BACK when foreigners in Leningrad were treated almost like interlopers, shunted into dormitory-like hotels and pummeled with propaganda about the primacy of Soviet Man, the city was an improbable destination for families. No longer. Rechristened as St. Petersburg, the former Russian capital has recaptured much of its glamour and offers an enchanting landscape not only for lovers of culture but for their children as well. Adults can walk in the footsteps of Pushkin and Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. But the city also has a slew of fantastical palaces, a rousing circus, one of the world's deepest subways and natives who eat pancakes for dinner. What child wouldn't be smitten by that? And if you visit during the summer, the sun barely sets, so there's plenty of time to play. Here's the only rub: getting the little ones to bed when there's still daylight.
Friday
3 p.m.
1) WHERE THE CZARS RESIDE
Time for a quick geography lesson: St. Petersburg, which is comprised of several islands, was founded by Peter the Great three centuries ago on a swamp. Keep this in mind when you take an escalator to the subway and descend. And descend. And descend. It's a thrill, and you haven't even boarded the aged trains, which depart from terminals adorned with enough sculptures and art to be public galleries. Exit at the Petrogradskaya stop and head for the Peter and Paul Fortress (7-812-230-0329; www.spbmuseum.ru/peterpaul). This is the city's oldest section, filled with museums and the gorgeous, not to mention slightly eerie, Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Watch your kids' eyes widen when they realize that those stone vaults a few feet away are the crypts of the czars, including the last one, Nicholas II.
5:30 p.m.
2) CANDY CHURCH
Amble back to the city center, crossing the Neva River on the Troitsky Bridge, with its vistas of the city. Pass through the Field of Mars, a park with an eternal flame and war memorial that is often visited by brides and grooms on their wedding day. Look up and you'll see the colorful onion domes of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Konyushennaya Square, 7-812-315-1636, eng.cathedral.ru/saviour). Children visiting Europe often utter, “Not another church!” but it may be hard for them to resist this multihued one — my children said it reminded them of King Kandy's castle from the game Candy Land.
7 p.m.
3) STEP RIGHT UP
Yes, you'll find Russian bears at the St. Petersburg Circus (3 Fontanka, 7-812-314-8478; www.circus.spb.ru), which is housed in a red-domed stone building that opened in 1877, but that's not all. The circus mounts spectacular shows with tigers, lions, porcupines and ostriches, as well as acrobats who seem to disdain nets and clowns whose silliness can be understood in any language. If you're without children and aspire for high culture, stop off at the many theater box offices sprinkled around the city and get tickets for the night's ballet or opera at the historic Mariinsky Theater (1 Teatralnaya Square, 7-812-326 4141; www.mariinsky.ru/en), home of what was once known as the Kirov.
9:30 pm
4)GRILLED CHEESE FOR DINNER?
If images of Soviet culinary deprivation linger in your mind, be prepared to be surprised, not only by the quality and number of restaurants, but also their diversity. Food from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, with its mix of Slavic, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors, is especially popular, and one of the best and most affordable places to try it is the family-run Khinkalnaya-Khachapurnaya (8 Borovaya Street; 7-812-575-6836). Order the lamb skewers, called shashlik (140 rubles, or about $5.50 at 26 rubles to the dollar), and the eggplant with walnuts (90 rubles), while the kids will enjoy khachapuri (100 rubles), a Georgian national dish that's akin to a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. The staff speaks very little English, but keeps a single English menu handy.
Saturday
9:30 a.m.
5) HYDROFOIL TO THE FOUNTAINS
Now for a glimpse of the glories, or depravities (depending on your point of view), of the czars. French royalty had Versailles; the Russians had Peterhof (2 Razvodnaya, 7-812-420-0073; www.peterhof.org), an 18th-century complex of palaces and gardens west of the city center. The estate is famous for its fountains, which operate May through October. Take a hydrofoil from a berth on the Neva River, and don't forget to bring bathing suits for the children. While you take in the buildings and grounds, the kids can partake in a Peterhof tradition: splashing in the so-called trick fountains and stomping on the “magic” stones to find the ones that supposedly make the water spurt. Adults may figure out the secret to the trick, but my wife said she would divorce me if I ruined the fun by revealing it.
2 p.m.
6) YES, THAT MUSEUM
Perhaps you've heard of the neat little museum near the hydrofoil berth. Of course, you could spend the entire 36 hours in the Hermitage (34 Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya, 7-812-710-9625; www.hermitage.ru) and not feel as if you have seen the whole thing, but even a few hours can give you a scrumptious taste. Start at the Winter Palace, one of the main buildings, where the former royal rooms, complete with thrones and lavish gold carvings, are as captivating as the art. The place simply looks like something out of a fairy tale, which is why children tend to get less cranky at the Hermitage than at most museums. Many of my Russian friends say their favorite area is the Pavilion Hall in the Small Hermitage, with its mosaics and phantasmagorical Peacock Clock from the collection of Catherine the Great. Military buffs should not miss the 1812 War Gallery, festooned with portraits of heroes from the victory over Napoleon.
