St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful, cosmopolitan and modern cities in Russia. Baroque and neoclassical sumptuous buildings, dynamic nightlife, amazing history and rich cultural scene are all part of what there is to be found in this dazzling imperial city. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

REASONS TO GO

The “Venice of the North”: 42 islands, 349 bridges and 150 imperial palaces

The Isaac Cathedral, the Hermitage, Kirov, the beautiful Nevsky Prospekt Avenue

The White Nights during the longest days of the year, in the end of June

BEST TIME TO GO 

Saint Petersburg’s weather is a humid continental climate, which makes the city, compared to other Russian cities, very pleasant to visit all through the year. During winter expect long nights, cold and snow, but also a very active cultural scene. A good time to travel is during mid-summer when the city experiences the magic of White Nights. It goes from late May until early July.

ORIENTATION

St. Petersburg has close to 4.7 million inhabitants and is located on the Baltic Sea and on the banks and islands of the Neva River. The city centre is well organized and designed. The most important and oldest street in St. Petersburg is the long Nevsky Prospect, where the principal railway station is to be found, as well as many shopping stores, cafes, hotels and tourist attractions.

HOW TO GET THERE

Pulkovo II International Airport

You can take the transfer shuttles (marshrutka) nr.13 (from terminal 2) or nr. 39 (from terminal 1), which will take you from the airport to the metro station Moskovskaya (in 30-40 minutes). Then it should take about 25-30 minutes by metro to the centre.

By train

Saint Petersburg is a major rail hub. The 5-hour train ride from Helsinki is an easy way to reach the city. Trains also connect to destinations in the Baltic and Central Europe.

TRAVELLING AROUND

By Foot

St. Petersburg has a good city centre to visit walking. Most tourist attractions in the centre are only a half-hour's promenade from the Nevsky Prospect.

Close to Nevsky you can also discover several famous squares, including: Dvortsovaya Ploshchad (Palace Square), flanked by the Winter Palace (Hermitage Museum), Dekabristov Ploshchad (Decembrist Square), and the glorious St. Isaac's Square, home to St. Isaac's Cathedral. Letny Sad (the Summer Gardens) has beautiful garden and park areas.

By Metro

Saint Petersburg's metro  is the cheapest and most efficient way to travel around the city, and also a major tourist attraction with its beautiful stations.

By bus or trolleybus

Buses (автобус) and trolleybuses (троллейбус) are cheap and regular and quite overcrowded most of the times.

By Marshrutnoye Taksi

The marshrutka, or shared taxi, has the advantage of carrying fewer people than a regular city bus or metro and charging just a few rubles more.

By Taxi

Many private drivers are pleased to take you a ride for a few extra rubles, so taxis are cheap and very easy to find. When you go on the street just make a sign and some driver will stop. Safety is of course an issue. Be aware of the fact that some less serious people can charge you overpriced rates. Try to agree on the fare before entering in the car. You can always call an official taxi to take you to your destiny.

TIP

At night the main bridges over the Neva River are drawn up because of the boat traffic. Unless you are travelling by metro, remember to make it to your side of the river in time; or else, you can get yourself stuck on the wrong side until early morning. Check here the bridges schedule.

The bridges are not an issue in the wintertime as the river is frozen and blocked to boats.

INFO

www.saint-petersburg.com