Getting to / from St. Petersburg by plane,
by train, or by bus

By Air - St. Petersburg Airports

There are two major airports in St. Petersburg: Pulkovo I and Pulkovo II, both are located outside of the city to the south of St. Petersburg. Pulkovo II is the international airport. That's where your plane will land if you come from abroad.

Pulkovo 1 Airport.
The domestic airport, which serves flights within Russia and CIS countries as well as international charter flights.
Information: (+7 812) 104-3822, Internet: eng.pulkovo.ru

Pulkovo 2 Airport.
The international airport located closer to St. Petersburg, about 5 km from Pulkovo 1 airport (or 10 minute drive). The airport has all the necessary facilities, including shops, banks, ATMs, currency exchange, airlines offices, business center, luggage storage (opened 24 hours).
The nearest hotel is near metro Moskovskaya (30 mins from the airport).
Information: (+7 812) 104-3444, Internet: eng.pulkovo.ru

Public Transport to/from the Airports. You can take a bus or a shuttle (marshrutka) #13 (Pulkovo 2) or #39 (Pulkovo 1), which will take you from the airport to metro Moskovskaya (in 30-40 mins) and back. Then it should take about 25-30 mins by metro to the center. There is also a shuttle (marshrutka) #K-213 from Sennaya Ploschad metro to Pulkovo 2 airport.
By Taxi. A taxi from the airport costs about $25-$40 US, depending on the time of the day and your ability to negotiate. You can save money if you take a bus or shuttle #39 to Moskovskaya metro, and then take a taxi to the city from there.
By Car. Both Pulkovo airports are located to the south of St. Petersburg, Pulkovo II is closer to the city, than Pulkovo I. To get to the city by car, you'll need to go on Pulkovskoe shosse (E95, M20), which will then change to Moskovsky Prospekt. Moskovsky Propspekt leads directly to Sadovaya street and Nevsky prospekt. It is possible to rent a car in Pulkovo airport.
By Train. There's no train directly from the airport to the city, but in about 2km there's a train station 'Aeroport'. You can take a suburban train (elektrichka) from there and arrive to Baltiysky railway station.

By train: Train Stations in St. Petersburg

The Railway Stations. There are 5 stations in St. Petersburg, all of them located in the center, near the metro stations, and are easy to access. The area around the stations is not the most secure, but is not dangerous as well. Never take a taxi from the railway stations as you will most likely be overcharged 2-3 times. It makes more sense to order a taxi beforehand or to walk 5 minutes from the station and wave down a car.

Tickets for immediate departures can be bought at the train stations. It usually takes about 10-20 minutes to buy a ticket for a long-distance train, and 5 minutes to buy a ticket for a suburban train. You need to show your passport to buy a long-distance train ticket. You can also buy a train ticket at Railway Agency -- a central train tickets booking office. Open: 8.00 - 20.00 sun 8.00-16.00. Address: Griboedova Channel, #24, tel: (812) 162-3344. If you're buying a ticket in advance, it can be done directly at a train station, travel agency, or through the internet.

Moscow Station (Moskovsky Vokzal).
Directions to/from: Moscow, Novgorod, north of Russia (Arkhangelsk, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Murmansk), Urals (Ekaterinburg), South Russia (Krasnodar), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), Caucasus (Azerbaidzhan, Armenia, Georgia), Crimea.
There are several daily trains to Moscow, the most useful are night trains. The whole trip to Moscow takes around 8 hours, so if you leave in the night you will be in Moscow in the morning. Some night trains: #1, #3, #5, #9, #19, #25, #27. Day trains: #159 and the fast #157 (take 4-5 hours).
Address: Ploshad Vosstaniya, # 2. Metro: Ploshad Vosstaniya.

Vitebsk Station (Vitebsky Vokzal)
Directions to/from: suburban trains to Pushkin and Pavlovsk, trains to Ukraine (Kiev, Odessa), Belorussia (Minsk, Brest), Moldavia, Novgorod and Smolensk, some local trains (Pushkin, Pavlovsk).
Address: Zagorodny Prospekt, # 52. Metro: Pushkinskaya.

Warsaw Station (Varshavsky Vokzal)
Directions: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine (Lvov), Poland.
If you are going to travel to Poland, you can buy a direct ticket or try the cheaper opportunity. You buy a ticket to the Grodno (Belarus), then buy a ticket from Grodno to Poland for a polish train.
Address: Naberezhnaya Obvodnogo Kanala, #118. Metro: Baltiiskaya.

Finland Station (Finlandsky Vokzal)
Directions: local trains: Vyborg, Repino, Zelenogorsk.
Just after the revolution, in 1917, Vladimir Lenin arrived at this station and gave a historic speech from an armored car. In memory of that speech a statue of Lenin stands in front of the station.
Address: Ploshchad Lenina, #6. Metro: Ploshchad Lenina.

Ladozhsky Station
Directions: Helsinki (Finland), Petrozavodsk, Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Vorkuta, Urals, Kazakhstan.
The most modern train station in St. Petersburg, has all the necessary facilities: luggage storage (24h), bank, ATM, budget accommodation ($25/night), post office, rent-a-car, business center (with internet access).
Address: Zanevsky Prospekt, #73. Metro: Ladozhskaya, Tel: (+7 812) 436-5310 (24h). Internet: www.ladozhsky.spb.ru (in Russian)

There are three daily trains to Helsinki (Finland): finnish #33 "Sibelius" train, leaves in the afternoon; russian train #35 "Repin" train, leaves in the morning. Both these trains stop in Vyborg for customs. There's also "Lev Tolstoy" train that leaves during the night and arrives to Helsinki early in the morning.

A cheaper way: you take local train (electrichka) from St.-Petersburg to Vyborg and buy a ticket to the one of two St.-Petersburg-Helsinki trains.

Baltic Station (Baltiisky Vokzal)
Directions: local trains to Gatchina, Lomonosov and a lot of other places.
Address: Naberezhnaya Obvodnogo Kanala, # 120. Metro: Baltiiskaya.

By Bus: Bus Stations & Eurolines Terminal in
St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg Bus Station. Local and intercity buses. Buses to Novgorod every hour.
Address: Naberegnaya Obvodnogo Kanala, #36, Phone: (812) 166-5777, 7.00-22.00 (information).

Eurolines Russia / St. Petersburg. Buses to Estonia (Tallin), Finland (Helsinki), Latvia (Riga).
Address: nab. Obvodnogo Kanala, #118 ("Admiral" business center - to the right from Baltiyskaya metro station). Phones: (+7 8121) 441-3757, Email: eurolines@eurolines.ru

Savavto ticket office & buses (to/from Finland): St. Petersburg, Pulkovskaya Hotel, Pobedy square (p`loschad). Metro: Moskovskaya. Open hours: from 10.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 19.30 daily. Phone: (812) 123-5125