Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...Getting around in St. Petersburg

Every morning, I exit at some point from this lovely door:

Don't be fooled, this door is protected by locks
used to hold vault doors in place...

Number 36. It's such a welcome sight to see in the evening when I return home. But before that moment comes all the exciting stuff in between. Now, you've seen the results of my wanderings around St. Petersburg and the Russian countryside, but a natural question that may come to mind is, "How do you get around this city?"

I dedicate this post to all the methods of transport available in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Слава транспорту!


Let's start the music:

As you listen to the Bulls theme song and think back to glory days of the 1990s (I know I am...), follow me as I descend the steps of my apartment building....

I started photographing every step so you could
literally 'follow' me down, but I got weird looks...

I guess I'll say a bit about my apartment building since you are looking at it. You'll notice that it appears a bit run-down. Well, it is. The tiles are falling apart, the rail is a bit wobbly, and there is garbage and dust in the corners. And all the doors are different and very worn. And so what? It's in the inside that counts right?

Exactly. As I've already mentioned in a previous post, Russia is not a very glamorous country. It frankly is a bit dirty on the outside. But inside, you get to know that Russians take pride in their homes and what lies behind the crumbling tile and chipped paint.

Ok. Back to transportation. Our first option in this lineup of motion is....

You may pretend you are in my shoes, but you must
speak Russian...

The ever popular cheap and green option, your feet (shoes not included). This is the most obvious and most widely used of transportation options in St. Petersburg. You see people using it all the time and its very cost effective. But be warned, the distance on your map may appear shorter than it actually is. And when on foot, you can become distracted by a whole city worth of cool things all out to keep you from getting to your destination. If you choose to wear shoes (highly recommended), you want comfortable walking shoes, a waterproof footwear option, and for the winter months, good boots. Or you can wear high heels (This post).

Inside a троллейбус/автобус

If you need to navigate the streets of the city with more speed than your feet can muster, you may want to consider either the автобус (avtobuus) or троллейбус (trollébuus). Both of these transportation options run along set routes all across the city. There are few places where you will not see an автобус or троллейбус except for the back streets. All major streets and prospects have several остановки (Astanovki/stops) from which you can gaze upon the parade of автобусы and троллейбусы as they pull up offering you a break from walking. All автобусы and троллейбусы are numbered. For example, I take the number 11 троллейбус everyday to school. But be aware that an автобус with the same number as a троллейбус does not run the same route as that троллейбус and vice-versa. I will also mention that these are a part of the public transportation system in St. Petersburg.


If you aren't in too much of a hurry (really, I mean this) and want to experience a bit of Russia's Soviet past, take the трамвай (tramvai/Tram).

I think they are quite enjoyable to ride.

I've taken this transportation option twice already during my stay in St. Petersburg and I'd say that it is a wonderful option for anybody who needs to go a long way through the city, but is not in a hurry. They do not go that fast compared to other options (but certainly faster than on foot). You should not expect to easily concentrate or chat while on the трамвай because it runs on a rail system and has wheels similar to those you would see on a train. There is much grinding and clucking as you move along. Add to that the fact that a lot of трамвайs have been around since the Soviet era and you get a very noisy ride. Here's a shot inside a трамвай:

This photo was taken very stealthily.
What would you say if someone started
clicking their camera on a bus or something?

The leisurely pace of the трамвай and the fact that its built on tracks are its disadvantages. Its slow pace can be supplemented by anything blocking the tracks. During my second трамвай ride, I experienced a трамвай getting stuck on the tracks. I was in a hurry (first mistake in taking the трамвай), but we were cruising along at comfortable speed. Then all of sudden the трамвай stops. Two other трамвайs are sitting on the track in front of us. Presumably, the first трамвай broke down, blocking the path of the others.Good times. But still, a memorable experience and a reminder to me that I must always keep in mind this phrase while living in Russia: "Prepared to be unprepared."

Now if you really want to cruise around the city and you can fork out 25 rubles for the ride, the метро (metro) is a wonderful option to take advantage of. Underneath the city is a web of fast moving trains and people rushing to and fro and popping out of the ground to immerse themselves once again into life above ground. Be mindful of the crowds of people as they really make orientating yourself difficult. You have to know where you're going...or at least convince yourself that you are walking in the right direction. But after a few times, it all become routine and you realize that the metro is a friend that will help you get almost anywhere in a jiffy. Just be mindful that if you are a male between the ages of 14-70 (ish), you may not be able to sit down on the metro even if you've been walking all day. Courtesy reserves seats for women, passengers with children, and older passengers. Also be aware that the doors close rather forcefully. I once saw a chap get bounced between the doors and propelled away from the train onto the platform. He got up and walked away, so I'm sure he was okay, just a bit shaken. Before the train departs, listen for "Осторожно, двери закрываются" (Astarozhno, dveri zakriivaiootsiya/Caution, the doors are closing). You will hear it over and over again. But its important.

Don't get any funny ideas from this picture. This is a
Sunday morning at the first station on this route. Also, this
is one of the few times, I've actually sat on the Metro before...

Moving away from public transportation, there are a couple options available to the pedestrian that can fork out a bit more change. The first option is called a маршрутка (marshrutka/minibus/van). For around 25-30 rubles (perhaps more, especially for further distances), you can zoom through the city's streets and bypass almost any obstacle that gets in your way. The маршруткu are very reliable and fast and will get you where you want to go. The catch is that it takes a bit of self-esteem to take advantage of this option. While they have specific routes that they run, it is up to the pedestrian desiring to ride on a маршрутка to flag the driver down (waving an arm or just sticking it out work). Once on the road, you must tell the driver when you want to get off, so you have to know where you are going and be able to relay that to the driver. I've only used this option once and I knew the name of the place I was going, but I didn't know what it looked like. To add to the fun, I told the driver when I got on where I wanted to go, but I forgot to tell him when I needed to get off. Luckily, he remembered and told me to get off at a street. But he had already stopped at the place I was going....whoops. маршруткu come in two different shapes and sizes in St. Petersburg. You have the ones that look like buses and the ones that look like delivery vans. Neither is more legit than the other, just more spacious.

And if you are feeling very (and I mean very) adventurous. And if you have some money on you. And you want to get someplace really, really quickly. And you don't mind getting into a car with a complete stranger. The частники (chastniki/private owner of a car) is the option for you. To summon this player on the streets of St. Petersburg, you need one of these:

Just one. If you start using two, you'll just look like an idiot...

So, with your arm in arm (you can't really use "arm in hand" in this situation), simply stand on the side of a street (preferably one that is used frequently), and stick your arm out. Wait a bit, and a car will break away from the flow of traffic and make it's way to you.You'll open the door and tell the driver where you need to go and figure out a price. I've never done this (it is in fact advised against by my program here...), but I've seen it work a few times. It's a mixture of hitchhiking and small business.

But sometimes, all the above options just fail to come through. Your feet are either tired, too slow, or wet. Traffic is keeping the trolleybus and autobus from getting anywhere. The ever faithful tramvai has stopped in the middle of the route because another tramvai is stuck on the track ahead (true story). You don't have enough money for the marshutka and you aren't in the mood to test fate today, so the chastniki are not an option. You could take the metro, but there aren't any stations near your destination and you have to make 3 transfers so its not really worth it. What are you to do?

Well, I don't know about you, but during times like these when regular transportation options fail to deliver me complete satisfaction, I go for my own option:

Parking is a bugger, but that's what the tires are for...James Bond style
driving in Russia (see video below).

Side note: It is rather fun to recognize the streets and buildings in this scene! But not so fun that Bond is plowing them over...haha



That wraps it up!