I visited St. Petersburg in 2019, back when Americans could still wander into Russia with just a tourist visa and a prayer. What I found was the most beautiful, bizarre, and completely unprepared-for-tourists city in Europe. It was like discovering Atlantis, if Atlantis had really good vodka and terrible English menus.
St. Petersburg might be the most underrated city in Europe, which makes sense because almost nobody goes there. When I visited, spotting another Western tourist was like finding a unicorn. The city felt like Europe’s best-kept secret—mostly because Russians aren’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat for foreign visitors.
Here’s what it’s actually like to be a rare foreign species wandering around one of the world’s most stunning cities.
Being the Only Foreigner in Town
Seriously, I felt like an exotic animal that had escaped from a zoo. The tourist scene was basically Chinese tour groups and Russians from other regions—that’s it. Being a Western guy walking around St. Petersburg was like being a celebrity, except nobody could talk to you.
People would perk up when they heard English: “Whoa, an American? What are you doing here?” Even with all the geopolitical tension, the vibe wasn’t hostile—more like curious confusion. In London, nobody cares if you’re American. In St. Petersburg, you’re a legitimate novelty.
This rarity thing cuts both ways. You get attention and curiosity, but you also realize how unprepared the city is for people like you.
The Language Barrier From Hell
Remember when people said “prepare for a language barrier”? They weren’t kidding. English in St. Petersburg was essentially nonexistent in 2019. We’re talking “good luck ordering food without Google Translate” levels of challenging.
The worst part? Russians would look at you and assume you spoke Russian because, well, you look like you could be Russian. So they’d fire off rapid Russian sentences while you stood there like a deer in headlights trying to remember how to say “I don’t understand.”
I had a friend who got so frustrated trying to order food that he ate every meal at the same Irish pub for a week because it had an English menu. Honestly? I respect that level of commitment to avoiding linguistic stress.
Pro tip: Download Google Translate and prepare to feel like an idiot pointing at your phone a lot.
A City Built to Impress
Here’s what nobody warns you about: St. Petersburg is stupidly beautiful. Like, offensively gorgeous. Peter the Great basically said “build me a city that makes Paris jealous,” and they delivered.
The Winter Palace, the canals, the cathedrals—it’s all designed to make you feel small and insignificant. Walking around feels like living inside a museum. Every building looks like it should be on a postcard, which gets almost overwhelming after a while.
The city layout is pure European elegance—wide boulevards, elegant bridges, parks that look like they were designed by angels. It’s what happens when you let Italian and German architects go wild with unlimited budgets and imperial ambitions.
The Metro: Beautiful and Impractical
The St. Petersburg metro is gorgeous and absurdly deep. We’re talking two escalators just to reach the platform because the stations are basically underground palaces. It’s stunning, efficient, and packed during rush hour with very serious-looking Russians.
The system is simpler than Moscow’s but still impressive enough to make you feel like you’re commuting through a royal residence. Just be prepared for some serious underground cardio.
Everything’s Cheap (But Portions Are Tiny)
St. Petersburg was incredibly affordable—meals for $5, cheap taxis, reasonable accommodation. The tourism boom hasn’t hit like it has in Western Europe, so prices stay low.
The downside? Portion sizes that would make French restaurants blush. You’ll be hungry again an hour after eating. But hey, at least you can afford to eat six small meals instead of three normal ones.
Weather and Mosquitoes From Hell
I went in summer, which should have been ideal. And the weather was nice! But nobody warned me about the mosquitoes. These weren’t normal mosquitoes—these were Russian military-grade insects that apparently train for urban warfare.
Opening windows meant choosing between fresh air and becoming a blood donation center. I spent half my trip debating whether heatstroke or insect-borne anemia was worse. Weirdly, I never had this problem in nearby Finland. Russian mosquitoes are just built different.
Nightlife: Weird but Wild
Russian nightlife is unlike anywhere else. There’s this thing called “face control” where bouncers literally judge whether you’re worthy of entering clubs. It’s like being auditioned for the privilege of buying overpriced drinks.
But when Russians party, they PARTY. We’re talking until 11 AM, especially during the “white nights” when the sun barely sets. I stumbled into some underground maze of interconnected party rooms that felt like a fever dream. Should have filmed it—nobody would believe that place existed.
Dumskaya Street was sketchy chaos—neon signs, questionable drinks, and the kind of energy that screams “this might end badly but it’ll be memorable.”
Dating: Tinder Gold Rush
Here’s something unexpected: Tinder was incredibly active. Being a foreigner was like having a golden ticket—matches everywhere. The only problem was the language barrier again. Some girls used Google Translate without mentioning it, leading to dates that were basically elaborate charades sessions.
Russian dating culture is refreshingly traditional. Men pay, lead, and act masculine—none of the “splitting everything 50/50” complications. Russian guys seemed to lack the… international flair that American guys bring, so the competition wasn’t exactly fierce.
Safety: Avoid the Cops
The city felt generally safe, but everyone warned me about one thing: avoid the police at all costs. Corruption is apparently rampant, and bribes are standard operating procedure. As a foreigner, you’re basically a walking ATM if you get police attention.
I followed the “blend in and don’t cause problems” strategy, which worked fine. But the fact that locals warn tourists about their own police tells you something about the system.
Digital Nomad Potential (With Caveats)
Internet was fast and cheap, coffee shops were laptop-friendly, and the cost of living was incredibly reasonable. For remote work, the infrastructure was surprisingly solid.
The major caveat: you’ll definitely need a VPN for anything Western-related, and the bureaucratic visa system isn’t exactly optimized for digital nomads. Plus, the language barrier makes everything more complicated than it needs to be.
The Verdict
St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful, fascinating, and completely unprepared-for-tourists cities in Europe. It’s like discovering a hidden architectural masterpiece that doesn’t particularly want to be discovered.
**The Incredible:**
- Absolutely stunning architecture and layout
- Incredibly affordable compared to Western Europe
- Unique cultural experience unlike anywhere else
- Amazing nightlife if you can navigate it
- Being a rare foreign species has perks
**The Challenging:**
- Language barrier is brutal
- City infrastructure not tourist-friendly
- Weather and mosquito situation
- Bureaucracy and corruption concerns
- Currently impossible to visit anyway
**Bottom line:** St. Petersburg felt like traveling back in time to experience Europe before it became tourist-friendly. Raw, beautiful, challenging, and completely authentic. It’s the kind of place that ruins you for sanitized tourist destinations.
The Last Great European Secret
St. Petersburg represents something rare: a major European city that hasn’t been optimized for international tourism. It’s gloriously unprepared for visitors, which makes visiting it feel like a real adventure rather than a packaged experience.
The city doesn’t try to accommodate you—you have to accommodate it. That’s frustrating and wonderful in equal measure. It’s what travel used to be like before every destination became Instagram-ready.
A Time Capsule Experience
Have you been to St. Petersburg? How did you handle the language barrier? What other cities feel this authentically unprepared for tourists?
Share this with someone who needs to understand what real cultural immersion feels like—language barriers and all.
Remember: The most rewarding travel experiences often come from places that don’t make it easy for you. St. Petersburg was beautiful, challenging, and unforgettable precisely because it didn’t care if I was comfortable.