Before you visit St. Petersburg read these essentials
that can help you prepare your trip. Traveling to Russia can be
a little bit different from traveling to another European country.
It’s always good to know about visa requirements, when to
go, and other things ahead of time.
When to Go
Today Russia’s two largest cities, St. Petersburg and Moscow,
are of great tourist interest. Late spring to early autumn is high
tourist season. During the summer, all hotels increase rates considerably
and sometime it’s difficult to find a free room at affordable
cost. If a main purpose of your visit is sightseeing and walking
through the city, summer is the best time to go though. To avoid
crowds, you can also choose late spring and early autumn. Winter
can be quite cold, but if you are not afraid of being cold, your
trip in winter can be quite fascinating as well. If you like museums
and theaters, perhaps, winter will be the best time to visit.
Entry Requirements
A Russian travel visa is required to enter Russia. There are several
types of visa you can apply for, including tourist and business.
You can obtain your Russian visa from the Russian Consulate General
in your country. Travel agencies can help by issuing tourist invitations.
Visa processing takes at least three weeks. To obtain a visa, you
will have to submit a visa application form, photos and consulate
fees.
Customs Regulations
No customs duty is required for personal use
items, including clothing, perfume, sports equipment, and other
goods for a total price up to 2,000 USD. You can bring duty-free
the following items: 1,000 cigarettes or 1 kg of tobacco products,
1,5l of spirits or 2l of wines, gifts at the total price not more
than 10,000 USD. You can also bring your own car for the period
of stay in Russia.
It’s advisable to declare all valuable items on your customs
form when you pass through customs in Russia. Fill the form with
the amount of currency you bring, computer equipments, video equipment,
and jewelry. Remember that you cannot take home more than 3,000
USD without special permission. Money in Travelers’ Checks
shouldn’t be declared at the Russian customs. Remember that
the declaration form should be retained before your departure.
It’s prohibited to import weapons, explosives, narcotics,
materials directed against the Russian Federation. One mustn’t
import into Russia plants and live animals without special permission.
Cultural valuables (works of arts, precious metals, manuscripts,
audio and video archives) cannot be taken out of Russia without
permit issued by the Committee of Culture. Most souvenir and gift
items don’t fall into this category. Before making a purchase
a valuable item in art gallery, ask for all the necessary arrangements
and formalities.
Russian customs regulations may change. So we recommend you to
contact the Consulate for more information before you go on your
trip.
Tourist Information
There are not many tourist information centers
even in large cities like St. Petersburg. The only tourist center
in St. Petersburg is located at 41 Nevsky Prospect. For more information
on our city, check out websites like TravelPetersburg.com
