Saint Petersburg Transportation Tips by filipdebont

'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: So my trip to Saint Petersburg started at the airport of Schiphol near Amsterdam, Holland.

So it was an early wake-up (3 P.M.), and then a trip by car towards the Dutch National Airport (300 km - 3 hours by car).

It was a rather short flight, only 2.15 h.

Do not forget, that there is a difference of time, in St Petersburg it is 2 hours later then in Holland.

I paid 400 euros for this flight (taxes included).

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Website: www.klm.nl

'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: After the necessary passport control, I left the airport building towards the bus stop.

There I had to wait for a short time till Bus Nr 13 arrived.

It was a small yellow bus, and quickly it was filled with travellers who wished to enter the city.

Bus Nr 13 brought us from the St Petersburg Airport, Poelkovo 2 towards the Subway station Moskovskaya.

Price for the trip from the airport towards the Moskovskaja Metro station : 14 Roubles. (1 Euro = 35 Roubles). By the way you do not need to buy a ticket, just pay the fee to the driver.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: So Bus Nr 13 brought me towards the Metro station of Moskovskaya, this Metro station is located at the Southern edge of the city.

The Metro stations can easily be recognised on the big blue M.

The Saint Petersburg Metro system has four different lines; each line has its own colour.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: In the beginning it was pretty difficult using this Metro system, because all the signs and the station names are in Cyrillic writing (so almost impossible to read, for a non-Russian).

Like this it is pretty impossible to find out which side of the metro station to choose in order to travel in the desired direction.

The only possibility was asking it at the locals, but that wasn't easy either as only few people did speak another foreign language (except from Russian of course).

For example look at the picture, the 4 characters symbolise the word Entry. The Exit sign looked a bit the same but had 6 characters (pronounced vychod).

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: To use the Saint Petersburg Metro system, you need to buy a token.

At the entry of each Metro station there was an ofice window (one or more).

The price for a token was really cheap, 1 token = 8 Roubles (1 Euro = 35 Roubles).

I bought 5 tokens (= 40 Roubles); like this I did not need to stand in line in front of the office window on my further Metro journeys.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: It was also possible to buy a 10 trip card. Such a card is even cheaper then 10 tokens, so you need to figure out how may times you are going to use the Metro system during your stay in St Petersburg.

So once you have bough a token you have to continue towards the tourniquets.

Insert your token, and walk quickly through the tourniquet system, waiting too long, could mean you have lost your token and need to insert a new one.

Some of these tourniquets are especially equipped for the use of the magnetic cards (10 trip card or monthly cards).

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: I had read in several travel guides that the Saint Petersburg Metro system, is one of the deepest Metro systems in the world.

Well this could be true, as the rolling staircases were very long; it looked as they had no ending. Surely these were the longest rolling staircases I ever used. The local people were even reading a book while using these staircases.

The reason for this depth is easy to understand, as the Metro system needs to pass underneath several rivers and canals.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: To it was very handy to have a good (small) Metro map, with the names of the Metro stations in Cyrillic writing. That way I could compare the words on the signs with my map, like this it was not so hard to find out which side of the Metro to choose.

Once you had chosen a side (read direction), well then it was the matter to know were to get out.

One method was counting the stations, as it is impossible to see the name of the station on a sign when it stops. So you need to count the number of stops.

Or you can (try) to listen to the announcements. But it a bit confusing as they first pronounce the next stop and then the second one. Also some names are pronounced differently then they are written.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: Well in fact, maybe this tip could also be placed under the Chapter Must See tips.

But of course it is very handy to use the Metro system, but you should also take some time to look around as some of these Metro stations are real pearls of architecture.

They used the best architects and artists to design these stations. They used all kind of materials like marble, granite. These Metro stations are decorated with statues, mosaics and chandeliers.

Some of the most beautiful stations are Avtovo with its pillars, and Kirovski Zavod, which looks like a basilica.

Be careful when you want to make a picture in the Metro, do it quickly and without using your flash, as it is not allowed.

See picture as this Metro station was decorated with Roman signs (Metro station: Ploshchad Vosstanija)

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: It must be a very special experience to use these Trolley busses.

You can see them everywhere, and mostly they are very, very crowded. So it might be a bit dangerous as a tourist, as this a good place to work for the pickpockets.

Same as on the busses you do not need to buy a ticket, you need to buy this on the bus.

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