Things to Do in Saint Petersburg in November
November weather, activities, events & insider tips
November Weather in Saint Petersburg
Is November Right for You?
Advantages
- Hermitage crowds drop by 40-50% compared to summer months - you'll actually have space to appreciate the Rembrandts without elbowing through tour groups. Early morning visits (10-11am opening) give you near-private access to the Jordan Staircase.
- Theater season hits full stride in November with Mariinsky and Alexandrinsky staging their premier productions. Tickets that cost $150+ in December run $60-90 now, and locals fill the seats (not tour groups), creating the authentic atmosphere these venues were designed for.
- Hotel rates drop 30-40% after October's White Nights hangover ends. Four-star properties near Nevsky Prospekt that charge $200+ in summer go for $120-140, and they're actually trying to earn your business with room upgrades and flexible policies.
- The city shifts into its authentic winter rhythm before the New Year's chaos begins. Cafes fill with students and artists, not selfie-stick crowds. You'll see Saint Petersburg as residents actually experience it - bundled up, purposeful, moving between warm refuges of art and conversation.
Considerations
- Daylight runs roughly 7am to 4pm by late November, giving you maybe 8-9 usable hours for outdoor sightseeing. The darkness isn't romantic twilight - it's proper night by 4:30pm, and the city's lighting, while beautiful, doesn't compensate for missing afternoon photo opportunities at Peterhof or Catherine Palace.
- November sits in that miserable zone between autumn and proper winter - temperatures hover around freezing, creating slush, black ice on sidewalks, and that penetrating dampness that cuts through inadequate jackets. It's not the photogenic snow-globe winter of December-January, just gray, wet, and occasionally treacherous underfoot.
- Peterhof fountains shut down in mid-October and don't restart until May. You're visiting palace exteriors without their defining feature - like seeing Versailles without the gardens. The Grand Cascade is just empty bronze fixtures and scaffolding, honestly pretty depressing.
Best Activities in November
Hermitage Museum Extended Sessions
November's thin crowds make this the ideal month for actually experiencing the Hermitage rather than surviving it. The museum's 3 million items deserve slow contemplation, which is impossible in summer when 20,000 daily visitors pack the galleries. In November, you'll average 8,000-10,000 visitors, concentrated in tour groups that blow through the Jordan Staircase and Rembrandt rooms by noon. Arrive at opening (10am Tuesday-Saturday, 10:30am Sunday) or after 2pm when day-trippers leave. The variable November weather actually works in your favor - rainy days drive people indoors, but they cluster in the main Winter Palace; the New Hermitage and General Staff Building stay nearly empty. Budget 4-5 hours minimum, and the museum's cafes provide legitimate refuge from the cold between wings.
Mariinsky and Alexandrinsky Theater Productions
November through March is when Saint Petersburg's theaters operate at full artistic capacity - this is their season, not summer's tourist-oriented programming. The Mariinsky stages 5-6 productions weekly, mixing classics like Swan Lake with contemporary works, and the audience is 70% Russian theatergoers who actually know the difference between good and mediocre performances. The Alexandrinsky focuses on dramatic works - Chekhov, Gogol, modern Russian playwrights - with English subtitles on small screens (request these when booking). November's cold makes the pre-performance ritual meaningful: arriving early, checking your coat (mandatory for bulky winter gear), having tea or champagne in the gilt-covered lobbies. Performances typically start 7pm, running 2.5-3 hours with intermissions.
Pushkin and Pavlovsk Palace Interiors
Without the fountains running, Peterhof loses its appeal, but Pushkin (Catherine Palace) and Pavlovsk shift from crowded summer attractions to contemplative November experiences. The palace interiors - the Amber Room, the Great Hall's gilded excess - matter more than gardens in November anyway, and you'll have actual space to photograph them without 40 people in every frame. Tours run smaller (15-20 people versus 40+ in summer), and guides slow down, adding detail they rush through in peak season. The 30-minute train ride from Vitebsk Station costs 50 rubles ($0.60) and shows you Soviet-era suburbs most tourists never see. Parks surrounding both palaces stay open and free - bring proper boots for muddy paths, and you'll have these imperial landscapes nearly to yourself.
Russian Banya and Spa Sessions
November's damp cold makes traditional banya (bathhouse) culture not just enjoyable but physiologically necessary - locals use these weekly to combat the darkness and humidity. A proper banya session involves cycles of dry sauna heat (80-90°C/176-194°F), venik massage with birch or oak branches, cold plunges, and tea-drinking rest periods over 2-3 hours. This isn't a tourist activity, it's actual Russian life, and November through March is peak season. Public banyas cost 800-1,200 rubles ($9-13) for 2-3 hours; private rooms for 2-6 people run 2,500-4,500 rubles ($28-50) per hour. The ritual warms you from the inside and makes going back into November's cold somehow tolerable.
Dostoevsky Literary Walking Routes
November's gray atmosphere actually enhances walking Dostoevsky's Saint Petersburg - Crime and Punishment was set in summer, but the psychological darkness matches November's physical gloom perfectly. The route from Raskolnikov's supposed apartment (Stolyarny Lane) to the pawnbroker's building, across Kokushkin Bridge, covers about 3 km (1.9 miles) and takes 90 minutes if you're stopping to match novel descriptions with current buildings. The Dostoevsky Museum in his actual apartment costs 250 rubles ($3) and stays warm. November's thin tourist presence means you can stand on bridges and in courtyards without feeling self-conscious about consulting your book. The city's architecture looks properly oppressive under gray skies - this is when you understand why Russian literature is so heavy.
Contemporary Art Gallery Circuit
While tourists obsess over the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg's contemporary art scene operates in converted industrial spaces and mansion basements, hitting peak activity November through April. Erarta Museum (Russia's largest private contemporary art museum) costs 800 rubles ($9) and needs 2-3 hours. Smaller galleries around Ligovsky Prospekt and the Artmuza creative cluster host openings Thursday-Saturday evenings - free entry, wine, and actual interaction with artists. November's art crowd is serious, not browsing between shopping, and galleries stay comfortably heated. This is where you see what Russian artists are actually making now, not what tourists think Russian art should look like.
November Events & Festivals
Mariinsky International Ballet Festival
Running throughout November, this festival brings international ballet companies to perform alongside the Mariinsky's resident troupe. You'll see companies from Europe, Asia, and the Americas performing works you won't catch during regular season - contemporary choreographers, experimental pieces, and rare full-length ballets. Tickets range from 2,000-8,000 rubles ($22-90) depending on performance and seating. The festival atmosphere adds energy to the theater district, with pre-performance talks and post-show discussions that locals actually attend.
Jazz Philharmonic Hall November Series
The Jazz Philharmonic Hall on Zagorodny Prospekt programs its strongest lineups November through March when the seasonal tourist venues close and serious musicians stick around. Expect 4-5 performances weekly mixing Russian jazz artists with international guests - past Novembers have featured American, Scandinavian, and Japanese musicians. Tickets run 1,500-3,500 rubles ($17-40), shows start 7pm or 8pm, and the 300-seat hall creates intimate atmosphere. This is where Saint Petersburg's music intellectuals spend November evenings.