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Traveller's myths about St. Petersburg
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Working as a private guide or just helping people in making their plans to visit
St. Petersburg, I occasionally come across the same deep-routed myths and
illusions. In order to save you from unnecessary disappointments, let me deflate
some of them.
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St. Petersburg is a pedestrian city (sightseeing on foot is the best way to
learn the city)
Most people - including myself - prefer to see sights walking on foot. But let
us be prudent - it is the best way in case we have enough time for it.
Consider the following facts about St. Petersburg:
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For the 1,5 days I spent together with my clients from the cruise
liner, the mileage on my car was exactly 250 km (about 155 miles).
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Petrodvorets (other name - Peterhof) famous for its park with
fountains, is about 35 km (21 miles) from the center of
St. Petersburg; Tsarskoye selo (the Catherine's palace with the
Amber room) is 30 km (18 miles) from the city.
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Here are some distances between the famous St. Petersburg sites:
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From Hermitage to Peter and Paul fortress - 2,1 km (1,2 miles)
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From Hermitage to Mariinsky (Kirov) theater - 2,3 km (1,4 miles)
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From Hermitage to Smolny monastery cathedral - 6,5 km (3,3 miles)
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If you are going to spend about 2 weeks in the city - I totally agree that you
need neither a car (taxi) nor a guide - you will get well oriented and see
almost all of sights successfully on your own.
But if the period of your stay is less than 5 days - your lack of a guide and
walking on foot will limit your opportunities immensely. Unless you know how to
fly...
The question is whether or not you are ready to curtail your demands to walking
along Nevsky pr. (beautiful as it is) and seeing a couple of the central squares
plus the Hermitage. If you want more - remember: St. Petersburg IS NOT A
PEDESTRIAN CITY.
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Going to St. Petersburg I need to take care about my security
With all esteem towards foreign tourists: it is now time to understand that
St. Petersburg is no more and no less safe a city than Paris, London or NY.
Honestly I think that it is safer than any of above written. At least walking
by night in the city center is not considered as dangerous. So the general
advice is - follow the rules of common sense, and you will be Ok. The greatest
danger you are going to meet is pickpockets. If you have no more than $30 in
cash and credit cards, you have nothing to worry about.
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Going to St. Petersburg I MUST visit Hermitage
A visit to the Hermitage will take at least a half of a day. That is the fact
you need to take into consideration. Going to the museum from your
accommodation - waiting in the line for the tickets - walking around its 1150
rooms - at least a cup of coffee afterwards; it comes to about 4,5 hours or
even more. You will be tempted to see one more picture, one more room etc -
until the tears will flow from your eyes.
My personal approach when having less than 3 full days at your disposal, it is
much more important to concentrate on the city itself rather than on going to
the Hermitage. The reason is that you most probably will have an opportunity to
see the works by Rembrandt, Rubens and impressionists in your national museum -
but you can not see St. Petersburg at home.
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Hermitage has an excellent collection of Russian art
That is one of the common mistakes. The truth is that in Soviet times, the
Hermitage collection of Russian art was transferred to the Russian Museum.
The Hermitage consists mainly of foreign art, most notably West European art.
The only Russian art you can see in the Hermitage is the building itself
(actually there 5 buildings in the complex of the museum) with its interiors.
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The best time for visit is June
The obvious advantages of June are the famous white nights - the phenomenon of
nature when by night it is as light as by day (because of the latitude of city
location). The weather is warm (about +25 C) and most often sunny. Yet there is
no surprise that 90% of the tourists think exactly like you and try to come in
June. I even do not mention the national - I mean Russian - tourists and
especially schools and college students who use their holidays for visiting
St. Petersburg. It does not make much difference when you walk. But museums like
Hermitage, Catherine's palace or any other can be a disaster. Long lines for the
entrance tickets as well as overcrowded halls inside are inevitable. That is why
I advise you to consider my favorite month - September. Still very warm and
beautiful, but the flow of the tourists visibly decreases and you can enjoy both
city and museums in much less frantic atmosphere.
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I can cope by myself during my visit to St. Petersburg
No doubt - you can. The question is how. As already mentioned, the main problem
is time. So if you come for 2 weeks or more - you are right. If you come for less
than a week you will most probably miss a lot. There is nothing really
catastrophic in that - but I do usually feel sorry seeing on Nevsky pr. tourists
light-heartedly passing the Eliseevsky shop (rare sample of exquisite Art Nuveau
interior - entrance is free) or Ananov salon (actually a free exhibition of
contemporary Faberge style jewelry). Walking by your own is like browsing TV
channels - walking together with a local is like watching the exciting film. Try
to find a guide, or amateur guide or a pen-pal - anybody who would bring you
around. See more within the same number of days.
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Your opinion regarding this article will be much appreciated at the
forum.
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