When You Go -- St. Petersburg, Russia

Getting There: Depending on the U.S. departure city, airlines serving St. Petersburg's International Airport include Aeroflot, Air France, American, Finnair, Lufthansa, Northwest, SAS, and United Airlines. The 1-800 phone numbers and Web links for these airlines are available at this magazine’s Airlines page. Visitors to St. Petersburg can opt for walking or use public transportation: taxi, bus, and ferries. The intricacies associated with renting a car are not recommended. Expedia.com provides good options for searching for air, hotel, or Baltic Sea cruise packages that include St. Petersburg in their itinerary.

Major guidebooks give a full rundown on the important administrative requirements for visas and documentation required at hotels or other lodging establishments. If St. Petersburg is part of a Baltic Sea cruise itinerary, the documentation requirements are handled directly with the cruise line company.

Staying There: Lodging and eating establishments are described in detail in Rick Steves Russia and the Baltics. Rick Steves also gives excellent advice on sites and suggested itineraries. Lonely Planet St. Petersburg is also recommended. See the link below to amazon.com books. Additional Web links below provide information on history, sites, lodging and eating.

Fast Facts: St. Petersburg's population of 4 million residents speaks Russian. Little English is spoken, although the major tourist sites speak some English. The use of an experienced English-speaking Russian tour guide is strongly recommended for all first-time visitors. The currency is the ruble (~ 30 RUB to 1 USD).

Map
Map courtesy: Lonely Planet Destination St. Petersburg