Ekaterinburg Practicalities

Business Travel.
The towering Antei Complex has offices for rent as well as conference facilities. Offices are fully equipped with telecommunications facilities, security and there is a bank and range of services on site. Office space is priced from 40c.u. (about $45) per square meter with a minimum office size of 18mъ and maximum size of 75 mъ. The conference halls are quite expensive to rent at 3000R per hour ($111) for the 50 person hall and 5000R an hour ($185) for the 150 person hall. But those prices include all necessary equipment.
Address: Krasnoarmeiskaya Ul., #10. Tel (for rental): 379-5855.
Website: www.antey-e.ru. Email: antey_offices@mail.ru.

Otherwise the best business centers are to be found at EkaterinburgХs hotels. Note the prices given for conference hall rental at hotels do not include equipment hire which usually costs another $40-$50 an hour. The Hotel Booking Center covers three hotels with some of the best business facilities in Ekaterinburg: The Premier Hotel, Hotel Ekaterinburg-Central and the Grand Avenue Hotel. See the Accommodation section for information on the facilities at these hotels. The facilities can be booked through the Hotel Booking Center or through the hotels directly.
Hotel Booking Center: Malysheva Ul., #74, Office 243. Tel: 350-0505. Website: www.uralhotels.ru.

Otherwise the Park Inn has some quality conference facilities but they are quite expensive. A cheaper option is the perfectly acceptable amenities at the Hotel Voznesensky. See the accommodation section for details.

Without doubt, the best facilities in town are at the Ekaterinburg World Trade Center and Atrium Palace Hotel. They excel in terms of variety, services and equipment. From offices, to small meeting rooms to an exhibition center, everything you need is there. But the facilities donХt come cheap. The full list of whatХs on offer is too long to detail here so itХs best to check the website for information. Facilities can be booked through the hotel or through the World Trade Center.
Address: Kuibysheva Ul., #44. Tel: 359-6000; 359-6385. Website: www.atriumpalace.ru or www.wtc-ural.ru.

Emergencies.
In case of an emergency itХs best to contact the manager of the hotel where youХre staying, or the local police. The operators of emergency services speak Russian only: 01 ш Fire 02 ш Police 03 ш Ambulance If you lose your credit card you should dial the Moscow numbers listed in the Practicalities/Money section.

Health.
If you get sick in Ekaterinburg your best bet is to try the Preobrazhenskaya Clinic, the most western style clinic in the city. You should be able to find a doctor who at least understands English here.
Address: Gagarina Ul., #28. Tel: 216-1166. Website: www.pr-clinica.ru.

Another option is City Clinic #41 which was founded by Gazprom in 2000. Consequently it is very well funded and has good quality facilities.
Address: Nachdiva Vasilyeva Ul., #25. Tel: 212-7765.

There are many pharmacies around the city and you wonХt have much trouble finding one no matter what area youХre in. There is a good one at the Preobrazhanskaya Clinic (address above, Tel: 374-4010). There is a very central 24 hour pharmacy at Pushkina Ulitsa, #16 (called ТZdorove na PushkinaУ). And there is a 24 hour ТPharmaceutical CenterУ at Malysheva Ulitsa, #42 (Tel: 266-2042).

Internet Access.
In spite of the claims of some guide books and tourist information services there is only one real internet cafe in central Ekaterinburg, but you can also use the limited services at the post office.

Coffee.In: Not a bad internet cafe with cheap snacks and coffee, a large screen showing music videos or sports, and the internet runs at a decent speed. One hour on the internet 50R ($1.80).
Address: 8 Marta Ul., #8d, 3rd floor (in the Mytny Dvor shopping center, entrance from the back of the building). Tel: 377-6873. Open Mon-Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 10:00-20:00.

Main Post Office: Facilities here are limited and there are usually queues but itХs cheap at 30R an hour ($1.10). You can also do scanning, printing and CD-burning for equally low fees.
Address: Prospekt Lenina, #39. Tel: 262-0000. Open 8:00-21:00.

