Tourist Season Part 5: Санкт-Петербург St Petersburg

Usually I would talk about a whole country with each chapter of my tourist season - but when dealing with the biggest country in the world Russia, well... Let's get real here. I can't possibly do it justice in this format, so I shall just focus on one big city: Санкт-Петербург, otherwise known as St Petersburg to the rest of you who don't speak Russian. I shall abbreviate St Petersburg to SPB in my article. After all, this is a city whose metropolitan area is 1439 km2 and with a population of 5 million - it is practically like a small country.

Храм Спаса на Крови

First impressions: I'm sure we all have our impressions of Russia and the Soviet Union (well, if you're old enough to remember the pre-1991 days of the Soviet Union) - from bad Bond films playing to every Russian stereotype to stories about Soviet athletes at the Olympics to chess superstars like Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov. I have always been extremely interested in life behind the Iron Curtain as a child and I swear I read every single book on the Soviet Union at Ang Mo Kio library back in the late 1980s. Thus it was with such anticipation when I finally made it to Russia.

I took the overnight ferry from Helsinki in Finland and since the ferry was run by a Russian company, I already felt like I was in Russia the moment I set foot on the ferry - all the signs were in Russian and sometimes there were Finnish translations and the ferry was full of Russian people - all the staff were Russian. What awaited me the moment we arrived in St Petersburg Morskoy Vokzal ferry terminal was a nightmare though - the queue was chaotic as the passengers swarmed towards the passport controls. There was no concept of queueing as people just pushed and shoved all they could to get to the front of the queue - yes it was that bad. There were security staff who just looked on, with an extremely bored expression on their faces - this happens everyday and they really can't be asked to intervene to ask the people to line up.

Исаакиевский собор

I queued for two hours 15 minutes before I finally managed to squeeze, shove and push my way to the front of the line and presented my passport to a very bored looking woman who seemed totally oblivious to the chaos in front of her. She can't be asked, can't be bothered and really doesn't give a shit either way - even though I speak some Russian, she didn't even give me any eye contract nor did she respond to my attempts to speak to her as I handed her my passport. I am quite used to being asked the usual questions at passport control like, "How many days are you staying? What is the purpose of your visit? Where are you going? Where are you staying whilst in town?" (And I was prepared to answer any question in Russian!) She had no sense of urgency and was actually more interested in chatting with her colleague than looking at my passport.

Welcome to Russia. Things can only get better - and to be fair, they did.

Getting there: St Petersburb Pulkovo airport is very well connected to all parts of Europe and throughout Russia (and former CIS ex-Soviet states) - there are no direct connections to North America. Beyond Europe, there are direct flights to Dubai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo as well. There are two other routes to SPB are via rail (from Helsinki, only 2 hours 36 minutes) - but bear in mind this 2 hours 36 minutes is just journey time per se, you may end up spending far longer queueing at the customs at the Russian side than actually on the train. The other route is by ferry from a range of ports in the Baltic - Tallinn, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm etc.

In a gift shop - no I didn't get a Matriochka. 

Given the proximity of SPB to other cities in the region like Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn and Stockholm, you may want to combine your trip to SPB with at least one or two other cities. Otherwise, it is very easy to get from SPB to Moscow by train - that journey takes about 3 hours 30-45 minutes. When I visited SPB, I had also visited various parts of Finland and Tallinn (Estonia) on that same trip.

Transport: Public transport in SPB is actually really good! Their metro system (ie. underground trains/subway/MRT) is efficient, fast, frequent and very cheap. There is a flat fee of 27 Rubles (£0.50/S$1) regardless of the distance travelled. There are only five lines on the metro system, but they do cover all major tourist destinations within SPB and extend far out into the suburbs. There are no signs in English, but don't panic, signs are in Cyrillic Russian and Romanized Russian - so you can at least read the name of the station you're in even if you don't know the Cyrillic alphabet that the Russian language uses. There are also trams (23 Rubles flat fee), trolleybuses and buses - the cost of your bus ticket depends on the distance travelled so you need to be able to tell the conductor where you are going and the bus conductors will not speak a word of English. So if in doubt, stick to the metro.

