the Hermitage and close to most other attractions in the center. There's also a communal kitchen where you can cook your meals.

The former home of Ivan Puschin, friend of Alexander Pushkin, retains much of its old character, offering comfortable, tastefully furnished guest rooms and excellent service in the heart of the city. A cozy café serves tasty, simple meals, at a discount for guests, and services include the use of a computer.

Wooden ceiling beams and patches of open brickwork are among the engaging features of these elegant and spacious rooms just around the corner from Nevsky prospekt. Best of all is the executive suite, furnished with antiques, that has walls decorated with wooden panels. All of this attention to detail pays tribute to namesake 19th-century architect Carlo Rossi, whose works grace the city's historic center. As an unusual bonus, the hotel staff offers guided tours showing off views of the city skyline and nearby courtyards from accessible flat rooftops of some nearby buildings. The on-site Fiolet restaurant is popular with local residents and serves Asian and European dishes prepared by a Russian chef—the scene is very lively on weekends.

Between them, the buildings that make up the Taleon could tell the story of St. Petersburg—the restored structures from the 18th and 19th centuries were private homes, literary salons (where writers like Dostoyevsky read), and a famous cinema house. The main hotel areas are set in the former mansion of Stepan Eliseev, a prominent 19th-century banker and arts patron whose family collections are now displayed at the Hermitage. Given all this history, the hotel conjures up plenty of gradeur and romance: Guest rooms are awash in light-gold wall coverings, marble-topped furniture, and loads of inlay and ornate plasterwork. A personal butler adds to the opulence, as do such modern luxuries such as hydromassage tubs and a covered rooftop pool, and the restaurant serves champagne-and-caviar fueled Russian meals that can be as over the top as the rest of the place.The central location is steps from chic shopping, and a short walk to major sights.