This question will be in conjunction with my other research.

Is St. Petersburg a pretty neat place to visit for a week?

Absolutely YES. It is probably the most interesting and beautiful city in Russia. Lots of wonderful buildings, far more than Moscow and other cities. Great museums, Hermitage, St. Peter's Fortress on the island, and above all Peterhoff, the huge estate just outside the city that was the summer palace, destroyed by the Nazis but later rebuilt by Stalin. Peterhoff is one of the most extraordinary places I have ever visited, esp the magic fountains.

There are several main line hotels in St. Petersburg, such as Sheraton (excellent, I have stayed there), Europa (even better) and Angleterre (more central and wonderful).

And it is a safe city to walk around on even at night, but one still has to be careful. Lots of drunk Russian sailors. Taxis are a Russian mystery.

By all means go, the city is undergoing a renaissance and some day it will be very developed so now you can feel it in transition. I would go back in a flash if I could.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by 100,000miler:
There are several main line hotels in St. Petersburg, such as Sheraton (excellent, I have stayed there), Europa (even better) and Angleterre (more central and wonderful). </font>

There is no more Sheraton in St. Petersburg (Nevsky Palace Hotel, formerly a Sheraton, has recently changed its affiliation).

Grand Hotel Europe Kempinski (http://www.grand-hotel-europe.com/) would be my choice in St. Petersburg. It's better located (right next to the Hermitage) and often cheaper than Nevsky Palace (formerly Sheraton, where I stayed once, and was not particularly impressed, although it was several years ago and I did not have any status with Sheraton at the time).

Astoria (http://www.astoria.spb.ru/) and Angleterre (http://www.angleterrehotel.spb.ru/) should be a bit cheaper (especially Angleterre), and both are recently refurbished historic buildings. They are located pretty well also, next to the St. Isaac's Cathedral.

I haven't seen the Radisson-SAS Royal yet, but it's located on the Nevsky Boulevard, close to the Nevsky Palace hotel. Should not be a bad choice if you can get a decent rate.

Thanks for the advice.

Are there any day trips worth taking outside the city or should I focus my time in St. Petersburg.

As a side note, I am putting my *wood points to work for this trip. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/biggrin.gif I hope that they have a property in the city by next year.

Thanks Randy!

CountinPlaces -- You'll find plenty of day trips opportunities within the area around St. Petersburg. Beautiful parks, gardens, palaces, etc. Feel free to e-mail me direct if you need more information.

Now, about Starwood... Unfortunately, their only property in St. Petersburg has changed affiliation recently (see my post above), and the only Starwood property in Russia at this points is in Moscow. Hopefully, it will change at some point, not sure how soon though.

In a word, YES.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">

Is St. Petersburg a pretty neat place to visit for a week?[/B]</font>

St Petersburg is lovely - and expensive. We were there for a few days in July, staying at the Grand Hotel Kempinski. Prices are breathtakingly high for hotels and sights.

We were surprised at the lack of bus tours, common in other cities. They can be found, but the hotel itself only offers private tours in its luxury cars. It's a very nice way to go outside the city, but you pay dearly for the comfort.

Breakfast at the hotel is $30 per person - and we found no alternative on the streets. We walked to the Hermitage one morning, thinking we'd find a cafe somewhere. No luck - nothing. We ended up at McDonalds, which had no breakfast menu - and ate our first McDonalds hamburgers since we were 15!

Yes, it is a spectacular city - but be sure you go with sufficient funds so that you can enjoy it.

I'd be interested in opinions on the location of better hotels in St. Petersburg.

Looking at a map, the Grand seems to have a prime location, but the cost is certainly a factor. The Astoria and Angleterre seem to be a bit far from the center of things. The SAS Radisson certainly costs less than the Grand -- for tourists, how is the location of the Radisson compared to the Grand?

Stayed at the Sheraton where breakfast was only $24 a year ago. It, and The Radison are a bit further out, but we used cabs to go most everywhere. Use the cab down the street, not the one in front of the hotel. Ask them to wait, or meet you for return.

We did not do all we wished to do in the week we were there, and will return next May.

A good site for a lot of information on Moscow and Petersburg is:

http://www.infoservices.com/

Hard to navigate, but most anything can be found there.

Thanks for the info and the pointer. I'll be there next May as well; maybe we can get a group rate on being revived after seeing the prices.

My husband and I just returned from Moscow and St Petersburg a few days ago.

We stayed at the Hotel St Petersburg, which isn't up there with your Sheraton's etc...but is very pleasant, has a free buffet breakfast and we had a lovely view right across the river to the Aurora.

We didn't have a problem with the lack of bus tours, however there did seem to be plenty of coaches coming and going from our hotel. We booked these things before we left and had our own driver and guide, which wasn't much more than a tour would cost.

There is plenty to see and do and I am sure you will have a great time there.

Phoebe

(Writing from St. Petersburg)

This is a great city to visit, beautiful buildings, great museums, fantastic history, pleasant and relaxed people.

If you are coming right now, however, at the start of September, I am sorry to say you will need a gas mask. The entire city is blanketed in a thick layer of smoke from burning peat bogs http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif . It's quite unpleasant outside, and although the smoke doesn't cause any real breathing problems, it makes your throat burn a little. Yesterday I was in the Hermitage, and the smoke has even penetrated there, with a thin hazd pervading the corridors. You certainly won't be getting any good photographs of the city while it remains like this. Forecast is for at least 5 more days, and, frankly, we need a good strong storm to douse the fires and blow away the smoke.

Incidentally, the smoke extends all the way to Moscow, where three airports were closed yesterday because of visibility problems http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif

Watch the news, and make your trip when things clear a bit. At the moment, the view out of my window here is a bit like something from a science fiction movie.

See also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2238080.stm

and
http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/801/top/t_0_2253.htm

and
http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/801/top/t_7315.htm

[This message has been edited by Dr. Zhivago (edited 09-05-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Dr. Zhivago (edited 09-06-2002).]

Very pleased to report, on Saturday morning, that the smoke has cleared! St. Petersburg has returned to it's glorious self!

How late in the year do the ferrys run to Peterhof, and how late do the fountains run?

Late Last April, neither were on.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by slawecki:
How late in the year do the ferrys run to Peterhof, and how late do the fountains run?

Late Last April, neither were on.</font>

Not sure how late the ferries run - I guess, as long as the ice allows.

As for the fountains, they are switched off at 6 p.m. I was there last week, and they were functioning in all their glory.