Notes on St. Petersburg
Jul 20th, 2017, 09:34 AM
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Notes on St. Petersburg
Since there's limited information available here about St. Petersburg, I'll add a bit about our trip which was from 13-18 July. There were three of us traveling: a "mature" couple and our 17 year old niece. It was cold, rainy and windy everyday, sunlight was in short supply. A touch of global warming might be appreciated here.
Hillary and Fake News at the airport
Before I start at the beginning, for the benefit of those who will stop reading soon, I'd like to describe our departure from St Petersburg's airport. The game plan was the same as in most airports: long baggage drop off lines, multiple security check points, passport control and unnecessary concern that we didn't have the same exit cards as some of the others in line.
We entered the international departures terminal through the requisite duty free shops with the requisite wares. What was astounding was that at upon leaving the duty free shop there was a multi screen electronic display which warned in English about fake news and the devil Hillary Clinton, sponsored by Russian English news channel. Certainly didn't expect that!
www.rt.com/document/596f7934dda4c8fe378b4567/amp
Hillary and Fake News at the airport
Before I start at the beginning, for the benefit of those who will stop reading soon, I'd like to describe our departure from St Petersburg's airport. The game plan was the same as in most airports: long baggage drop off lines, multiple security check points, passport control and unnecessary concern that we didn't have the same exit cards as some of the others in line.
We entered the international departures terminal through the requisite duty free shops with the requisite wares. What was astounding was that at upon leaving the duty free shop there was a multi screen electronic display which warned in English about fake news and the devil Hillary Clinton, sponsored by Russian English news channel. Certainly didn't expect that!
www.rt.com/document/596f7934dda4c8fe378b4567/amp
Jul 20th, 2017, 09:41 AM
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Getting there
We flew on Baltic Air to Pulkova (LED) airport from Vilnius,Lithuania with an hour long layover in Riga, Latvia. I was apprehensive about the carryon baggage restrictions for Baltic Air, since you are allowed for free one personal item and one smallish carryon bags with a combined weight of 8kg (about 18 pounds). Our bags met the size requirements but exceeded the weight by a lot. Checked bags are a steep 38€ each in advance or 60€ at the airport, so I didn't want to pay if I didn't have to. Carryon luggage was not weighed so my gamble paid off. (We also slightly exceeded the WizzAir size requirements flying from London to Vilnius without any consequences.) The only problem with Baltic Air was during online check in. You are asked for citizenship and country of residence. Oddly USA appears in the residence drop down list but not in the citizenship list. After repeatedly scrolling through the U countries, I finally scrolled down from the top and settled on American for citizenship.
Visas
I've detailed my experience with getting a Russian visa previously:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ssian-visa.cfm
Our visas were only good for July 13-18, the dates of the booked hotel reservation. The hotel was our "sponsor". I'm still unsure of how to get a longer duration visa without booking hotels for the entire time. I was concerned about what would happen if the outbound flight was cancelled or if some other unexpected event prevented our timely departure. I had read that there were stiff financial penalties and lots of paperwork if you leave after the visa expires. Fortunately this was but a hypothetical concern for us.
Taxis
Tales of taxi scams made me more cautious than usual so I booked a transfer to the hotel. This way at least I knew the amount of the scam. In retrospect I think that taking an official taxi from the airport for 1100 rubles (about $18) is the way to go. The hotel called a taxi for our return to the airport and that's what we paid.
In general our experience with taxis was absolutely awful. We took 3 taxis and they all had rigged meters and charged 1000 ($16) rubles for a couple of miles, probably 10 times the correct rate. We hailed them on the street when we needed them, instead of having the hotel call reputable companies. When you are caught in a downpour you just get into the cab. It may be true that taxis are cheap in St. Petersburg but it's certainly not the case that all taxis are cheap.
Based on our experiences very little English is spoken in St.Petersburg so it's difficult to nail down prices before getting into cabs. Meters run but show fictional amounts, so the usual strategy of making sure the meter is on doesn't work. We can read Cyrillic, which was helpful for signs, but we were mute when it came to negotiations. I don't know what the solution is to finding an honest taxi.