Дворцовая площадь

Attractions: Well there seems to be a theme to SPB which can be summarized as, "look at this amazing grand old building which we have restored to its original glory!" Yeah, that's kinda it really but goodness me, there are plenty of these grand old buildings to keep you enthralled for days: St Isaac's Cathedral, the Hermitage Palace & Museum (you can spend 2-3 days there to do it justice) & Palace Square, Church of the Saviour on Blood, Mariinsky Palace, the Old Stock Exchange, the Admiralty building, Catherine Palace, Kazan Cathedral, Alexander Theatre - guess what all these buildings share in common? They were all built over 100 years ago, even the main buildings on Nevsky Prospect, the main shopping street, look rather old. Yes there are some buildings which do exceed 20 storeys but they are tend to be out in the suburbs. There are currently two sky scraper type office blocks under construction in down town SPB (Lider Tower, 40 floors, to be completed sometime next year) - but otherwise, the city does feel really old, as if it is frozen in time. Then again, it is a well maintained city that feels historic and charming.

If the weather is pleasant, you can spend ages walking around the centre of SPB, taking in the sights as you wonder from one of these doll house like buildings to another. Call my cynical, but you will be amazed for the first 24 hours and then, after a day or two, you will find that they kinda look the same inside. There are only so many Russian Orthodox churches you can visit before realizing how similar they all are - they do look far better from the outside. The one place you really should spend a day (or at least most of a day) is Peterhof Palace - it is a about 25 km from SPB central and you can either get the bus or the hydrofoil there. It is another one of those doll house type palaces surrounded by huge gardens - they don't make them like that anymore. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, often referred to as the Russian Versailles for good reason.

The fountains at Peterhof

Weather: SPB is a city of extremes - in the summer, it can reach 37 degrees and feel incredibly hot; though thankfully, because it is so far north, average temperatures in the summer tend to be around the low to mid 20s. In June and July, you can experience 'White Nights'- the sun never really sets around the summer solstice and it is the peak of the tourist season then. By the same token, in the winter, it can get ridiculously cold, with a record low of -36 degrees. The winters are long and bitterly cold - with very short days around the winter solstice when the sun barely rises over the horizon. Winter lasts from November to March and there will be plenty of snow around which will pile up and accumulate until the big thaw that comes in April.

Now I visited SPB in the summer, the hottest summer on record when it hit 37.1 degrees in 2010 - it was uncomfortable, unbearable and I fell sick. No, I am hopeless when it comes to hot temperatures I'm afraid! The city is lovely in spring and autumn too when you do not risk experiencing extremely hot temperatures - but there is a good reason to visit SPB in the winter as well. Yes it will be cold, but there will be no tourists around - so you will be able to get into the popular tourist destinations like the Hermitage Palace without queueing at all and the hotels often give great discounts to the tourists who do brave the cold in the winter. Besides, SPB can be very pretty covered in snow - just like a Christmas card scene. If you are visiting in the winter months, please check out my article on winter wear.

I would love to go back to SPB in the winter! 

Food: Now I was actually really quite impressed with the food in SPB! I have heard some horror stories about bad food in Russia - but SPB is such a modern city and sushi bars were everywhere. Sure there are expensive restaurants - but you can get pretty decent food from a canteen. It's the kind of place where they have a long counter - you grab a tray and a plate and you make your selections from the dishes on display; even if you don't speak Russian, you can just point at the item you want. Once you've made your selections, you go to the cashier who will then tell you how much to pay. I've enjoyed some pretty good meals in places like that - oh and Borscht (Russian beetroot soup) is so overrated.  Oh and ice cream ("Maroshniya") is stunningly good and cheap - just go to any supermarket and get your ice creams there. Try the local brands -  I loved the raisins ice cream, it's delicious (or as we say in Russian, очень вкусный!)

Getting some street food in SPB.

In the posh, expensive restaurants, they may have a menu in English or some English speaking staff - but in most canteen places (or if you decide to get street food, like a filled pancake) then it's Russian only. You should must learn enough Russian to get by in a restaurant, but hey, if all else fails, you can always go to a canteen and use sign language over the counter. Oh and you must not drink tap water - it is not safe, only drink bottled water.

A Russian canteen - just point and smile if you don't speak Russian.

