Saint Petersburg Local Custom Tips by HORSCHECK

Russia has a wide range of local beers. I tried a few different brands and found them all tasty. Among them were Baltika, Tinkoff, Botchkarev and Nevsky.
One of the most popular Russian beers is Baltika which has also a brewery in St. Petersburg. Their different brands are identifiable by a number on the label. My favourite is Baltika 3, which is a classic lager with about 4,8 % alcohol.

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Website: http://www.baltika.ru/

Bliny are flat pancakes which are usually stuffed with different fillings from sweet to sour. Amon them are sour cream, jam, honey, mushrooms, ham, cheese or even fish.

They are often eaten for breakfast, but you also get them from small kiosks all around St. Petersburg. A bliny costs about 30 Rubles (2005).

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When travelling to Russia be prepared that almost everything is only written in cyrillic letters. Only at airports, a few main train stations and the main sights you will find some English translations. The metro for example doesn't have any English translations. Apart from that not many people speak English. So when you are travelling without a guided group it is highly recommended to at least be able to read the cyrillic letters.
It is helpful to know a few Russian words:

Thank you = spassibo
Please = poshalsta
Good day = sdraswstwujtje
Entrance = wchod
Exit = wychod
Beer = pivo

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Russia is a country of cash, so it is best to pay cash. In the last years the Russian Ruble has been relatively stable, so it is best to pay in Russian Rubles instead of other currencies.

I saw several Americans who wanted to pay in US Dollars but the shops refused to take them. Credit Cards are accepted in a few places like hotels, restaurants or airports.

There are enough cash points all over the town; you find at least one at every metro station.

Apart from that, there are plenty of exchange offices in the city centre. Their rates vary slightly. I would recommend you to ask how many Roubles you really get for your currency, just to make sure that no commission is added.

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Unfortunately, you still need a visa for travelling to Russia. The most common visa is the tourist visa. If you are on a package tour most formalities are sorted out for you by the travel agency. If you are an independent traveller you firstly need an invitation letter from a prebooked accomodation. With this invitation you can apply for the visa at your local embassy. On arrival in Russia you should get an Immigration Card and if you plan to stay more than 3 days you finally need a registration in Russia.

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Website: http://www.visatorussia.com/

Unfortunately, you won't find many public toilets (tualet or WC) in the big cities of Russia. Around the main tourists sights there are always a few chemical toilets which can be used for a small charge of 5 or 10 Rubles. Of course you won't find a sink there.
So one of the best options for toilets still is Mc Donalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Both have a few branches all over the town, especially along Nevsky Prospekt. Apart from that, I have heard that it is widely accepted to use the toilets of restaurants or cafes even when you aren't a customer.

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