We flew on Baltic Air to Pulkova (LED) airport from Vilnius,Lithuania with an hour long layover in Riga, Latvia. I was apprehensive about the carryon baggage restrictions for Baltic Air, since you are allowed for free one personal item and one smallish carryon bags with a combined weight of 8kg (about 18 pounds). Our bags met the size requirements but exceeded the weight by a lot. Checked bags are a steep 38€ each in advance or 60€ at the airport, so I didn't want to pay if I didn't have to. Carryon luggage was not weighed so my gamble paid off. (We also slightly exceeded the WizzAir size requirements flying from London to Vilnius without any consequences.) The only problem with Baltic Air was during online check in. You are asked for citizenship and country of residence. Oddly USA appears in the residence drop down list but not in the citizenship list. After repeatedly scrolling through the U countries, I finally scrolled down from the top and settled on American for citizenship.
Visas
I've detailed my experience with getting a Russian visa previously:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ssian-visa.cfm
Our visas were only good for July 13-18, the dates of the booked hotel reservation. The hotel was our "sponsor". I'm still unsure of how to get a longer duration visa without booking hotels for the entire time. I was concerned about what would happen if the outbound flight was cancelled or if some other unexpected event prevented our timely departure. I had read that there were stiff financial penalties and lots of paperwork if you leave after the visa expires. Fortunately this was but a hypothetical concern for us.
Taxis
Tales of taxi scams made me more cautious than usual so I booked a transfer to the hotel. This way at least I knew the amount of the scam. In retrospect I think that taking an official taxi from the airport for 1100 rubles (about $18) is the way to go. The hotel called a taxi for our return to the airport and that's what we paid.
In general our experience with taxis was absolutely awful. We took 3 taxis and they all had rigged meters and charged 1000 ($16) rubles for a couple of miles, probably 10 times the correct rate. We hailed them on the street when we needed them, instead of having the hotel call reputable companies. When you are caught in a downpour you just get into the cab. It may be true that taxis are cheap in St. Petersburg but it's certainly not the case that all taxis are cheap.
Based on our experiences very little English is spoken in St.Petersburg so it's difficult to nail down prices before getting into cabs. Meters run but show fictional amounts, so the usual strategy of making sure the meter is on doesn't work. We can read Cyrillic, which was helpful for signs, but we were mute when it came to negotiations. I don't know what the solution is to finding an honest taxi.
Jul 20th, 2017, 09:46 AM
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Beginning with the end in mind?
I look forward to reading about your report on St. Petersburg... we were just there as part of a Baltic cruise, so interested in reading about what you saw. We'd like to visit on our own in the future.
Thanks.
I look forward to reading about your report on St. Petersburg... we were just there as part of a Baltic cruise, so interested in reading about what you saw. We'd like to visit on our own in the future.
Thanks.
Jul 20th, 2017, 10:20 AM
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If you don't want to use taxies, buses are easy to use in St. Petersburg if you have a working smart phone with mobile internet. You don't even need to read Cyrillic or a bus schedule; just let Google Maps guide you from your current location to the bus stop, get on the bus it tells you, get off when it tells you. Pay the conductor (or the driver if there's no conductor) 30 rubles and they'll give you a receipt. No transfers. They will make change but probably prefer exact change.
When I was in St. Petersburg, I marked off several spots on a Google Map ahead of time that I wanted to visit - some neat bridges scattered all over town. Then I would choose the point from my map and Google would tell me which buses to take (or how to walk to them). Quite easy.
Some American friends I met in St. Petersburg also used Uber there - sounds quite cheap. I did not.
When I was in St. Petersburg, I marked off several spots on a Google Map ahead of time that I wanted to visit - some neat bridges scattered all over town. Then I would choose the point from my map and Google would tell me which buses to take (or how to walk to them). Quite easy.
Some American friends I met in St. Petersburg also used Uber there - sounds quite cheap. I did not.
