Hello all -

I'm arriving in St. Petersburg on May 25 to see a weekend of ballets at the Mariinsky - I'm quite excited and a little bit nervous but I am sure that will go away when I know how to get around and make myself understood at least rudimentarily. I know the Cyrrilic alphabet and very rudimentary Russian - not enough to really speak but I can probably decrypt a sign or a label.

A few questions - any advice appreciated:

Electricity and plugs - will the adapters I use for France work for Russia as well?

Health - How much do I need to worry about the water and giardia? I am bringing medications just in case and will only drink and use bottled water, but do I need to extend this caution to salads and raw vegetables? I'd rather eat them, but not at the cost of several days worth of stomach upset.

I'll be in St. Petersburg on the city's holiday, May 27 - I'll be going to the Mariinsky that night, but is there anything unforgettable to do that day? Otherwise I may go to Peterhof or Tsarskoe Selo - because of their schedules that may the only day I can.

Speaking of Palaces - of all of them I probably can see only one - Peterhof, Pavlovsk or Tsarskoe Selo. Any advice as to which?

What would folks do on a Monday? Most museums seem to be closed or is something wonderful open?

Any suggestions for good destinations, restaurants, guides or tours always appreciated.

Спасибо!

Just some thoughts from another visitor, I'm sure you'll get some inside advice later:

A few questions - any advice appreciated:

Electricity and plugs - will the adapters I use for France work for Russia as well?

Yes they will.

Health - How much do I need to worry about the water and giardia? I am bringing medications just in case and will only drink and use bottled water,

Yes you should.

but do I need to extend this caution to salads and raw vegetables? I'd rather eat them, but not at the cost of several days worth of stomach upset.

I would eat them in hotels and better restaurants. Basically I would check (discreetly) that they look and smell fresh.

What would folks do on a Monday? Most museums seem to be closed or is something wonderful open?

Why not go see the Petropavlovskaja island where the city was founded. There will be some ordinary citizens spending the day as well. It is also where the Russian tsars w. families are buried.

If you can only see one palace, go to Petrohof. They are all beautiful, but that one has all the fountains too.

Hello all -

I'm arriving in St. Petersburg on May 25 to see a weekend of ballets at the Mariinsky - I'm quite excited and a little bit nervous but I am sure that will go away when I know how to get around and make myself understood at least rudimentarily. I know the Cyrrilic alphabet and very rudimentary Russian - not enough to really speak but I can probably decrypt a sign or a label.
...
Спасибо!

Okay, first question--how did you get the Cyrrilic charachters?

Second, my partner and I are about to spend a week in Moscow and St. P. and I would love to hear of your experiences ... can we communicate on your return?

Tim

My 2 cents regarding the water: you shouldn't drink it unboiled, otherwise it's safe, but heavily chlorinated.

I can highly recommend taking a look at the In Your Pocket Guides for Eastern Europe. They have one for SPb.

You should be able to pick up a free copy out and about in the city and you can download a shorter PDF version from the web site:

http://www.inyourpocket.com/russia/st_petersburg/en/

I cheated on the Cyrillic. I went to http://www.rustran.com/ and cut and pasted the word.

Just so I don't have to go searching for bottled water after a 14 hour flight (though I gather it's easy to find) I'm tucking a liter bottle into my carry on. Probably unnecessary but I'll be glad if there's a problem.

I'll be blogging my trip - URL is in my .sig. Feel free to contact me after if there's anything further you want to ask.

I saw the other thread about St. Petersburg. I guess I'm less worried since I didn't look up anything before coming. And I've been drinking the water. :eek:

I'm somehow fascinated by the underbelly of society.... I talked to one
of the "working girls" here in the hotel this evening. She was very
interested in me until she realized I wasn't going to give her any
business, then she was VERY uninterested in me (I guess I was hampering
her business prospects).

Yesterday I had a team of pickpockets attempt to snatch my wallet on the
subway. On the escaltor at the subway station (the longest one in Russia,
I am told... and it is HUGE), a young man fell backwards on to me (there
were about 20 people within a 3 meter square area...rush hour). I held
out both hands to stop him from falling and another guy from behind grabbed
my wallet from my back pocket. But I'm super aware of this stuff, so I
grabbed his wrist before he could extract it. He looked away and made off
into the crowd like nothing happened, but my adrenaline was pumping.

Later, two youths were harrassing a lady in the street because she
had inadvertantly kicked over a can of Red Bull belonging to the older
youth. They were pushing her and wouldn't let her pass. A friend and I were
about to get involved (despite the fact that it's probably very stupid,
but no one else was doing anything). But finally they let her pass and we all moved on.

The thing that made the difference for me traveling alone here (I'm leaving today for London) was hiring a guide. I admit to using him as much as a guide as a Rent-a-Buddy; it meant I had someone to eat lunch with and talk to. I found the city a difficult one to negotiate solo even with rudimentary Russian - but I really think I psyched myself out even before I got here - I wish I had read and worried a bit less. Petty crime is a problem here - I didn't experience what you did individually, though. Yeah, I stuck to bottled water and cooked vegetables, but I think I was too cautious.

To explain why one would visit here in a nutshell, architecturally the city is drop-dead gorgeous. I mean drop-dead.

Wow... Looks like I barely missed you; I left a couple of days before you arrived (and did get some good evenings at the Mariinsky). I'll check out your blog ^.

....To explain why one would visit here in a nutshell, architecturally the city is drop-dead gorgeous. I mean drop-dead.I second that... and there's more too!