Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
60
Tricks of Transliteration
Because the Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet, confusion often
abounds when Russian names are translated—or more precisely, transliterated—
into the Latin alphabet. There are several accepted systems for transliterating
into English, as well as a French and German system. In this topic I've stuck to the
Revised American system, with a few exceptions made to aid pronunciation.
Famous names such as Tchaikovsky and Gorbachev are spelled as they're most
commonly known, not as they would be properly transliterated. See chapter 19,
at the back of this topic, for the Russian spelling and pronunciation of several key
words, phrases, place names, and menu items.
By Car
A few intrepid travelers come to St. Peters-
burg by car from Finland. Not including
the long lines for Customs and document
check 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. It's
easy to park in St. Petersburg, since nearly
any sidewalk or embankment is fair game,
though underground garages are extremely
scarce in this city built on swampland. It's
harder to guarantee secure parking, how-
ever. Existing maps in English do not indi-
cate one-way streets or other crucial driving
details, though the Russian-language
pocket-size
Atlas of St. Petersburg Roads
(Atlas Dorog Peterburga)
is quite useful.
Traffic in St. Petersburg has gone from a
trickle to a substantial rush-hour event over
the past decade. Be sure to have all of the
car's documentation in perfect order, as the
ever-hungry traffic police will quickly spot
and fine any infraction. Renting a car with
a driver is easier and often cheaper than
driving on your own.
about festivals or special events that you
might otherwise miss. The main offices are
at 14 Sadovaya Ulitsa (
&
812/310-2822
),
open Monday to Friday from 10am to
7pm.
Maps are available free in most hotels,
and for a low price at bookstores and
newspaper stands, though sometimes
they're only in the Cyrillic alphabet. An
easy-to-read and richly detailed map to
look out for is the bilingual “St. Petersburg
Guide to the City.” Avail yourself of the
numerous free listings magazines at nearly
all hotels and many restaurants. Most are
in English and Russian and are heavy with
ads but are full of information. Pick up a
copy of
The St. Petersburg Times,
a twice-
weekly English-language newspaper, for
local and international news.
City Layout
Peter the Great built his dream city on a
cluster of islands in the marshland of the
Gulf of Finland. To make sense of this
boggy site, he designed a network of canals
and bridges whose grueling construction
cost the lives of many of the city's builders.
The gift they left later generations is a city
of remarkable logic and beauty despite the
irregularity of its land.
The Neva River folds around the city
center in a rounded number
7,
taking in
water from the city's dozens of canals
before flowing out to the Baltic Sea. The
city's main land artery is Nevsky Prospekt,
3
GETTING AROUND ST.
PETERSBURG
Visitor Information
The
St. Petersburg City Tourist Office
is
quite modest for such a significant city,
with not much more to offer than most
hotels. Still, it's worth a visit to find out