6 p.m.
7) A VERY BIG CATHEDRAL
St. Isaac's Cathedral (Isaakievskaya Square, 7-812-315-9732; www.cathedral.ru) looms nearby, and while you'll undoubtedly be impressed by its enormous size and striking interior, you're also here to climb to the top for panoramic views of the city. Next, make your way a few blocks to the city's main boulevard, Nevsky Prospekt. “There is nothing better than Nevsky Prospekt,” wrote Nikolai Gogol, the 19th-century writer and St. Petersburg denizen. You'll soon see why. Stroll past stately palaces, romantic canals and throngs of dolled-up women in very high heels — fashionable signs of the city's new culture of wealth.
8:30 p.m
8) OLD FAMILY RECIPES
Under Communism, Russians often looked wistfully and resentfully upon the most famous Russian cookbook, “A Gift to Young Housewives,” by Elena Molokhovets, which was first published in 1861 and, for a time, was as popular as “The Joy of Cooking” in the United States. There was simply no way to procure all the ingredients — goose, veal, crayfish, truffles — for the sometimes elaborate recipes. Dishes inspired by the cookbook are on the menu at Molokhovets' Dream (10 Radishcheva Street; 7-812-579-0073), one of the city's finest restaurants. Go for the rustic meat entrees, especially the venison with mushrooms and lingonberry sauce (1,080 rubles) and the lamb with rosemary and garlic (1,370 rubles). The dining room is quaint and the service intimate, with only a handful of tables, but enough room for a live pianist.
Midnight
9) MARITIME ADVENTURE
It's midnight, and it's light out. What better time to go out on the water? Who needs humdrum bus tours when you can board a boat along Nevsky Prospekt, where it intersects with either the Fontanka or Moika canals and explore the city in maritime style. And if you time it right, you can watch the overnight opening of the bridges, which allow tall merchant ships to pass.
Sunday
9 a.m.
10) HONEY AND SPICE
Russia used to be an empire, and you'll sense this history at the Kuznechny Market (3 Kuznechny Pereulok; 7-812-312-4161), where there is an abundance of fruit, vegetables and spices from former colonies in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. A stop here should convince you that the shortages of the past are well past. And once you nibble the fresh honey proffered on the comb or from vats, it may be difficult for you to settle for the stuff from a jar back home.
11 a.m.
11) THIS MUSEUM IS FUN
The Russian Museum (4 Inzhenernaya Street; 7-812-595-4248; www.rusmuseum.ru/eng) may be the unsung sidekick to the Hermitage, but it has plenty of its own charms. The palatial collection of Russian art ranges from medieval religious icons, to avant-garde works by Kandinsky and Malevich. If the kids are antsy — not another art museum! — take them next door to the Museum of Ethnography (4/1 Inzhenernaya Street, 7-812-570-5709; www.ethnomuseum.ru). On Sunday mornings, children can learn traditional Russian crafts, like pottery, weaving and doll making, at workshops run by Russian artists.
1 p.m.
12) PANCAKES FOR LUNCH
Blini, thin pancakes stuffed with savory or sweet filling, are a Russian favorite. They are also an ideal fast food: inexpensive, made before your eyes and not deep fried (though, alas, not exactly low-calorie). Teremok, a St. Petersburg institution, has blini outposts all over town, and you'll find one in a kiosk near the Russian Museum, in front of 29 Italianskaya Street. Prices for most of the blinis range from 30 to 80 rubles, depending on the filling, which includes mushroom, cheese and salmon. Save room for dessert. A chocolate blini is a sweet way to end your visit.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Flights from the United States to St. Petersburg almost always involve a connection. A recent Web search showed fares starting at around $1,135 for a round-trip flight on Aeroflot from New York to St. Petersburg, with a connection in Moscow. Other major airlines fly to St. Petersburg from their European hubs. Visas are required for most foreign tourists, including Americans.
A taxi from Pulkovo Airport into the city center is about 1,000 rubles, or about $38.50 at 26 rubles to the dollar. Many of the main tourist sites are within walking distance. Subways and buses are efficient, though not always easy to navigate for non-Russian speakers.
Expect Western European quality — and prices — at luxury hotels, including the Hotel Grand Europe (1/7 Mikhailovskaya Street; 7-812-329-6000; www.grandhoteleurope.com), the Astoria (39 Bolshaya Morskaya; 7-812-494-5757; www.thehotelastoria.com) and the Kempinski (22 Moika; 7-812- 335-9111; www.kempinski-st-petersburg.com). Rates at these hotels typically start above $400 a night and are often priced in dollars or euros.
Less expensive, but well-regarded, are the Petro Palace Hotel (14 Malaya Morskaya Street; 7-812-571-3006; www.petropalacehotel.com) and the Hotel Pushka Inn (14 Moika; 7-812-312-0913; www.pushkainn.ru), where double rooms start at around $150 a night.
