The research is aimed to reveal opportunities to optimize processes of formation and development of socially-cultural competence of students, while using socially-cultural environment of St. Petersburg. The study analyzed the tourism resource potential of St. Petersburg for the youth sightseeing and educational tourism development. Considered using sightseeing and educational activities as a possibility for the general students cultural competencies development, provided by state standards, technology features of designing student audience excursion programs with the direct students participation in the excursion routes development have been determined. The authors found out that St. Petersburg socio-cultural environment, as well as student audience experience on drawing up their own excursion routes, that organize youth leisure, makes the process of common cultural competences formation more effective. Authors noted a very well-developed excursion activity in the Northern capital researching St. Petersburg excursions variety. Museums, theaters, palaces and historical architectural structures created by great architects and sculptors. All this has a beneficial effect on the new excursion routes and various types of excursions creation. Active cooperation between the university and the different areas of the urban sociocultural environment, using higher education resources and city potential with current training requirements may be used to work with the students, since the formation of student modern thinking requires strengthening the personal developmental approach of student as an educational and professional activities subject.