St. PEtersburg: Fast Facts

​​Visas & Passports
  • Foreign visitors must obtain a visa before entering Russia
    • Beware of fake visa websites
  • Cruise ship passengers joining a guided tour may be able to use their tour tickets in place of a visa
  • Independent travelers must show proof of their hotel reservations
  • It is required to carry your passport at all times!
Language
  • Russian
  • Cyrillic alphabet may be useful to know
Electricity
  • 220 volts
  • European two round prongs
Money
  • Currency = rouble, one rouble = 100 kopecs
  • US dollars and euros are the easiest to exchange, exchange rates are better in the city than at the airport
  • Major credit cards are accepted at top hotels and restaurants, but not small shops and cafes
Safety
  • Keep your passport in a safe place
  • Beware of pickpockets especially on the metro and Nevsky Prospect
Customs & Etiquette
  • Men greet each other with a handshake
  • Women are greeted with a nod or kiss on the cheek
  • Friends greet each other with the word "privet" while "zdravstvuyte" is used for strangers formal occasions
  • Young men and women should give up seats to the elderly and pregnant women on public transit
  • In churches women cover their heads and shoulders while men remove their hats. Shorts are prohibited.
Tipping
  • Common in restaurants when the service charge is not included, 10-15%
Dining
  • Most restaurants have a smoking section
Food & Beverages
  • Beer: Tinka Baltica Botchkarev, and Nevsko
  • Blinis: pancakes filled with anything from caviar to jam
  • Borsch: beetroot soup
  • Caviar (red or black)
  • Champagne (Russiane)
  • Kefir: yogurt drink
  • Kholodets: meat with gravy around it that forms a jelly served with mustard or horseradish
  • Kvas: lightly alcoholic drink made from fermented rye and barley
  • Mors: juice made of cranberry or lingberry juice
  • Oroshka: cold soup with cucumber, spring onions, boiled eggs, and ham
  • Pelmeni: large ravioli served in clear broth
  • Ryazhenka: sweet, fermented milk-based drink ​​
  • ​​​Samogoon: moonshine
  • Schi: cabbage soup with meat herbs and vegetables
  • Solyanka: pickled cucumber cooked with meat fish or mushrooms making a soup
  • Sushi is popular all over Russia
  • Uhka: fish soup with potatoes onion and vegetables
  • Vodka: Stolichnaya,Gzelhka
  • Wine (Georgian)
Shopping
  • Usually open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days a week
  • Prices may be negotiable at souvenir markets
Souvenirs​
  • Amber jewelry
  • Faberge eggs
  • Matryoshka: the series of carved and painted dolls, each one smaller than the next
  • Gzhel porcelain: blue and white ceramic produced near Moscow
  • Palekh (lacquer) box: bright, hand painted boxes featuring scenes from Russian fairy tales, battle scenes or copies of works of art
  • Chess sets