Peter the Great Sightings! and other Saint Petersburg, Russia Tourist Trap Tips

Right by the Church on the Spilt Blood on Canal Griboedova you can often imagine Peter the Great or Ekaterina the Great walking around. It is not by chance. Costumed people walk the streets to get tourists to pay for a picture next to them.

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At Least Do This: If you want top get a picture of yourself posed with Peter the Great or Ekaterina the Great, pay some rubles and do it.
Alternative: You can probably stand back and get a picture of the scene for free.

Not many people know about it, but the first Thursday of each month is free admission in the Hermitage Museum and associated museums. Here you see the long line in January to get into the museum. The line is clear across Palace Square and takes about 3 hours to get into the museum!
On normal days when you buy a ticket the line is much shorter. If you come about 11 am on a normal day you may have to wait an hour to get in. Go earlier!

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At Least Do This: The museum opens at 10:30 inthe morning. Go at 10 and get in line.
They limited how many people go at one time because the cloakroom cannot handle too many people at one time.
Alternative: The Hermitage has many subsidiary museums also free, and no lines or crowds. If you find a long line on the Palace Square to go to the main Hermitage Museum, just cross the square to the General Staff building and see that part of the museum with no crowds.

There are rules against advertizing vodka, so enterprising vodka companies have learned to market water- Voda, looking like Vodka except for one letter :)

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At Least Do This: Laugh and drink warter from another company :)

Along the Canal Griboedova behind the Church on the Spilled Blood is the main outdoor souvenir market in St. Petersburg. All the tour buses dump out scores of tourists every hour. You have a better bargaining posiiton early or in the off-season when there are not so many tourists and many vendors.

You can find a smaller outdoor souvenir market by St. Isaac's Cathedral or Peter and Paul Fortress.
Nesting Matrushka dolls, t-shirts and other trinkets can be found.

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At Least Do This: If you see something you like, bargain for the best price. You can always get a discount. Usually several booths will have the same item, so you can move down the row asking for the best price.
Alternative: There are also souvenir shops in regular stores, such as Gostiniy Dvor along Nevsky Prospekt. For the best price get away from Nevsky Prospect.
Bookstores have nice postcard and calendar sections.

Also, think of alternatives. Nice flax or linen goods are classy souvenirs.

The date changes alittle every year for the opening of fountains. This year 2008 the fountains will open May 9th. You can check the official Peterhof website to see the date, time and the information about tickets.
http://www.peterhof.ru/

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At Least Do This: If you are a veteran of WWII you can go for free to see the opening seremony
Alternative: If there is no fun for you, you can see the fountains on the Neva river

It will be a high tickets price for the opening date but sure depend on you. Do you like to be in a crowd and see nothing but people?
We like to enjoy the nature, sit down on the banch by every fountain and just look at the water, at each other and listen the birds!
You can also get some picnic food and just go, any day!
You are welcome!

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Alternative: Go to the reastaurant in the Peterhof or get some food in the grocery by the entrance gates.

I read about a British tourist who had a very nice visit to an upscale souvenir shop called Northway, located at the English Embankment and Truda.
So why not give ti a go? He said he was greeted at the door with a glass of vodka and a smile ...
Well, they took one look at me and told me there was nothing here for me, entrance is only by private invitation or with tour group! Northway the Rude way.
Okay, it is a very good looking shop. And many nice things. But unless you enter dressed upscale with money hanging out of your pockets to be plucked, be ready to get forcibly removed from the premises. Face control. Hmmmmm.
Unless you look like a rich tourist, wide-naive eyes, large designer purses and fat wallets in your back pockets, better stick to the souvenir markets where normal manners and attitudes for customers can be found.

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At Least Do This: Well, if you manage to stay in the store, let me know how your experience went!
Alternative: Go to the main souvenir market by the Church on the Spilt Blood and haggle a little for typical souvenirs.
And there are wonderful elite souvenir galleries especially in major hotels and they are happy to see you even if you keep your wallet in your front pocket where they may not have a chance to get it!