Jul 21st, 2017, 04:03 AM
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Hotels
I booked a five night stay at the Radisson Royal which is on Nevsky prospect, the main street that passes through the historic heart of the city. The Radisson has three person rooms, was advertised as close to restaurants and shops (17 year old!), was recently remodeled and the recent reviews were mostly positive. Too bad we didn't like it. The room was dark, drab and the hotel and the location were unappealing. The reservation was cancellable so we moved out after one night to the W.
The W was a little too edgy for us (at least for 2 out of 3 of us) but was in a great location next to St Isaac's cathedral and a 5 minute walk to the Hermitage. (When initially reserving a hotel I was concerned that the museum area was too isolated from the rest of the city. I was very wrong.) The W rooms were bright with large windows and modern bathrooms. There was also a rooftop terrace overlooking the city. But the W was not without problems. Our room had a discolored ceiling spot, presumably from water damage. I assumed they had not gotten around to painting it. Turns out there's no point in painting since there are still active eruptions occurring. Not good. Twice we experienced severe leaks. When checking out they couldn't explain a $900 charge to my credit card from the hotel. They claimed that they did not initiate it, suggesting that perhaps my credit card company manufactured the charge. Huh?! I did receive email later that day with a ridiculous explanation (our bank could not see it) and a promise to reverse the charge.
Tickets
Based on what I read I thought we would need to book tours to see the highlights of St Petersburg. I checked some of the recommended tour agencies and was appalled at the high prices--$500 for a 3 hour city tour?! We seldom take tours so I started researching what we could do on our own. The answer was pretty much everything. The critical element is to book tickets online so you don't have to waste time standing in long lines. I didn't want to book before arriving since many of the tickets are for specific dates and times and I didn't want to be tied to a rigid schedule. I thought the hotel concierge could get tickets for us since, based on checking dates online, there seemed to be lots of same day availability. This was not the case. Turns out that hotels can only book you a guide and ticket combo, not tickets alone. With an iPhone, WiFi and the hotel printer it was pretty easy to do it yourself, though there are some unusual quirks. Some websites require that you enter an email address to which a secret code is sent which you need to make the reservation. Make sure to read the section called Rules. My aol address wouldn't work for getting secret codes, gmail worked. You also need to enter a phone number of a fixed length so have your hotel number ready. US phone numbers are too short. Most of the time the printed tickets were just scanned at entry. At the Faberge museum the e-tickets had to be exchanged for "regular" tickets. There was a special line for those holding e-tickets.
At both St Isaac's and Spilled Blood you can also buy tickets from vending machines outside the churches. During the summer there are evening hours at both churches. The tickets are a little more expensive but the experience without the crowds is much better. I did mess up at the machine at St Isaac's. When I arrived the screen had Russian text on it. I put in my credit card thinking it would reset the machine and let me choose English as the language. Unfortunately it paid for the previous order which was left at the "insert your card to pay" stage. Seems you put in your card at the end. We ended up with two tickets to climb to the top of St Isaac's which was not the intent. Fortunately it was only a $6 mistake.
Tour of the Hermitage
I did book a tour of the Hermitage before arriving. It was supposed to be a small group (not more than 6 people) early admission tour ( $60 pp) lasting 3 hours. I thought that entering before the official opening would be good and that having some one lead us to the most important items would be helpful. I can't say this was successful. We met our tour leader and an additional group member at the appointed place at 9:40. The tour leader then proceeded to talk outside about the buildings for almost an hour, despite the fact that this was an Inside-the- Hermitage-only tour. It turns out that "early admission" times and tickets are generated each morning and our "early admission" time was at 10:25, only 5 minutes before the official opening time. (That's what we were told. Who knows if it was true.) The guide did her best but the crowds were huge, her monologue tedious, and the overall experience mediocre. But we did "see" the Hermitage. No doubt there's a better way to do this.
