UEFA EURO 2020 St Petersburg

UEFA Euro 2020 is the European football championship that will be held across the whole continent. Everyone can watch Euro 2020 matches in 12 host cities. In the final tournament, there will be 24 teams. EURO 2020 qualifying started in March and on November 30 there was a toss-up. Based on its results, there are 20 participants in the group stage. Now we know that matches between Russia, Belgium and Finland will take place in St Petersburg. Saint Petersburg is one of the host cities. EURO 2020 St Petersburg will be held at the Gazprom Arena stadium. This is a unique all-weather, high-tech, and most visited stadium in Eastern Europe.

UEFA EURO 2020 St Petersburg match schedule

Saturday, 13 June 2020 – Belgium – Russia (10 p.m.)
Wednesday, 17 June – Finland – Russia (4 p.m.)
Monday, 22 June – Finland – Belgium (10 p.m.)
Friday, 3 July – Quarter Final Winner Group 41 – Winner Group 42 (7 p.m.)

How to get to the Gazprom Arena stadium?

There are several ways to get to the stadium:

•  by metro to the Novokrestovskaya or Krestovsky Ostrov station
•  on shuttle buses S3, S4, S5

The fastest way is St Petersburg Metro. You need to get to the Novokrestovskaya metro station, which is located directly near the stadium. The road from the metro station to the main entrance of the Arena will take you no more than 5-7 minutes.
You can also get to the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station and continue on foot to the stadium through the main alley of Primorsky Victory Park – Battery Road. It takes about 25 minutes to go (about 2 kilometers).
In addition to the ticket to the Gazprom Arena stadium, you need to issue a FanID – this is a fan passport. This document is required for all spectators of matches of EURO 2020 St Petersburg. For foreign citizens, this document provides visa-free entry to Russia.

Visa-Free entry to Russia with FAN-ID

In case you have a ticket to a match and FAN-ID issued you can travel to Russia many times from May 30 to July 3, 2020. You have to leave the country from May 30 to July 13.
Please remember that during your stay in Russia you must have a temporary registration. You need to get it on the first day of your stay in Russia. Hotel often provides this service (sometimes for a fee), but if you are staying with AirBnb or friends, ask your host to help you get registered at MFC (Multi-functional center). Registration at MFC is free.
In case you want to travel to St Petersburg and you do not have a FAN-ID, then there is a chance to apply for an electronic visa.]

What is an electronic visa?

You can apply for electronic visas via the Internet, which simplifies the process of submitting and receiving documents. Electronic visas are issued free of charge. The visa will be valid for 30 days. The duration of stay is 8 days. Holders of visas to St Petersburg will not be able to leave the territory of the Leningrad region. 

E-Visa Processing

To obtain an electronic visa for arrival in Saint Petersburg, you must fill out a special application on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The application must be submitted not earlier than 20 days and not later than 4 days before the expected date of entry into Russia. In the case of a positive decision, you will get a visa notification email. This notice must be printed. You must show the document on the border or at the airport.
Petersburg is perhaps the most popular tourist destination in Russia. More and more tourists come here every year. A usual question that arises for almost all tourists: where to go and what to see in the city. Here are the top 5 places that you should see during a visit to Russia.

Hermitage Museum

The largest museum in Russia is included in the list of the most outstanding and valuable collections of art in the world. It can take several days to go around all the halls of the Winter Palace and calmly examine all the exhibits. The expositions of the Hermitage occupy 6 buildings; about 3 million exhibits are stored here. The real pride of the museum is the building of the Winter Palace, where the residence of the royal family was located. 

Peterhof

That is an imperial country residence founded by Peter the Great at the beginning of the 18th century. This grandiose palace and park ensemble is called the “Russian Versailles”. The complex has dozens of fountains, flower beds, walking alleys and pavilions that remind of the imperial era of Russian history.

State Russian Museum

This is the largest museum of Russian fine art in the world. The museum was opened at the end of the XIX century. The collection was made up of the transferred exhibits of the Hermitage, the Alexander Palace, the Academy of Arts, as well as from the private collections of some Russian aristocrats. The main exhibition is located on the territory of the Mikhailovsky Palace. In the museum, you can see the canvases of Bryullov, Repin, Aivazovsky and other masters.

 Peter and Paul Fortress

A fortress is located on Zayachiy Island, the historic core of the city. On its territory, there is a locals’ favorite beach  . There are several museums (for example, the Cosmonautics Museum). Everyone should visit the fortress at least once, and it’s even better to come here by noon and to hear a noon live shot of the guns.

Savior on spilled blood

That is one of the strangest architectural structures in St Petersburg. Located among the monuments of the Empire and Classicism, it looks unusual. Alexander II ordered to construct this temple on the site of the death of his father from a terrorist bomb on Catherine’s canal. Designed by architect Alfred Parland, it was opened only in 1907 in the presence of the grandson of Alexander II- Nicholas II. Inside the cathedral, you can find a piece of pavers, preserved from March 1, 1881.

White Nights

Do you like to walk in the city at night? And we are not talking about nightlife crawling St Petersburg restaurants and bars. You do not need to worry about coming back late. The time of EURO-2020 St Petersburg falls on the period of white nights. The white nights of St Petersburg became a symbol of the city. This short period is considered the most popular among tourists. Every year, millions of people come to see the natural phenomenon and admire the beauties of the city.
Arriving in EURO 2020 St Petersburg during the White Nights period you can plan excursion programs and sightseeing at any convenient time. You can see all the sightseeings as well as in the daytime. Nevsky Prospect, the embankment of the Moika River, Palace Square will appear in a new light. Photography enthusiasts will not have to use the flash to get good shots. White nights are basically a twilight during the whole night.  White nights last in the summer for about three weeks. The lightest nights you can see on the period from June 11 to July 2.

St Petersburg is not like any other Russian city. Russians and foreigners love this city for its spacious majestic avenues, hundreds of bridges, and magnificent palace and park ensembles. By the way, the historical center of St Petersburg and all the places listed above were the first Russian places to visit included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site at the end of 1990. 
 
We invite you to EURO 2020 St Petersburg and wish you to enjoy the beauties of this city while EURO 2020 finals! Plan your tour to St Petersburg now!