Гостиный Двор
This is a vast bazaar, the city's oldest shopping centre, and one of the first shopping arcades in the world. Dating to the mid-18th century. The name means "Merchant Yard", as its old role was to provide both shops and housing to merchants from far away. It sells almost everything from PlayStations to Saint Petersburg Vodka. On the north side is a decent store for second-hand photo equipment selling cameras and lenses (Nikon, Canon, Sigma etc.). The prices of goods are the highest in St.Petersburg. Sprawling for over one kilometer and embracing the area of 53,000 m², the indoor complex of more than 100 shops took twenty-eight years to construct. Building works commenced in 1757 to an elaborate design by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, but that subsequently was discarded in favour of a less expensive and more functional Neoclassical design submitted by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (1729–1800). The next century, Gostiny Dvor was continuously augmented, resulting in ten indoor streets and as many as 178 shops by the 20th century. By that time, the Gostiny Dvor had lost its popularity to the more fashionable Passage and New Passage on the Nevsky Prospekt nearby. During the post-World War II reconstructions, its inner walls were demolished and a huge shopping mall came into being. This massive 18th-century structure got a face-lift and entered the 21st century as one of the most fashionable shopping centres in Eastern Europe. A nearby station of Saint Petersburg Metro takes its name from Gostiny Dvor.
Daily 10:00-23:00
Passazh, Универмаг «Пассаж»
This is an elite department store that opened in 1848. The Passage premises have long been associated with the entertainment industry and remains home to the Komissarzhevskaya Theatre.The name came from a vast gallery between Nevsky Avenue and Italianskaya Street which provided the main passage through the mall. The gallery was covered over by an arching glass and steel roof, thus giving it a claim to being one of the world's first shopping malls. The three-storey building opened on May 9, 1848. It was one of the first structures in Russia to employ gas for lighting. Another innovation was an underground floor, where an electric station would be installed in 1900. Although the store specialized in jewellery, expensive clothes and other luxury goods, crowds of common people flocked to see the most fashionable shop of the Russian Empire. Count Essen-Stenbock-Fermor - the developer - conceived of the Passage as more than a mere shopping mall, but also as a cultural and social centre for the people of St Petersburg. The edifice contained coffee-houses, confectioneries, panorama installations, an anatomical museum, a wax museum, and even a small zoo. To draw even more consumers to the store, the Soleille, one of the largest cinemas in the Russian capital, was opened in the complex in 1908. In 1933, the municipal authorities declared the Passage a "model department store", the only one in Leningrad (former St Petersburg) and one of only three such stores in the Soviet Union. The renovated "palace of Soviet trade" (as the media touted it) opened in 1934 and offered about 30,000 types of goods, all manufactured in the USSR. The Children's World section became especially popular with the inhabitants of Leningrad. - Now privately owned by employees and shareholders.
Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-21:00
Elisseevskiy Store, Елисеевский магазин, Дом торгового товарищества «Братья Елисеевы»
Built in 1902-1903 by the architect Gabriel Baranovsky in the style of early modern to colonial goods store Eliseev Brothers. Building facades are adorned with four statues of "Industry", "Trade", "Art" and "Science" by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson (who also worked on the sculptural decoration of Dom Knigi and Baron Stieglitz School). No less interesting design trade halls, located on the first floor. The second floor housed Comedy Theatre. Passage established relations with new trade and business partners, such as Escada, and other international department stores. One of the first upscale food markets in Russia, with a wide variety of international produce, opened in the basement. New restaurant opened on the upper level with the panoramic view of the Nevsky Prospect.
Апраксин двор
The Apraksin Market (Apraksin Dvor) is perfect for people watching, but keep your purse and camera close since it is a favorite of both shoppers and pickpockets. You can find almost anything here.