Peterhof
After the crowds at the Hermitage we decided not to attempt the palace at Peterhof but to just to see the lower gardens. We chose the first sunny morning (there was only one) and caught a ferry in front of the Admirality building (30 minutes). On the ferry you have the opportunity to hear sales pitches for umbrellas, books, dvds, wallets, calendars, etc. We had bought online entry tickets for the lower gardens so we entered immediately. At the main fountain in front of the palace we saw little 9 persons motorized carts and took a 30 minute tour (900 rubles) of the grounds. That was a great way to see all of the main fountains without expending a lot of effort. Before heading back we had a leisurely lunch at the Shtandart restaurant. Most lunches and dinners are very leisurely. Restaurants either make everything from scratch or have underpowered microwaves or some combination. By the time we returned to St Petersburg it was once again cold and rainy.
I booked a five night stay at the Radisson Royal which is on Nevsky prospect, the main street that passes through the historic heart of the city. The Radisson has three person rooms, was advertised as close to restaurants and shops (17 year old!), was recently remodeled and the recent reviews were mostly positive. Too bad we didn't like it. The room was dark, drab and the hotel and the location were unappealing. The reservation was cancellable so we moved out after one night to the W.
The W was a little too edgy for us (at least for 2 out of 3 of us) but was in a great location next to St Isaac's cathedral and a 5 minute walk to the Hermitage. (When initially reserving a hotel I was concerned that the museum area was too isolated from the rest of the city. I was very wrong.) The W rooms were bright with large windows and modern bathrooms. There was also a rooftop terrace overlooking the city. But the W was not without problems. Our room had a discolored ceiling spot, presumably from water damage. I assumed they had not gotten around to painting it. Turns out there's no point in painting since there are still active eruptions occurring. Not good. Twice we experienced severe leaks. When checking out they couldn't explain a $900 charge to my credit card from the hotel. They claimed that they did not initiate it, suggesting that perhaps my credit card company manufactured the charge. Huh?! I did receive email later that day with a ridiculous explanation (our bank could not see it) and a promise to reverse the charge.
Tickets
Based on what I read I thought we would need to book tours to see the highlights of St Petersburg. I checked some of the recommended tour agencies and was appalled at the high prices--$500 for a 3 hour city tour?! We seldom take tours so I started researching what we could do on our own. The answer was pretty much everything. The critical element is to book tickets online so you don't have to waste time standing in long lines. I didn't want to book before arriving since many of the tickets are for specific dates and times and I didn't want to be tied to a rigid schedule. I thought the hotel concierge could get tickets for us since, based on checking dates online, there seemed to be lots of same day availability. This was not the case. Turns out that hotels can only book you a guide and ticket combo, not tickets alone. With an iPhone, WiFi and the hotel printer it was pretty easy to do it yourself, though there are some unusual quirks. Some websites require that you enter an email address to which a secret code is sent which you need to make the reservation. Make sure to read the section called Rules. My aol address wouldn't work for getting secret codes, gmail worked. You also need to enter a phone number of a fixed length so have your hotel number ready. US phone numbers are too short. Most of the time the printed tickets were just scanned at entry. At the Faberge museum the e-tickets had to be exchanged for "regular" tickets. There was a special line for those holding e-tickets.
At both St Isaac's and Spilled Blood you can also buy tickets from vending machines outside the churches. During the summer there are evening hours at both churches. The tickets are a little more expensive but the experience without the crowds is much better. I did mess up at the machine at St Isaac's. When I arrived the screen had Russian text on it. I put in my credit card thinking it would reset the machine and let me choose English as the language. Unfortunately it paid for the previous order which was left at the "insert your card to pay" stage. Seems you put in your card at the end. We ended up with two tickets to climb to the top of St Isaac's which was not the intent. Fortunately it was only a $6 mistake.
