See this site for info on Russian visas:
http://www.waytorussia.net/RussianVisa/

Also check the Russian embassy/consulate website for your country.

"it seems crazy to need a visa for such a short trip." If a country is going to require visas, why should the length of (stated) intended stay make any difference? The Russians, have, however, relaxed the requirements if you're on a short cruise just to St. P.

'''it seems crazy to need a visa for such a short trip." If a country is going to require visas, why should the length of (stated) intended stay make any difference? The Russians, have, however, relaxed the requirements if you're on a short cruise just to St. P.''

Thanks for the link! I get what you're saying, I'm just comparing Russia with the U.S., where E.U. citizens don't need a visa for visits under 90 days. That said, I don't know what the deal is with Russians coming into the EU for holidays-not being Russian, I never thought to ask!

I was interested enough to go check on what a Russian national would have to do to get a tourist visa for the UK. The Russian procedure doesn't look quite so bad... The Russians want to know where you'll stay, the UK wants to know how much money you earn and what you do with it. On the other hand, the Russian visa is (or was) only good for 28 days, and the UK gives six months.

Go here: http://www.ukvac-ru.com/
and here: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/resources/.../1903073/VAF1A

Several years ago, we visited Finland (Helsinki and Lapland) and then took the train to St Petersburg. It was an easy and pleasant trip that I would definitely recommend. Helsinki is interesting and St Petersburg is beyond wonderful. We had been to St Petersburg previously but it is worth returning to over and over! I booked everything on the internet and got the visa myself by following the instructions by "Everbrite" on LonelyPlanet.com. She is definitely the "go-to" person for information on Russia.