Prices: Getting there is the expensive part - but once you get there, everything is actually reasonably cheap. Of course, there are ways for you to spend a lot of money - you can get the best suite at the most luxurious hotel, you can order champagne and lobster at the restaurant and you can get the best seats in the house at the ballet. But otherwise, you can eat very well for very little money, public transport is cheap and admission charges for most attractions are usually quite reasonable.

It pays to do your homework though - for example, practically all tourists would take a canal cruise and see the city from the comfort of a boat. I do recommend it, I truly enjoyed it but aha - which cruise company do you go with? This is when you need to go on the internet and do your research because there is a range of prices and it's not like if you go with a cheaper company, you risk sinking in the canal (nah, not gonna happen) - rather, if you pay more with another company, how do they justify their prices? Do they throw in free drinks? Do they give you a longer tour? Tripadvisor is a really good website for this as you get to read reveals left by other tourists.

On one of the many bridges over the Neva River. 

Shopping isn't great though - sure there are the usual souvenirs you can buy, but when it comes to say clothes - there are two kinds of clothes. There are your usual designer labels that you can find in any major city in the world and these are not cheap in St Petersburg! There are then the very cheap clothes catering for  locals who can't afford imported designer labels and these just look hideous - not something I would wear. You don't go to St Petersburg to shop - just enjoy the experience of being in one of Europe's most majestic cities.

Language: Russian. Not English. Nye Angliski.

I was quite shocked at just how the locals practically spoke NO English at all - even the staff at the hotel spoke no more than a few words of English. In the shops, at the supermarkets, on public transport - forget it, there's no way they will speak any English - not even a few words. You see, I have quite a few Russian friends in London, having worked for a Russo-French company for many years and my Russian friends all speak very good English - but those are Russians in London, not Russians in Russia!

I am not fluent, but I do make an effort with the Russian language. 

I don't know enough about the Russian education system but clearly they're in no hurry to learn English. According to Wikipedia, 11.7% of Russians speak English as a foreign language and I thought, yeah that includes vast areas of rural Russia in places like deepest, darkest Siberia where they will never meet any foreigners, right? Surely in Moscow and St Petersburg, that figure will be much higher, right?

Wrong. One in ten feels kinda right - in my time there, I actually only met two Russians who spoke some English! One was an English-language guide who took us on our day-trip to Peterhof (her English was so-so), the other was a waiter in a restaurant who told me that he is a university student, studying English and wanted to practice his English with me (his English was very good). With everyone else, I just spoke Russian. On the first day, I was still trying, "Простите, Вы говорите по-английски, пожалуйста?" (Excuse me, do you speak English, please?) And by the second day, I just gave up and accepted that no one spoke any English! They can hear that I am obviously a foreigner struggling in Russian and if they were willing to speak English with me, they will offer it.

On Nevsky Prospect, SPB

Ironically, because I look Chinese and speak some Russian, many people actually thought I was from the Russian Far East. After all, the Russian Far East extends as far as Alaska (Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house, apparently). North of China is Siberia, where the people do look Chinese but they do speak Russian too - so the locals barely bat an eyelid when I spoke to them in Russian.

So yes, even if you are on a guided tour - you must absolutely have to learn some Russian before going to Russia. Even if you only manage to learn a few phrases, well you will find that those phrases will be very useful indeed. You should also learn to read some Russian as signs like Выход (Exit) and Tуалеты (Toilets) will be in Russian and not English. Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet - it's not as foreign as it looks. Spend an hour or so learning it and you will be so glad you did. You need to do this because you may need to read a menu in Russian and deal with a Russian waiter who doesn't speak a word of English. And just remember this: Chinese is the hardest language in the world and if you can speak Chinese, then Russian will be a walk in the park.

Can you read those signs? Do you speak Russian?

English rating: 0.5 out of 5. Heck, even my English-language guide struggled with the language. Even if you suck at languages, then at least get a Russian phrase book because you are just asking for trouble if you arrive in Russia without some knowledge of the Russian language! The difference between France and Russia on this issue is stark: the French can speak English but are unwilling to - the Russian simply cannot, even if they wanted to!

Beware: St Petersburg is famous for her majestic bridges - but be warned, 22 of these bridges are drawbridges. This means that the bridges are raised at night to allow bigger ships to navigate their way down the many rivers. I have heard plenty of stories about tourists who are out strolling after dinner on those long summer "white nights" when the sun never really sets, they lose track of time, not realizing how late it had become. They then find themselves stuck on the wrong side of the river after the drawbridges have been raised and are forced to take a taxi back to their hotel - only to realize that the taxi has to take a long detour to get back across the river. Some taxi drivers deliberately make this detour much longer than necessary, because they know they have a tourist with more money than sense.

