White nights in St. Petersburg have risen in price for tourists by 10-15%

The white nights season in St. Petersburg in 2026 will cost tourists 10-15% more than a year earlier. Despite the reduction in the cost of air tickets and some hotel categories, travelers continue to save on accommodation, meals and leisure, and tour operators record more cautious consumer behavior. This was announced on May 29 by the Delovoy Peterburg portal.

As market participants noted, the official start of the white nights season traditionally opens the high tourist season for the city. According to tour operators, the demand for trips in the period from the end of May to the middle of July remains stable and generally corresponds to the level of last year. At the same time, about half of tourists return to St. Petersburg again.

Evgeny Pankevich, Chairman of the city's Tourism development committee, said that this year tourism projects are being promoted under the concept of "Northern Summer". According to him, the average tourist's check in St. Petersburg exceeds 70 thousand rubles.

The Intourist company reported that the average cost of tours to the Northern Capital increased by 10-15% over the year due to the increase in the cost of hotels, transport and sightseeing services. The average check per person is 46.5 thousand rubles with flight and 19.1 thousand rubles excluding the road.

At the same time, a number of tour operators note a change in the behavior of tourists. The national tour operator Alean reported a decrease in demand by about 40% year-on-year, but stressed that many travelers are increasingly booking trips at the last moment. Anex, on the contrary, announced a 1.5-fold increase in bookings compared to last year. According to the company, tourists often organize a trip on their own, booking only accommodation and an excursion program.

The heat wave has arrived: demand for resorts on the Black Sea coast has grown to 95%

Why Russians choose domestic destinations and how the cost of holidays has changed

Coral Travel experts noted that St. Petersburg is gradually transforming from a "museum city" into an "impression city." In addition to the classic attractions, tourists are offered gastronomic routes, urban excursions and scientific and educational programs.

There is also a high interest in traditional tourist formats — night walks along rivers and canals, trips to Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk and Gatchina. According to the Ostrovok service, St. Petersburg remains the most popular Russian destination during the white nights period — the city accounts for 21% of all bookings. Hotels without stars and apartments remain the most popular accommodation formats. At the same time, accommodation in three- and four-star hotels has even fallen in price by about 5% compared to last year.

More and more tourists are choosing apartments and apartments instead of hotels. In the service "Daily.<url>" reported that the average cost of renting a home during the white nights season is about 6 thousand rubles per day. Most often, tourists book studios and studio apartments for three to five days.

The cost of air travel has also decreased. According to the OneTwoTrip service, the average price of a round-trip ticket to St. Petersburg is 11.8 thousand rubles against 12.8 thousand a year earlier. Aviasales records a similar trend — the average check decreased by about 10%.

At the same time, visits to cafes and restaurants continue to rise in price. According to the Chek Index analytical center, the average check in St. Petersburg catering establishments in January–April increased by 6% to 2.1 thousand rubles. At the same time, the number of visits decreased by 4%, which experts attribute to the general trend towards savings.

Representatives of the Teremok chain noted that tourists are still actively walking around the city center and more often go to cafes during evening walks, however, the overall traffic this season remains more restrained compared to last year.

Getting enough sleep at any cost: why Russians are increasingly choosing "sleep tourism"

The demand for hotels with Sleep Well rooms has increased 15-fold

"White Nights is one of the key and already established brands of St. Petersburg, which has been attracting tourists from all over the world for decades. It is during this period that the city is experiencing maximum stress on the tourist infrastructure.: High demand is registered in hotels, restaurants, museums, sightseeing and transport segments. For those who arrive for the first time, white nights become a "wow effect". By itself, the length of daylight would not work without the bright filling of the season. At this time, the city offers a maximum of events and routes, life here is in full swing around the clock. Today it is especially important to create additional reasons for trips in other months of the year. It is especially important for us to develop business tourism and event activity outside the high season, primarily in the autumn and winter period," explained Sergey Azarenkov, General Director of the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

In the service Kassir.ru It was reported that the average cost of a theater ticket during the white nights period increased to almost 4 thousand rubles. The Mikhailovsky Theater, the Musical Comedy Theater and the Vyborgsky Recreation Center remain the most popular venues.

Tourism market experts agree that the white nights season in 2026 will maintain a high interest in St. Petersburg, but tourists have become more attentive to expenses and are more likely to choose more budget travel scenarios.

On May 26, Vitaly Frantsev, lecturer at the Perm Planetarium, announced that the white nights season in St. Petersburg would last from the end of May to the middle of July. According to him, this phenomenon is explained by the tilt of the earth's axis. In summer, in northern latitudes, the Sun sinks slightly below the horizon, moving almost parallel to it, so there is no complete darkness after sunset.