Saint Petersburg Transportation Tips by HORSCHECK

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: I arrived in St Petersburg by train from Helsinki. Trains from Finland arrive at Ladozhsky Station in St. Petersburg and the trip takes about 6 hours. There are three daily trains serving this route.
I left St. Petersburg by train from Moskovsky Station to Moscow. Depending on the train the trip takes between 5 and 8 hours.
Most of the trains serving this route are night trains.

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Website: http://www.rzd.ru/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The most efficient and fastest way to explore St. Petersburg is by metro. It consists of 4 colour coded lines. During peak times the frequency is less than 2 min. The metro works on a flat fare, therefore a single token is 10 Rubles (2005). Discount cards with 10 or 25 trips are available.

Be prepared that everything in the metro is only written in cyrillic and metro station signs at the platforms are rare. So the best way to not lose orientation is to listen to the announcements on the trains. Firstly you will hear the arrival station, followed by the next station. If you have lost orientation just get off at a station and read the signs carefully, the next train will arrive in less than 2 min.

At stations where two or more lines meet, the interchange stations often have different names. This can be a bit confusing. It is most helpful to have a metro map with the stations in cyrillic and latin letters. For more info about the metro, please have a look at my "General Tips".

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: If you feel like taking a tram in St. Petersburg you should know that St. Petersburg has the most extensive tram network with the most trams in the world. Even though most of the trams are quite old, a trip by tram has its own charm and you can look out of the window while the tram is shaking you all over.
All trams have a conductor on board, so you directly pay the flat fare of 10 rubles (2005) in cash to the conductor, who will come to you to collect the money.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Besides the local buses, St Petersburg's public transport also consists of marshrutkas (minibuses). They usually follow a fixed route between the city centre and the suburbs. You can hail one or get off wherever you want. The flat fare is displayed on the windscreen and depends on the route, but it is usully something between 10 and 30 Rubles (2005). Just hand the money over to the driver when entering a marshrutka.
It can be a bit tricky to use them, but just watch and observe the locals before trying it yourself. If you are unsure feel free to ask the locals. They are usually friendly and helpful. I used a marshrutka together with VT member yumyum to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) and found it quite convenient and inexpensive for the 25 km.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Of course St. Petersburg is a huge metropolis, therefore large distances are best covered by public transportation.

Nevertheless, it is sometimes recommended to walk even long distances to get a good idea of the city besides the main sights.

You always come across something interesting which might not be mentioned in your guide book.

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