Arriving by Plane

International flights arrive in St. Petersburg at Pulkovo- 2, while internal flights arrive at Pulkovo-1. Both are about 17 kilometers south of the city center, the trip in to the city center usually takes an hour by public transport and a half an hour by taxi. If you need to get from one terminal to another, there is a bus that takes 20 to 30 minutes to make the trip.

Pulkovo-2 has frequent, direct service flights to most major European capitals, and several daily flights to Moscow (a 1 1/2 hour trip).

By far the cheapest way to get into the city is to catch the No. 13 bus, which stops at the bus stop located between the separate arrival and departure buildings of international terminal Pulkovo-2. It's a normal city bus, which (after several stops and about a 15-20 minute ride) will stop at the nearest metro station, Moskovskaya. Additionally, a marshrutnoye taksi runs frequently to and from Moskovskaya ‘ meaning that for only a couple of rubles more, you'll be guaranteed a seat on a minibus.

Taxi drivers are always available, though chances are it will cost you big bucks. It is better to have someone meet you or arrange to send a car in advance, especially for early morning flights. As for taxi fares, much will depend upon your level of Russian, familiarity with the city, general ability to haggle with the driver in a good- spirited manner, as well as which airport you're coming from. From international Pulkovo-2 into the center, the vulture-like taxi drivers that tend to hover around day and night might charge any amount they please, especially if it's late at night or early in the morning and buses aren't running. Here, prices couldrange from $30 at the door of the terminal, to a more reasonable $5-$7 if you successfully hail a driver on the road nearby. From domestic terminal Pulkovo-1, an average taxi might run about $12-$15, though similarly it would be cheaper to hail a cab from the road.