Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
57
Commuter trains (called
elektrichkas
)
with hard benches and rock-bottom prices
serve many of the country estates and
other sights just outside the big cities.
Russian driving. Roads are riddled with
holes, signage is often poor, and gas
stations and services are sparse. Russian
drivers are ruthless, especially with the
indecisive. Moscow's traffic is overwhelm-
ing much of the day, and traffic police are
hostile to anyone behind the wheel and
rely heavily on on-the-spot “fines” for their
incomes. Most sidewalks or walkways are
fair game for parking, and there are very
few parking garages. Knowledge of the
Cyrillic alphabet is strongly recommended
for anyone driving in Russia, in order to
decipher street signs.
For rental without a driver, see Avis
(www.avis.com), Hertz (www.hertz.com),
or Europcar (www.europcar.com). For cars
with drivers, try www.moscow-taxi.com.
By Plane
Given Russia's size, plane travel is crucial
for reaching more distant destinations
such as Lake Baikal or Vladivostok. The
Russian airlines Aeroflot and Pulkovo
dominate the Moscow-St. Petersburg
route, and prices for a one-way ticket run
1,750 to 3,000 rubles. Flights on this
route are nearly all on large, sturdy Soviet-
era jets (not the flimsy twin-propeller
Soviet planes that crash with alarming
frequency), and although the upholstery is
badly outdated, the service is steadily
improving. See www.aeroflot.ru, www.
pulkovo.ru, or www.eastline-tour.ru.
By Bus
Russian-run tourist buses offer day trips to
cities on the Golden Ring outside Moscow
and several sights around St. Petersburg,
and are generally comfortable. Vendors
often hawk tours on loudspeakers at cen-
tral spots such as St. Petersburg's Nevsky
Prospekt metro station and Moscow's Red
Square. Otherwise, hotels can often
arrange bus tours.
By Car
If you're not on a tour bus, renting a car
can be a reasonable way to get around
Moscow or St. Petersburg. However, a
strongly recommended alternative is to
rent a car with a driver. It can cost no more
than a standard rental, and you don't have
to worry about the challenges presented by
3
4
ST. PETERSBURG: GETTING THERE
& GETTING AROUND
ARRIVING
By Plane
All international flights into St. Petersburg
land at Pulkovo-2 Airport (
&
812/704-
3822
for Pulkovo-1 [domestic flights] or
&
812/704-3444
for Pulkovo-2 [interna-
tional flights]; www.pulkovo.ru), which is
friendlier and more manageable than Mos-
cow's Sheremetevo-2 Airport. Pulkovo also
has the advantage of a 2003 renovation
that opened up the halls and lightened up
the atmosphere, making the long lines for
security and passport control much more
tolerable.
Use of luggage carts is free. The airport
money-exchange booths offer poorer rates
than downtown; a better bet are the air-
port ATMs, which give rubles at the offi-
cial Central Bank exchange rate. Internet
access is available. The arrivals hall has an
information desk with English-speaking
personnel, car-rental desks, and airline
ticket offices.
Tour groups won't have to worry about
transfers to and from the airport, which is
16km (10 miles) south of the city limits or
about a 45-minute ride to the center of
town. If you're an individual traveler,
