To the north of St. Petersburg, along the coast of the Baltic Sea, stretches the Kurortny district (The resort area) of St. Petersburg. Clean air, seaside, good beaches make this area a good place for a holiday. Here are such popular places as Repino, Komarovo, Sestroretsk and Zelenogorsk.
Zelenogorsk is probably the most famous city in the Kurortny district of St. Petersburg. There are many parks and a nice beach right in the center of the city. The best time to visit Zelenogorsk is summer, but at other times you can have a good rest from the bustle of the city here. The swimming season usually lasts from mid-June to late August. In summer, if you are lucky with the weather, you can have a great time here for a few free days or a long vacation. The old, Finnish name of the city is Terijoki.
In the photo: Zelenogorsk railway station.
The Baltic Sea coast is what attracts vacationers to Zelenogorsk (and to the resort area of St. Petersburg). There are quite a few beaches on the coast. A good beach in Zelenogorsk is located right on the territory of the city. So that no one has any doubts that this is a wonderful beach, it is called "Golden Beach".
Finding the beach is easy. You will see a monument to Lenin next to the school building. Lenin gestures towards the beach as if inviting: "Everyone to the beach, comrades."
In the photo: Monument to Lenin in Zelenogorsk.
The most prominent buildings in most cities are churches. There are two churches in Zelenogorsk, one of them is Finnish, Lutheran church (Terijoen kirkko). The architecture of the Lutheran Church differs from the architecture of the usual Russian churches, which makes it a noticeable landmark. Organ concerts are regularly held in the Zelenogorsk Lutheran Church.
The second church is Orthodox. It is closer to the beach. Various interesting sculptural compositions are sometimes installed near the church of Zelenogorsk.
There is a lot of green spaces in Zelenogorsk. One gets the impression that the entire city center is a large, beautiful park.
Zelenogorsk is located about 50 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg. Getting to Zelenogorsk from St. Petersburg is quite simple. You can use any type of public transport: train, bus, car or taxi. If you are arriving in St. Petersburg from another region, it may be easier for you to order a taxi, although this will be the most expensive type of transport.
Many vacation hotels were built on the shores of the Baltic Sea during the Soviet era. Now these are resort hotels of different levels of comfort and different price categories, from very expensive to quite affordable.
In the photo: Finnish church in Zelenogorsk.
Not only residents of St. Petersburg spend their holidays (weekends) in hotels, sanatoriums and rest houses of the resort area of St. Petersburg. Tourists from other regions of Russia also come here on vacation. Of course, the Black Sea coast, Turkey, Spain and other warm countries are very good for vacation. But not everyone likes the heat, and many are contraindicated for health reasons. Think, maybe you should go on vacation (weekend) on the Baltic Sea coast.
If you are planning a trip to St. Petersburg in the summer and are planning to stay in St. Petersburg for a long time, then you should consider (as an option) accommodation in the Kurortny district of St. Petersburg, for example, in Zelenogorsk (Sestroretsk, Repino, Komarovo). It will not be difficult for you to get to St. Petersburg, but you will not be able to find such nature, sea, beaches and silence in a big city. Have a good vacation!