On a cruise in the canals, a great way to explore SPB.

Otherwise, most of the other perils are usually related to the language barrier - if you don't speak Russian, then make sure you plan your day's activities before you leave the hotel. Hopefully there will be some staff at the hotel who do speak English and can help answer any questions you may have. If you can't speak the language and can't even ask for directions (language barrier), then you may get lost - fortunately, SPB's is a meticulously planned - it is not quite New York, but the streets are laid out in blocks and are very systematic. Always make sure you have a map of the city with you when venturing out on your own.

Safety: I did feel remarkably safe in SPB, but then again, this is a big city with some bad neighbourhoods - but these are nowhere near the main tourist areas where most hotels are found. I have seen most of St Petersburg and at no time, did I feel threatened or unsafe. However, I did befriend some Spanish tourists at a Metro Station - I had to come to their rescue as they didn't speak Russian. Imagine their surprise when this Chinese looking guy comes along and rescues them and then without missing a beat, I switched from English to Spanish for them and I was translating Russian - Spanish without actually using any English. Now this Spanish woman told me that she felt so unsafe in SPB and was worried for her mother, but I was like, really? I thought this was a really safe city - but did she feel unsafe because there was a genuine threat to her safety, or was she simply unnerved by the fact that she didn't speak any Russian and thus felt very lost in SPB?

In the Hermitage Palace Museum Государственный Эрмитаж

I was slightly unnerved by the displays of public drunkenness in SPB when I first got there, but after a while, I got used to it. This is Russia after all and the locals like nothing more than a drink or three. I saw men, even women, staggering around, worse for wear, some of them were even singing or shouting loudly. Then I observed the Russians around them who were sober - they just ignored the drunk people as if it was totally normal, as if this kind of behaviour is very common. Yup, it's the vodka, the locals love it.

Comparisons: Obviously, SPB will remind you of other cities in Eastern Europe. But it is so much more grand than some of the more sleepy/drab/grey cities in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Belarus etc. This city has class and majesty that harks back to a different era when Peter the Great built his summer palace there. By that token, parts of SPB will remind you of far grander European cities like Vienna, Paris, London and Rome. However, you don't have to venture very far off the tourist track to realize that you are in Russia and this is still a rather poor country in comparison to their European counterparts in the EU.

In Дворцовая площадь, by the Государственный Эрмитаж

This is a divided city between the haves and the have nots - as I was leaving SPB, making my way back to the ferry terminal, I witnessed the aftermath of an accident. A young lady (about 18 years old) who was driving this huge shiny SUV had crashed into an old pick up truck which was overloaded with boxes of vegetables. She was obviously very distressed and was trying to call someone (her parents?) on her mobile phone, whilst the driver of the pick up truck was shouting angrily at her. Neither of them seemed to be hurt, there was barely a scratch on the SUV but the old man's pick up truck was badly damaged. From what I could understand, he was blaming the young lady for the accident. I thought, this is such an apt metaphor for SPB. The rich and the poor, the old and the new, the young and the old, trying to co-exist in the same place and this is what can happen.

Do I need a guide?: You know me, I would hesitate to recommend a guide but if you don't speak Russian, then it's probably a good idea to at least do some day-trips with an English speaking guide. You can probably explore the city on your own if you are up for it and are willing to make an effort with the language. I adore that sense of adventure that one gets when one discovers a brand new city and the experience just isn't quite the same when you're being led around by a guide, isn't it? If you wish to do SPB on your own, then make sure you do your homework and planning in advance. It is certainly a city worth visiting with or without a guide.

Смольный монастырь

There you go, that's my piece on SPB. Where shall I talk about next? Italy? Spain? Iceland? Turkey? Or maybe somewhere like Shanghai? Any questions, leave a comment below, spasibo bolshoye!

Update: Tourist Season Part 6 will be a practical lesson on "how to master a foreign language in less than a month for your holiday". I will teach you exactly what to learn, so you can feel confident about learning a language like French or Russian for your next holiday.