Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY BOAT
The port is 20 minutes south of the center. Most cruises include a bus
trip to the center. Authorized taxis (regular taxis are not allowed into the port) cost
around $20 each way. Return trips leave from Kazansky Cathedral on Nevsky
Prospekt.
BY CAR
Not including the long lines for Customs at the border, the 370km (230-
mile) drive from Helsinki is about 6 hours. Once in St. Petersburg, head straight to
your hotel and settle the parking question.
GETTING AROUND
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The
St. Petersburg Metro
is a fast, cheap, and extraordinarily deep subway system
that every visitor should try out at least once. Station entrances are marked with a blue
letter “M.” The four-line system is easy to follow, with each line color-coded and
transfers clearly marked. Trains run from 5:45am to 12:15am. Tokens cost 5 rubles
(about 20 ¢/1p) for one trip, or magnetic cards for 1, 2, 5, or 10 trips.
Two
tram
lines worth trying are the no. 14, which runs from the Mariinsky Theater
up through the center of town and across the Neva; another is the no. 1, which runs
through Vasilevsky Island, including a stop just outside the Vasileostrovskaya metro sta-
tion.
Trolleybuses
run along Nevsky Prospekt and some other large avenues. Tickets
for trams and trolleybuses cost 11 rubles (40¢) and are available from the driver.
BY TAXI
Reliable companies to try are the official
Petersburg Taxi
(
&
068-
that's
right, just 3 digits) or
Taxi Park
(
&
812/265-1333
).
BY CAR
Some rental companies to try are
Hertz/Travel Rent
(
&
812/324-3242;
www.hertz.com) or
Europecar
(
&
812/380-1662;
www.europcar.com). Both have
offices at Pulkovo airport and rent cars with or without drivers.
FAST FACTS:
St. Petersburg
American Express
The main local office is in the Grand Hotel Europe (1
Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa;
&
812/326-4500
), open daily from 9am to 6pm.
Currency Exchange
Every St. Petersburg hotel, many restaurants, and all major
streets have exchange booths
(obmen valyuty)
, many open 24 hours. They have
signs out front with the buy-and-sell rate for dollars and euros. For other cur-
rencies, try the booths in the underground walkway at Gostiny Dvor.
Doctor
American Medical Center St. Petersburg,
10 Serpukhovskaya Ulitsa
(
&
812/326-1730
) has Western-standard medical care and English-speaking staff.
Embassies
The following addresses are for consulates based in St. Petersburg
(embassies are in Moscow, see “Fast Facts: Moscow” in section 3).
United States:
15 Furshtadskaya Ulitsa (
&
812/275-1701);
Britain:
5 Ploshchad
Proletarskoi Diktatury (
&
812/320-3200);
Canada:
32 Malodetskoselsky
Prospekt (
&
812/325-8448).
Emergencies
For fire, dial
&
01;
police
&
02;
ambulance
&
03.
Internet Access
Most hotel business centers offer online access, though at
steeper rates than the Internet cafes popping up around the center of town.
