48 Hours in St Petersburg

St Petersburg

Why go now?

St Petersburg

Why go now?

"Peter" (as locals call it) celebrates its 300th anniversary this year. "Ships of every flag we'll hail," as Pushkin imagined Tsar Peter the Great declaring, when founding his city on the Baltic. But get there quick: the Russian government (led by local lad Vladimir Putin) plans to hail the jubilee in style from 15 May to 10 June. During this time the city will be closed to everyone except guests invited by the state. You might prefer to wait until after the event; Russian rebuilding projects usually run to "skin of the teeth" timing, so this will be the first opportunity for the rest of us to see the enhancements.

Beam down

Foreigners need a visa, obtainable for £30 on a two-week turnaround from the Russian Consulate, against Russian-issued proof of pre-booked accommodation or tour. All foreigners must carry the Immigration Card issued at passport control at all times. It is easiest to get a tour operator or visa service to do the work. British Airways (0845 77 333 77, www.ba.com) flies from Heathrow most days, from £235 return; Global Village (020-7692 7770) has low-season fares from £202 return. St Petersburg's Pulkovo 2 terminal is being rebuilt, and arrivals facilities are scanty – you may have to go to departures to change money. ATMs are widespread in the city. The currency symbol on price lists is P, the Cyrillic letter corresponding to R. The minibus shuttle to Moskovskaya Metro in the south of the city costs R50 (£1), with an extra charge for baggage. Taxis are so cheap – typically R500-600 (£10-12) per cab to central locations – that most visitors choose the luxury of a door-to-door service. Officially, you must pay for everything in roubles, but cabbies will often accept US dollars.

Get your bearings

Nevsky Prospekt, inspired by the Champs-Elysées, is the central artery. "Step on to it, and you step into a fairground," wrote Nikolai Gogol. In Gogol's time it was swept clean by arrested prostitutes as their early-morning penance, before they were released to err afresh on its stones that evening. A tourist office operates out of the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace where Nevsky Prospekt meets the Fontanka River, although its hours and very existence seem a state secret. Nevsky's broad ribbon of grandeur is anchored by the Alexander Nevsky Monastery at one end, and seemingly spiked by the golden spire of the Admiralty at the other. The sweep of canals and re-routed rivers was dreamed up by Peter the Great and his drinking partner, Prince Menshikov, to imitate Amsterdam. Today, the façades, spires and domes are more impressive than Amsterdam's, and Venice is a more apt comparison. The canals play havoc with the Metro, with stations scattered seemingly randomly, but you should take a trip on the efficient (and warm) Metro. It costs R7 (£0.14) for any distance, and runs until midnight. Buses, trolleybuses, and trams cost R5 (£0.10) per ride, paid on board. The city bridges open to shipping between 1am and 5am from April to September, leaving the unwary stranded until dawn.

Take a ride

Many regal buildings show their finest face to the water, not the street. The best way to see them is on a canal-boat cruise. Prices fluctuate wildly, and apparently arbitrary "foreigner surcharges" are conjured up. The most reliable service is on humbler craft leaving from the point where Nevsky Prospekt crosses the Moika River. Pay about R200 (£4), but don't expect any English commentary for the two-hour trip on any of the vessels.

Check in

Chronic inaction in local planning leaves St Petersburg suffering from an acute shortage of accommodation. Even a Grand Duke might flinch at the five-star Grand-Hotel Europe at Mikhalkovskaya 1 (00 7 812 329 6000, www.grand-hotel-europe.com), where a standard twin room goes from £233-300 – if you can get one at all, as the hotel is already presold for most of this year. The three-star category is "reconstructed Soviet" territory, of which the Moskva Hotel at Alexandra Nevskovo ploshchad 2 (00 7 812 274 3001) is not bad if you avoid vodka-fuelled Nordic guests in the bar; double rooms cost £75. A rare non-Soviet three-star is the Neptune at Obvodnogo Kanala nab 93a (00 7 812 324 4610, www.edelweiss.ru/hotel.htm); 180 cloned rooms of clinical excellence for £80-100. The International Youth Hostel at Tretaya Sovetskaya 28 (00 7 812 329 8018, www.ryh.ru) has dorm places from £10; demand far outstrips supply, so book early.

Take a view

The best view in town is from the exterior dome walkway of Nicholas Montferrand's extraordinary edifice, St Isaac's Cathedral, at Isaakevskaya ploshchad 1. It overlooks the historic centre and the Neva River and is open 11am-6pm daily except Mondays; admission to the cathedral is R100 (£2), plus R30 (£0.70) extra to ascend the dome.

