St Petersburg May 05 Independent or Specialized Tour?
Sep 12th, 2004, 01:44 PM
#22
Join Date: May 2004
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For the record, and because DJKBooks raised the issue about maps, English language maps are next to useless. I did get a free "English" tourist map that was an excellent map (and good souvenir), but please remember that street signs are in Cyrillic lettering only. If you cannot figure out the Cyrillic, you will not be able to compare the English language map with the street signs.
I finally ended up stopping in Dom Knigi (House of Books) on Nevsky Prospect (near the Nevsky Prospect Metro stop) and plowing through their tourist section comparing all the maps until I found what I wanted. I bought a map with an index that was in a book type format. That map did me well and there was no English lettering. To use the street index, you do need to know the Russian alphabet in order, by the way. It is not difficult to learn.
Getting a private guide is a way to maximize and personalize limited time. My problem with being guide dependant anywhere is that you really never learn how the city is put together. Sure you get mixed up soloing it, but you also learn where everything is quickly--and you have some interactions with locals that you never have when being dependant on guides.
Please note, before this is brought to your attention, that I went on an organized tour and was guide dependant about 80% of the time. When I went "off tour", however, I really enjoyed myself and did not find Petersburg anymore difficult to tackle solo than other European cities where I do not speak the language fluently.
Petersburg is a city with a rich history and much to see. You will not do it all in whatever time you have. It is a city like Paris, London or Rome that take a lifetime to know in depth.
I cannot wait to return to Petersburg!
I finally ended up stopping in Dom Knigi (House of Books) on Nevsky Prospect (near the Nevsky Prospect Metro stop) and plowing through their tourist section comparing all the maps until I found what I wanted. I bought a map with an index that was in a book type format. That map did me well and there was no English lettering. To use the street index, you do need to know the Russian alphabet in order, by the way. It is not difficult to learn.
Getting a private guide is a way to maximize and personalize limited time. My problem with being guide dependant anywhere is that you really never learn how the city is put together. Sure you get mixed up soloing it, but you also learn where everything is quickly--and you have some interactions with locals that you never have when being dependant on guides.
Please note, before this is brought to your attention, that I went on an organized tour and was guide dependant about 80% of the time. When I went "off tour", however, I really enjoyed myself and did not find Petersburg anymore difficult to tackle solo than other European cities where I do not speak the language fluently.
Petersburg is a city with a rich history and much to see. You will not do it all in whatever time you have. It is a city like Paris, London or Rome that take a lifetime to know in depth.
I cannot wait to return to Petersburg!
