St. Petersburg Hotels

St. Petersburg's capacity for overnight visitors is rather small: 139 hotels can accommodate 36,000 people. By 2010 St. Petersburg plans to have added dozens of new hotels, yet with tourism projected to bring 5 million visitors a year by 2010, some unfortunate tourists will be well exposed to the White Nights in the high season of May and June. What the city especially lacks are two- and three-star hotels, which would be a welcome alternative to the predominance of expensive ones.

On an organized tour, you're likely to land in one of the old Intourist standbys, which used to belong to the Soviet tourist agency that enjoyed a monopoly. Most U.S. and British tour operators take advantage of the discounted rates at the Moskva, the Pribaltiyskaya, the Pulkovskaya, or the St. Petersburg. These hotels were built in the late '70s and early '80s, and though they are dated, many of them were spruced up in time for St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary celebrations. The facilities at these hotels are fairly uniform and generally include several restaurants and perhaps business services and pools; many hotels are slowly improving their facilities to meet Western standards. The service, though mildly unpredictable, is perfectly acceptable—provided you don't expect royal treatment. The main reason to choose one of these hotels is their lower rates; note that many of them are not convenient to the major attractions.

If you want insulation from the uglier side of life here, however, plan to shell out a substantial sum for a higher level of accommodation. Almost all of the hotels with Web sites have online booking facilities, though you should follow up such applications with phone calls.

An expanding number of realty agents can organize a suitable and safe apartment rental, usually in the center of the city. The prices for such apartments usually run the level of three-star hotels, but they often have much more space and you can also share the expenses with your traveling companions.

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