Saint-Petersburg is the second biggest city in Russia. Following closely the capital, Saint-Petes has developed huge transport infrastructure. There are offices of international organizations, Embassies and Consulates. The Saint-Petersburg area is about 1,439 sq.km.

Saint-Petersburg is often called the Northern Venice. The city is located on the East coast of the Finnish Gulf, Baltic Sea and is an administrative centre of the North-West Federal District which includes the following regions of the Russian Federation - Karelia Republic, Komi Republic, Arkhangelsk region, Vologda region, Kaliningrad region, Leningrad region, Murmask region, Novgarod, Pskov regions and Nenetsky autonomous region.

Saint-Petersburg has a strategically important location. It is a great transport hub where the sea, river and land-based transport flows intersect. Baltic sea ports and ports of the Arctic Ocean provide communication with many countries. That is why the city is called the Russian Gate to Europe, i.e. the strategic centre located close to the EU countries. Some statistics below.

Territorial waters - 10% of the city area
Number of bridges in the city - more than 580, including 20 drawbridges with 7 bridges over the

Neva River
Length of the Neva River inside the city border - 32 km
Number of floods during 300 years - 228

The above explains why the sea and river transport systems are that strong in Saint-Petersburg. In Saint-Petersburg you can also use buses, trolleybuses, trams or taxis. On city buses, trolleybuses and trams you buy your tickets from the conductor or driver. The fare does not depend on the number of stops. If you plan to use both metro and surface transport often, you can save time and money by buying a monthly pass for unlimited travel. These passes are available in the metro (underground).

Underground in Saint-Petersburg was first open on November 6, 1995. On this day, the first train departed Avtovo station. The regular trains started since November 15. Presently there are 4 metro lines in Saint-Petersburg, the length of which is about 94 km, with 56 stations. The majority of metro trains in Saint-Petersburg now have 6 carriages. In the rush hour each line allows about 42 trains per hour. The traffic is about 1,982 million passengers a year.
Like in the European countries, the fare for a ride in shuttle taxis is paid to the driver; such taxis stop on request. Booking a taxi costs additional money.

Tickets and monthly passes for rides on city buses, trolleybuses and trams are not valid for rides on express and suburban buses (you buy your ticket from the conductor on the bus, the fare depends on the distance).

The distance from the closest European cities to Saint-Petersburg
City Distance, km On the plane On the ship On the car Moscow 610 - 664 London 2,070 2,258 3,050 Paris 2,120 - 3,070 Berlin 1,310 - 2,030 Helsinki 300 320 383 Vilnius 640 - 736 Riga 480 724 545 Tallinn 310 350 330


How many hours will your trip to Saint-Petersburg last?
City How many hours (without change) On fast train On plain Moscow 7 h. 35 min (4 h. 47 min) 1 h. 05 min. - 1 h. 30 min. London - 3 h. 25 min. Paris - 3 h. 00 min. - 3 h. 25 min. Berlin 38 h. 07 min. 2 h. 05 min. - 2 h. 25 min. Helsinki 5 h. 18 min. - 5h. 39 min. 50 - 55 min. Vilnius 13 h. 36 min. - Riga 12 h. 56 min. - Tallinn 8 h. 42 min. -


Transport reference services in St. Petersburg
To call to Saint-Petersburg, dial 7 (code of Russia), 812 (Saint-Petersburg city code) followed by the 7-digit telephone number.

Offices Telephones St. Petersburg Metro Main office 301 9700 Trams Central service 531 7912 Buses Central service 166 5777 Trolleybuses Central service 531 7912 Marine passenger terminal Marine passenger terminal 322 6052


Airlines and airports
Airlines Airline Address Telephones in Saint-Petersburg Air france (france) Bolshya morskay st., 35 325 8252 Austrian airlines (austria) Nevsky pr., 32 331 2005 Deutche lufthansa ag, (germany) Voznesensky pr., 7 314 4979 Klm (holand) Airport pulkovo-2 346 8118 British airways (united kingdom) Malaya konushenskay st., 1/3, of 23b 380 0626 SAS - Scandinavian Airlines Nevsky pr., 25 326 2600 Swiss Airways (Switzerland) Nevsky pr., 57 325 3250 Finair (Finland) Airport Pulkovo-2 324 3249 Airports Airport Address Telephone in St. Petersburg Pulkovo-1 Airport Pulkovo 123 8361 Pulkovo-2 Airport Pulkovo 324 3787 Pushkin Puskin, Starogatchinskoe shosse, 2 465 4738 Rjevka Vsevolgsky district, Kovalevo 527 3600


Railroad Stations
Railroad Station Address Telephone Vitebsky Station Zagorodny pr., 52 055 Baltiisky Station Naberezhnaya Obvodnogo kanala, 120 055 Moskovsky Station Nevsky prospect, 85 168 4663 Finlyandsky Station Lenin square, 6 055

Evgeniya Stroganova