Unconventional St. Petersburg: where to go to watch soccer for fans

We live in constant motion. This is how it should be and will definitely be during the Euro 2020 matches in St. Petersburg. There will hardly be many foreign travelers, but those who have vacationed there before will surely go to the city. And in order not to inspire you with another classic selection of “must-see” and banal places, “Championship” together with Volkswagen Russia – the official partner of UEFA EURO-2020 and the Russian national soccer team – shares the best locations in the city to watch the matches.

Yes, yes, and we are not talking about bars, but about cozy locations where you can sit down, lie down, do anything if you have a phone, tablet, computer or remote TV with a connected broadcast. The location by this logic, of course, can be any, but still for comfort and cool atmosphere we have chosen the most comfortable, romantic and hidden from the cinematography places.

In the main roles: St. Petersburg, soccer, you and your company. No one else is needed.

Soccer field on Nekrasova Street, 45

There is an urban soccer field in the center with a historical setting. It has no stands or at least no fences, but the ball flies either towards Nekrasov Garden, Greek Avenue, or the monument of Ioanis Kapodistrias. Or in the direction of the very pinkish gymnasium №166, where the mother of soccer player Evgeny Bashkirov works and where he himself jumped on the school mats.

To watch soccer here is to be part of St. Petersburg, its brick and gothic part. The best place to start is lying down on the soccer field (the game is played mostly by kids and one goal), and by the second half move to a bench in Nekrasovsky Garden.

A motley yard in Moshkovy Lane

Between Mars Field and the Neva, people catch the melancholy, but in summer you should look for other colors here. In Moshkov Lane there is a tiny courtyard next to the Museum of Modern Art. The street display changes, but you can always find flower benches, ecstatic graffiti, flowers, flags and other warming decorations. Open the tab with a soccer match and cheer for ours in the open air – the best option if you don’t have a fireplace at home but want beauty.

Mosaic courtyard on Tchaikovsky Street

Not far from the Neva embankment, near Chizhik, there is a St. Petersburg version of Gaudi’s city, where even curbs are covered in mosaics, and mosaic atlants support the elevator of an apartment building. The courtyard is not at all filled with tourists, there you can spread your thoughts out and relax inside the big city, and during the Euros you can sit down with a soccer game. There are a lot of unusual figures, bright mosaics and color references to tropical paintings by Paul Gauguin in the mosaic courtyard – summer viewings there will be bright and informative.

Museum of Soviet slot machines on Konyushennaya Square

There you can immerse yourself in Soviet childhood and drink soda, and also watch soccer on wooden stands (buy yourself a coffee or tea – get high).

In a pleasant brick surroundings, surrounded by vintage slot machines, three meters away from the dance floors of St. Petersburg and four meters away from the Savior on the Blood. In the Soviet museum there is a screen that is not Soviet at all – it is the whole wall and not even convex. In front of it there is a tribune for 12 rows. Take your rows and shout out who is rooting for whom.

But this is not all that the Stables Square can please the fans. It is there that one of the Euro 2020 fan zones will be located in the form of an entire soccer village, which will also include a Volkswagen brand zone. The village itself will be open from the opening day until the final of the tournament – from June 11 to July 11. Stop by, don’t be shy!

Benches in front of the Anna Akhmatova Museum

On a school trip to St. Petersburg, we fell in love with the museum for its excellent wi-fi, which interrupted our love of poetry. In the summer of 2021, instead of wi-fi, there will be soccer, and you’ll be able to watch it right under the walls of the museum, that is, near the Fountain House.

The museum’s garden will be filled with blooming greenery in the summer, and whitewashed benches will become stands for fan songs. Suitable for viewing alone.

Bookstore-library-cafe on Liteiny, 57

It is possible to descend into the book underground and catch literary ecstasy. You will definitely be attracted by the glowing sign Love & Read Books. Inside there is a long panel with table lamps, you can order coffee or dessert there, look out the window and admire your own detachment within the city. The bookstore is suitable for comfortable soccer viewing with an outlet. So climb the stairs and set up a soccer world with a view of Liteiny Prospekt.

If your team wins, you can repeat after Gogol and rush to Nevsky Prospekt. It’s very close.

Primorsky Victory Park

Just a green space in front of the Zenit stadium, with lawns, pouffes and food trucks with a variety of cuisine. Even if you don’t have a soccer ticket, you can enjoy the atmosphere outside the arena and still stay in the nature strip: with swans, ponds and access to the bay.

I’ll be honest, I once sat there with lemonade and listened to the songs of Mikhail Krug. Let there be soccer instead of Mikhail Krug.

Monument to a girl with an oar on Kamenny Island

On the premium Yelagin Island with tennis courts and noblemen’s gates, kayaking: people in wetsuits paddle past you, waving and embarrassed when they capsize before your eyes.

And next to it, on Stone Island, there is a secret place – a snow-white monument to a girl with a paddle and a slightly less snow-white bench in front of it. The bench is one, the competition is great, but if you find yourself there and watch soccer – the snow-white companion will be proud of you.

P.S. My favorite place in St. Petersburg, and I’m sharing it anyway!

By the way, you can get to any location in the city-participant of Euro 2020 with the help of Volkswagen Polo cars, and on the eve of the tournament, the brand launched an exclusive version of the best-seller – Football Edition. Soccer fans who choose it, will receive nice gifts: a backpack, scarf and makeup fan, as well as a toy – a teddy bear fan. And one more bonus: the EURO-2020™ logo is on the sills, front mats and trunk along with the model name.

The world-famous brand has been going hand in hand with sports for many years and literally supports the fans, trying to make their travel on the roads of Russia and abroad comfortable, safe and of high quality. Watch the matches of the European Championship, immerse yourself in soccer and, of course, support our national team together with Volkswagen Russia. Soccer unites!