St Petersburg Essentials

St Petersburg Essentials & Tourist Information

Currency	Rouble
Flight Time	UK 3 Hours 40 minutes approx
Time Zone	GMT +3 Hours
Language	Russian
Voltage	220 V AC (two-pin plugs)

St Petersburg Tourist Attractions
There is a wealth of dazzling buildings and ornate monuments to see during a stay in St Petersburg and the Russian Museum, housed in a maze of buildings and imperial palaces, is simply essential for lovers of Russian art and history. With everything from 13th century icons to avant garde paintings, the variety of exhibits is astounding and a whole afternoon's viewing is required to fully appreciate it. It is open daily until 5pm and costs 300Rbl, which also allows entry into the Stroganov Palace, Marble Palace and Mikhailovsky Castle which also host temporary exhibitions. One of the city’s most beautiful and memorable landmarks is the curiously named Church of the Saviour on the Spilt Blood. It got its name because it was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 and features vividly coloured onion domes which can be seen across the city. The interior is covered with magnificent mosaics throughout, each depicting a Biblical theme and entrance to all areas costs 170Rbl.

Russian Phrases For Tourists  

Yes	Da		Museum	Musey
No	Net		Hotel	gostinitsa
Excuse me	Yzveenee		Train	poezd
Please	Pozhaluista		Police	militsia
Thank you very much	Spaseebo balshoye		Street	ulitsa
Do you speak English?	Vy gavareeteh pa anglisky?		Post office	pochta
I do not understand	Ya ne paneemau		Left	levo
Could you speak slowly?	Gavareeteh medlenie		Right	pravo

 
St Petersburg Opening Hour
24 hour shopping is now part of Russian life and there are many convenience stores and supermarkets which operate round the clock in St Petersburg. Normal shopping hours are 9am to 7pm Monday to Saturday with most food stores open on Sundays. Local banking hours are Monday-Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm.

Tipping & Etiquette in St Petersburg
Tipping in restaurants and hotels is not obligatory and is left entirely at your own discretion, although 10% of any bill is considered sufficient. By saying a simple 'thank you' when paying your bill automatically implies that the change does not need to be returned. Tour guides and taxi drivers will expect a small reward which is again up to your own judgement. Foreign currency transactions should only be carried out at official money changers and banks and must be recorded on the currency declaration form which is issued on arrival into Russia. Good quality US Dollar notes are easiest to exchange.  

St Petersburg Food & Drink
Although St Petersburg has a fabulous range of restaurants serving cuisine from every corner of the globe, the city still has a culinary heritage of its own which still remains as strong today. A browse through any traditional menu will see many hearty dishes consisting of beef or pork, potatoes, bread and eggs - all vital ingredients in local food. Boiled beef tongue served with horseradish and salted cucumbers are two of the most popular appetizers and a plate of black caviar is simply a must while in St Petersburg. Soups are an important part of the local diet and the ever popular Borcsh - made of beef, chicken, beetroot and sour cream has an unique and delicious taste or sample a cold kvas soup of vegetables, potato, eggs and spices. Herring is an incredibly popular dish and comes in many forms such as seledka pod shuboy, which consists of small pieces of fish mixed with boiled potato, beetroot, carrot and mayonnaise.

St Petersburg Useful Numbers
• Calling the UK from St Petersburg – 0044 + area code minus zero + number
• Police – 112
• Ambulance – 112
• Fire – 112

Disabled Access in St Petersburg
Only a small percentage of museums and attractions in St Petersburg are fully accessible to disabled visitors - these include the Hermitage and the Russian Museum. Elsewhere the picture is much rosier with most services in and out of the mainline rail station equipped for passengers with special needs. There is also a large fleet of adapted minivans with English speaking drivers available to charter. There is quite a good variety of hotels in St Petersburg that provide disabled facilities such as lifts to all floors and adapted bathrooms. 

Russian Embassies
• British 191124 St Petersburg Pl. Proletarskoy Diktatury, 5 Telephone: 007 812 320 3200
• Russian Embassy 5 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QS Telephone: 020 7229 8027

St Petersburg City Breaks  Getting Around St Petersburg

Things To Do In St Petersburg  St Petersburg Weather