Getting around St. Petersburg by metro, public transport, taxi, rent-a-car.

contents: metro • metro map • public transport • shuttles • taxi • bus stations • river port •rent-a-car •• the bridges schedule

St. Petersburg Metro Map

St. Petersburg Metro: It is easy to use it, although there are no signs in English. As you can see on the metro scheme (size: 80kb - it'll take around 20-30 seconds to download it @28.8kbs) there are just 4 lines. Metro entrances are marked with a blue letter "M" on top. The metro is opened from 5.45 a.m. to 0.15 a.m. Usually the last train in the line starts its way at 0.00 and the passes between the stations are closed at 0.15 am. When there're rush hours 8.00-9.00, 17.00-19.00 the metro is overcrowded so it's better to avoid it. Note: There is a reconstruction of tunnel sector between Pl. Muzhestva station and Lesnaya. If you are riding to Ploshad Muzhestva or further down this line, you will have to go out at Lesnaya station and use a bus # 80 (free), which is doing the same metro route.
Orientation. There are metro schemes only in russian in every car, sometimes there are schemes at the stations. It might be useful to print out our metro scheme or to buy it somewhere. When you're on the station and want to find out the direction you need just look up there're signs hanging on the ceiling - signs are in russian too - a list of stations in every direction. If you need to find a way out of the metro also look up to see where the exit to the city is ("Exit to the city) and to which street (ulitsa). If you need to find a pass to another station, also look up for ("PassageÖ") signs.
Tickets. The metro has no special zones - all metro is one zone, and there's no time limit for using your ticket. So you can buy a ticket or a coin ("zheton") for 5 roubles for one trip (0.16$) and spend as much time inside as you like. A good way to save money is to buy a card for many rides - the price of one ride will be cheaper then.

Buses, Trolleys, Trams. Bus - av`tobus. Trolleybus- tro`leibus. Tram - tram`vai .
Most of them don't go on the schedule, and the average waiting time can be from 5-10 minutes to 40 minutes in the evenings. The hours of work are from 6:00 until 24:00. The bus stops are yellow plates marked with "A" signs, trolleys' - white plates with "T" and trams' with "Tp". The city transport stops working after 24:00 and starts working after 6:00. There are no night buses or trolleys or trams. If you're late, you can take a taxi.
A ticket for one trip costs 4 roubles, you can buy a pack of ten tickets for 40 roubles ($1.5). You can buy the tickets from the driver, in the metro and also in some buses there are conductors selling the tickets. I don't buy the tickets because choppers are rare. Even if there is someone checking the ticket the fee will be just 10 roubles ($0,3), you can pay a fee right in the bus and continue your trip.
There are a some "express buses" which is privatly owned. These buses are marked with letter "T" before the line number (for example exprss T-20 runs along regular 10 bus route). They are more expensive and less crowded than the standard buses. Usual passes and tickets can't be used on these; pay the driver a flat fare (6 roubles = $0.2) as you get off. These buses can stop almost anywhere along the route for passengers to get on or off.


Marshrutka. Is a minibus. They usually have the same numbers as the buses or trolleys and go the same route. This kind of public transport is very popular and have even replaced some bus routes. If you see an approaching shuttle just wave it down like a taxi. You must pay for a trip from 5 to 15 roubles ($0.17 to 0.5) to the driver when you come out. When you are near your stop just say aloud to the driver where to stop. He will understand if you just say "Stop!" or more polite "Ostano`vite po`zhaluista" (stop please).

Taxi or Cars. You can use any car as a taxi, most of the private drivers will make you a lift but only for money. It's better to negotiate the price before starting a trip (even cabmen don't like to use counters). When the driver recognizes you as a foreigner, he will try to make you pay the highest price - so bargain. It is a good way to find out a typical price (ask natives) before. Most of the drivers will accept us dollars if you don't have roubles. Prices are low enough, so it is a good way of transporting - usually it costs around 100 roubles (4$) to get from the outskirts of city to the centrum and it's around 30 roubles (1.$) to move around the centrum. I usually calculate 30 R ($1) for every 10 minutes.
Using taxis is more safe and sometimes even cheaper, but there are not many taxis on the streets, only in lively places. Usually taxis take around 10 roubles for one kilometer and they start at 30 roubles.
Taxis from the airports are more expensive: for example, it costs about $30 to get from Pulkovo II int'l airport to the centrum of the city.
You can phone these numbers to order a taxi: (812) 242-2022, (812) 315-0077 (daily).

Bus Stations

ST. PETERSBURG AUTOBUS STATION. Buses to Novgorod every hour.
Address: Naberegnaya Obvodnogo Kanala, #36, Phone: (812) 166-5777, 7.00-22.00 (information).

Rent-a-Car.
To rent a car you need to have your driving license, at least one year experience, and to be minimum 21 years old. All the companies prefer booking, but in most of the cases you can easily rent a car right in the office.

Hertz. Offer cars with or without drivers. Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, Diners Club, EuroCard/MasterCard, JCB.
Address: Pulkovo Airport, Terminal 1 and 2, arrival halls.; Opened: 10.00 - 22.00 (daily), phone: (812) 324-3242, internet: http://www.hertz.com/

Biracs. Cars without drivers. They offer some models of Volkswagen (Bora, Polo, Passat) and Toyota Avensis. The cheapest car to rent is VW Bora for 49$ per day.
Credit cards accepted: American Express, Diners Club, Maestro, MasterCard/EuroCard, UnionCard, Visa, Visa Electron.
Address: Boytsova per the Sadovaya ul., pass the park on your left (this park is called Usupovsky sad), take the first turn to the left as you pass the park. This is Boytsova per.., #8. Metro: Sadovaya. Go straight ahead as you exit the station along. Opened: mon-fri: 9.00 - 19.00, sat-sun: 10.00 - 18.00; phone: (812) 310-5356, fax: (812) 319-4849; Internet: http://www.biracs.ru/ (all the prices and conditions in English).

Rolf-Neva. Basically, it is Mitsubishi dealer, but they offer the cars to rent also. You can rent car with or without driver. They offer Mitsubishi only. The cheapest is Lancer for 60 US$ per day.
Address: Vitebsky prospect, #17/10. Metro: Park Pobedy. Take the bus #63 as you exit the metro. You need to exit the bus at the "Vitebsky prospect" station. Opened: 8.00-20.00 (daily); phones: (812) 327-0660, 320-0044; fax: 327-0660; Internet: http://www.rolfrent.ru

St. Petersburg Bridges Schedule. There are many bridges in St.Petersburg and the largest ones across Neva river are lifted at the following times (a.m.)
Volodarskiy 2.00 - 3.45 and 4.15 - 5.45
Alexandra Nevskogo 1.30 - 5.05
Liteiny 1.50 - 4.40
Troitskiy 1.50 - 4.50
Dvortsovy 1.35-2.55 and 3.15 - 4.50
Leytenanta Shmidta 1.40 - 4.55
Birzhevoy 2.10 - 4.50
Tuchkov 2.10 - 3.05 and 3.35 - 4.45
Sampsoniyevskiy 2.10 - 2.45 and 3.20 - 4.25
Grenaderskiy 2.45 - 3.45 and 4.20 - 4.50
Kantemirovskiy 2.45 - 3.45 and 4.20 - 4.50