Take a hike

Begin at the Kazan Cathedral, built to laud the heroes of the 1812 campaign. In Soviet times it was the Museum of Atheism. Set off down the Griboyedov Canal, pausing for the optimum photograph of the Cathedral of the Spilt Blood from the footbridge. The cathedral marks the spot where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Behind it is the Souvenir Fleamarket, the best spot to haggle for a set of Russian dolls. Cross the Moika and turn right on to the Fields of Mars. Look right to see "Engineers Castle", built as a residence for security-obsessed Tsar Paul I. He was strangled inside it by his own guards. Parallel to the Fields is the Summer Garden, an Arcadian grove of trees and statues. At the far end of the Fields you can traverse to the River Embankment; time it for noon and you'll see the cannon fired from the Peter and Paul Fortress. Return to the Fields and leave via Millionaya – Millionaire's Row. The far end brings you to the original street entrance of Catherine the Great's Hermitage, where invitees were obliged to "put off all pretensions of rank at the door along with your coat" and "never to repeat outside whatever you may hear inside". A few steps bring you to Palace Square, the city's imposing heart.

Lunch on the run

Russia gave the world the term "bistro" (it means "fast", as in quick service). But St Petersburg's lunch culture is more geared to your mum's principles of eating a sensible midday meal, on a plate, slowly. A good lunch spot is Golden Ostap, at Italianskaya 4 (00 7 812 303 8822), just off Arts Square and Griboyedov Canal (Russian or brasserie-style lunch for about R500/(£10). Nevsky Prospekt has pizza and burger bars. Sandwiches are almost unknown as a snack, but have been spotted in the Idealnaya Chashka chain of coffee shops.

Cultural afternoon

It would be unthinkable not to visit the Hermitage Museum of Fine Art in the former Winter Palace at Dvortsovaya nab 34 (00 7 812 311 3420, www.hermitage.ru). One of the world's seminal art collections is displayed in the former royal palace of the Tsars. It opens 10am-6pm daily except Mondays (admission R300/£8).

Window shopping

Only the deeply misguided – or the molls of Siberian bandits – would come to St Petersburg for quality shopping. Foreign boutiques with cheeky prices sit next to dreary Soviet outlets. Visitors rarely leave with much more than stacking dolls, military hats or watches and low-price vodka. Most shops are open 8am-8pm daily.

An aperitif

Heavy boozing is endemic; most saloons are inhabited by men determined to anaesthetise themselves rapidly. For more edifying people-watching, the Seattle-style coffee bars are better, although they serve nothing stronger than a ristretto and patisserie chaser. If you opt for an upmarket bar such as Senat-Bar, Galernaya 1, try the excellent local beers Baltika and Nevskoe, or a premium vodka such as Russky Standart.

Dinner with the locals

Many locals can't afford to dine out. But seekers of pre-Revolutionary opulence might enjoy Count Suvorov's at Lomonosova 6 (book on 00 7 812 153 4328), serving grand banquet dishes from the menus of noble houses, at mid/upper prices; expect to pay £30-40 with drinks. For bohemian shoulder-rubbing with actors, dancers from the Mariinsky and other "luvvies" (all as poor as church mice) head to Cafe Idiot at Moika Embankment 82, named after Dostoevsky's woebegone hero. Idiot serves veggie and near-veggie meals for £10-15, with jokey items such as Russian Sushi (pickled herring on gherkin). The leading avant-garde place is Sac-Voyage Beremennoy Spionki ("The Pregnant Spy's Travelling Bag")at Bolshaya Konyushennaya 13.

Sunday morning: go to church

St Petersburg's best-attended Orthodox service is at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Services typically begin from 9am and go on for many hours – even local worshippers may only attend part of one.

Out to brunch

Sadko, the brasserie of the Grand-Hotel Europe, makes an elegant, affordable treat for brunch; all you can eat costs R800-1,300 (£15-25), depending what you drink. Sadly, recent renovation stripped out the historic interiors within which St Petersburg's literati used to dine.

A walk in the park

St Petersburg is ringed by stupendous country palaces. Tsarskoe Selo is the most spectacular (take a suburban train to Pushkin); Peterhof (Petrodvorets) has the most beautiful gardens in which to stroll (hop on a hydrofoil from the Winter Palace Embankment). Admission to either is R300 (£6), or visit just the gardens for R100 (£2).

Write a postcard

Russia's postal service is slow and unreliable. Instead send an e-mail or virtual postcard from Quo Vadis Internet Cafe at Nevsky Prospekt 24. It opens round the clock and costs R60 (£1.15) per hour.

The icing on the cake

St Petersburg has the finest classical ballet company in the world. Pay the R1,500-3,000 (£30-60) – more, if the local maestro Valery Gergiev is conducting – to see the Mariinsky Theatre's company at the former Imperial Ballet and Opera Theatre,Teatralnaya ploshchad 2 (00 7 812 114 1211, www.mariinsky.spb.ru/en). Amid the city's faded splendour, this timeless excellence encapsulates its regal spirit.

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