Tour of the Hermitage
I did book a tour of the Hermitage before arriving. It was supposed to be a small group (not more than 6 people) early admission tour ( $60 pp) lasting 3 hours. I thought that entering before the official opening would be good and that having some one lead us to the most important items would be helpful. I can't say this was successful. We met our tour leader and an additional group member at the appointed place at 9:40. The tour leader then proceeded to talk outside about the buildings for almost an hour, despite the fact that this was an Inside-the- Hermitage-only tour. It turns out that "early admission" times and tickets are generated each morning and our "early admission" time was at 10:25, only 5 minutes before the official opening time. (That's what we were told. Who knows if it was true.) The guide did her best but the crowds were huge, her monologue tedious, and the overall experience mediocre. But we did "see" the Hermitage. No doubt there's a better way to do this.
Peterhof
After the crowds at the Hermitage we decided not to attempt the palace at Peterhof but to just to see the lower gardens. We chose the first sunny morning (there was only one) and caught a ferry in front of the Admirality building (30 minutes). On the ferry you have the opportunity to hear sales pitches for umbrellas, books, dvds, wallets, calendars, etc. We had bought online entry tickets for the lower gardens so we entered immediately. At the main fountain in front of the palace we saw little 9 persons motorized carts and took a 30 minute tour (900 rubles) of the grounds. That was a great way to see all of the main fountains without expending a lot of effort. Before heading back we had a leisurely lunch at the Shtandart restaurant. Most lunches and dinners are very leisurely. Restaurants either make everything from scratch or have underpowered microwaves or some combination. By the time we returned to St Petersburg it was once again cold and rainy.
Jul 21st, 2017, 04:39 AM
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I've stayed at the Radisson Royal and really liked the location and the hotel. Most of the sights are walkable and easy to see without a guide, no idea where the impression is given that you need to book a guide to see the highlights of the city.
Jul 21st, 2017, 05:47 AM
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"Based on what I read I thought we would need to book tours to see the highlights of St Petersburg. "
I agree with Odin.
The city is walkable , it is easy to cover the highlights without a guide.
Metro is tourist friendly. The hotel told me what buses to take to certain destinations. It was easy.
I purchased two day Hermitage ticket on line, picked it up and walked in without standing in line.
( it was mid July , so it was crowded).
One does not have to have " sponsorship" from the hotel...it is available on line
from tourist organizations (for small some).
I stayed at an excellent hotel ,Helvetia ( I think it is Swiss owned) one metro stop
south of the river, two min. to Nevsky Prospect.
I found NP. an interesting and lively street day and night.
. The only time I took a taxi was from the airport (at the set price) ...900 rubles.
It seems like you had a disapinting stay To bad.
SP and Moscow are great cities.
I agree with Odin.
The city is walkable , it is easy to cover the highlights without a guide.
Metro is tourist friendly. The hotel told me what buses to take to certain destinations. It was easy.
I purchased two day Hermitage ticket on line, picked it up and walked in without standing in line.
( it was mid July , so it was crowded).
One does not have to have " sponsorship" from the hotel...it is available on line
from tourist organizations (for small some).
I stayed at an excellent hotel ,Helvetia ( I think it is Swiss owned) one metro stop
south of the river, two min. to Nevsky Prospect.
I found NP. an interesting and lively street day and night.
. The only time I took a taxi was from the airport (at the set price) ...900 rubles.
It seems like you had a disapinting stay To bad.
SP and Moscow are great cities.
Jul 21st, 2017, 06:29 AM
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Thank you for this information, Marija. When I told a Swedish friend that I thought a fully guided tour made sense to me, she said, "Bah! Just fly to Helsinki and take the ferry over to St. Petersburg."
Based upon your TR, I think I'll go back to the guided tour!
How many days do you (and others, please) suggest one should stay in St. Petersburg?
Based upon your TR, I think I'll go back to the guided tour!
How many days do you (and others, please) suggest one should stay in St. Petersburg?
Jul 21st, 2017, 07:22 AM
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TDudette, I did what your Swedish friend did, last year, and it worked out fine for me. I didn't feel a need for a guided tour, either. I did my visit as a 72 hour "visa free" visit, but you can take the ferry even if you get a visa. The ferry was a lot of fun.
