Getting Around St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is a large city spread across the Neva River and its many waterways, so how you move around depends a lot on where you're staying and what you want to see. The good news for visitors is that the historic centre is compact and walkable, and the city is served by a dense network of public transport that includes a metro, trams, buses and trolleybuses, plus taxis and ride-hailing apps.
Walking
The city is often described as the "Venice of the North" because it is built on swamp and water, with many water corridors cutting through it. That geography makes some trips a little indirect on foot, but it also makes the central districts a pleasure to explore. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and much of the most famous architecture — including the Hermitage and the grand frontages along Nevsky Prospekt — sits within a relatively contained area. If your hotel is central, walking is often the simplest way to link up major sights, and it lets you take in the Western European-inspired architecture that gives the city its distinctive character.
Metro, Trams and the Rail Network
The metro is the backbone of public transport in St. Petersburg and the fastest way to cover longer distances. Stations are marked with the letter "M" on signage and maps, and the system connects the centre with outlying districts and with several of the main railway stations. Metro lines are numbered, and interchanges let you move between them; for example, Moskovsky Station sits at Ploshchad Vosstaniya, where you can change between lines, and Vitebsky Station is served by Pushkinskaya and Zvenigorodskaya.
Trams and trolleybuses fill in the gaps the metro doesn't reach, running along many of the city's main avenues. They are useful for shorter hops within a district or for routes that parallel the river. As with any large network, it helps to check a route map or a journey-planning app before you set out, since not every line runs at all hours.
On the rail side, St. Petersburg has five principal train stations, each oriented toward a different direction of travel:
- Baltiysky Station — suburban services toward Petrodvorets (Peterhof), Lomonosov (Oranienbaum), Gatchina and Luga, and also trains to Aeroport station with connecting buses to Pulkovo airport.
- Finlyandsky Station — on Lenin Square, the former eastern terminus of the Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railroad.
- Ladozhsky Station — the newest and most modern of the stations, serving long-distance routes to cities such as Petrozavodsk, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Ekaterinburg and beyond.
- Moskovsky Station — on Nevsky Prospekt at Uprising Square, the station for trains to and from Moscow, Novgorod and many other cities.
- Vitebsky Station — the oldest station in the city, with services to Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoe Selo) and Pavlovsk, plus local trains to towns such as Nevel and Velikie Luki.
Long-distance train tickets can be bought at the stations or online. As a rule, tickets are cheaper the further ahead you book, and they get more expensive close to the date of travel. For travel between St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Sapsan high-speed trains make the trip easy, and some services stop at Tver; the crew speaks English. Overnight trains are slower but usually cheaper, with comfort levels ranging from budget third-class cars up to luxurious private "hotel train" compartments.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Buses are the most widespread form of surface transport and are the general method of travel to and from Estonia and Latvia, as well as to major cities within Russia. International buses and buses to major Russian cities leave from the main bus station (Avtovokzal), near the Obvodny Kanal metro station, though some services make additional stops elsewhere in the city.
If you're arriving by bus from the Baltics, note that the Ivangorod/Narva border crossing must be crossed on foot before you board another bus on the opposite side. Border crossing times can range from a few hours, and buses between Estonia and St. Petersburg almost always sell out, so it's best to book a week or two in advance. Border agents speak only Russian and are sometimes not aware of visa requirements, which can lead to delays.
Within Russia itself, the train is generally preferred over the bus because of traffic jams.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis and ride-hailing apps are widely available and are a convenient option for late nights, heavy luggage, or trips that don't line up well with public transport. Yandex.Taxi is the official airport taxi and can be booked through its mobile app or at a desk in the arrivals hall; Taxi 068 can also be booked online. Pre-booked taxis cost more, but a driver will meet you in the arrival hall with a sign bearing your name, and booking online is generally without risk — no credit card information is asked and no pre-payment is required.
One important caution: do not accept an offer of a taxi ride from a tout unless a price is negotiated in advance. Touts at the airport are known to try to rip off arriving passengers.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Pulkovo Airport (LED) is the city's main airport, located south of the centre. It offers unlimited free Wi-Fi, and its business lounges — free for first- and business-class travellers — are available to all passengers for a fee, with snacks, drinks, televisions and showers.
From the airport, you have two main practical options:
- City buses. Bus 39Э (Express) runs between the airport and the Moskovskaya metro station, where you can transfer to Metro Line 2 and other buses. Bus 82 runs to the Prospekt Veteranov station, for transfers to Metro Line 1 and other buses. Buses operate from early morning until late at night (roughly 05:15 to 01:40).
- Taxi or ride-hailing. Yandex.Taxi is the official airport taxi and charges a fixed range to the city centre. You can book via the mobile app or at the desk in the arrivals hall, and Taxi 068 can be booked online as well. Pre-booked taxis cost more but include a meet-and-greet in the arrivals hall.
Whichever option you choose, avoid unsolicited taxi offers from touts unless you have agreed on a price in advance.
Practical Tips
- Buy long-distance train tickets as early as you can — prices rise sharply closer to the travel date.
- For Moscow, the Sapsan high-speed train is the quickest and easiest option; overnight trains are a cheaper alternative.
- If you're crossing the border by bus from the Baltics, allow plenty of time and book your ticket well in advance.
- Use the metro for longer journeys and walking for the central sights; the two combine well in a city as compact and scenic as this one.
- Keep a journey-planning app handy for tram and bus routes, since surface services vary by line and time of day.