Money Issues.
There are plenty of ATMs around the city. Obviously you can find them inside the major shopping centers Mytny Dvor and TsUM (see Section "Shopping" for addresses) and in the foyers of the major hotels. There are also ATMs in all the metro entrances and at the main train station. The ATMs outside Mytny Dvor can be accessed 24 hours. Some other addresses include Malysheva Ul., #84, Prospket Lenina, #56 and Pervomaiskaya Ul., #24a.

Currency exchanges are less common but you can at least find them at all the major banks. Some addresses are Alfa-Bank (8 Marta Ul., #10), Severnaya Kazna Bank (Prospekt Lenina, #60) and Bank 24.ru (Malysheva Ul., #84). Generally they take only $US or Euros.

Western Union transfers are possible at the latter two banks listed under currency exchanges, and at a number of other locations.

Open Hours and Peak Hours.
Shops are generally open from 10:00-21:00 on weekdays but often have shorter hours on weekends, or at least on Sundays (usually 10:00 or 11:00 ш 19:00 or 20:00). 24 hour shops are few and far between so can be awkward to reach. But kiosks are generally open until 11pm or midnight and there are plenty of them around. Office hours are generally 9am or 10am to 6pm.

Cafes and restaurants are usually open from midday until midnight. But there are some that open earlier (around 10am) and/or close a bit later (around 2am). ItХs not easy finding places to eat for breakfast or for a late night snack. If you want to eat late at night your best bets are the restaurant CCCP (Pervomaiskaya Ul., #27), the coffee shop MammaХs Biscuit House (Prospekt Lenina, #26) or the restaurants at some of the clubs, especially the one at the 24 hour club Parking (Krasnoarmeiskaya Ul., #10). A few coffee shops around the center are also open 24 hours.

Peak hours are 8am-10am & 5pm-7pm. Public transport can become quite crowded during these times but is still okay to use. Traffic can slow your journey down considerably though.

Post Offices and Courier Services.
If you want to send something by post from Russia,

you can do it either through the government post offices or by courier services - the difference is price and speed. The state post office is cheaper but very slow and sometimes unreliable. Even if you pay extra to send things by priority air mail, they can still take two weeks to reach Europe.

The Main Post Office also has an ATM and offers faxing, photocopying, internet and telephone services for low prices. And, of course, you can buy stamps and send your mail from here. The staff are a bit difficult, but persist and youХll get what you want eventually. There are many other post offices around Ekaterinburg which offer only mailing and sometimes telephone services.
Address: Prospekt Lenina, #39. Tel: 362-0000. Open 8:00-21:00.

Courier Services are much more reliable and fast but also far more expensive. A letter will take about three or four days to reach Europe and cost around $50 to send. Packages will cost more, depending on their weight.
UPS: Mira Ul., #23, Office 908. Tel: 374-7711.
DHL: Antona Valeka Ul., #15, Office 104. Tel: 365-8358.
TNT Express: Krestinskogo Ul., #46a, Office 118. Tel: 220-1122.
Pony Express: Tsvillinga Ul., 6. Tel: 365-8703.

Safety.
There are no special safety concerns in Ekaterinburg. Being a mid-sized city with many people and perhaps not enough entertainment to keep the population entertained there is a degree of restlessness about. Exercise the usual amount of caution: stick to the main streets at night, or at least donХt walk the back streets alone; and if carrying large amounts of money then make sure it is well secured, etc. Use your discretion ш thereХs no need to take any more precautions than you would elsewhere.

Shopping.
Vainera Ulitsa and the surrounding streets is the main shopping area. A pedestrian street,

there are all manner of clothing outlets, jewelry shops, cafes and restaurants along here. GUM and Passazh are at the top of the Vainera Ulitsa where it meets Prospekt Lenina while TsUM is a little further down. Here you will also find specialty outlets for things like mobile phones and SIM cards, shops for photo development and pharmacies. The pedestrian area extends along Vainera Ulitsa from Prospekt Lenina to Malysheva Ulitsa and spreads over into Bankovsky Pereulok and Teatralny Pereulok. There are a number of useful shops along the nearby parts of Malysheva Ulitsa as well.

Mytny Dvor is quite an upmarket, though small, shopping center right in the center. It has outlets of Calvin Klein, MEXX and some other popular brands as well as a Planeta Sushi franchise. There are ATMs on the outside walls which are accessible 24 hours. The entrance to the internet cafe Coffee.IN is at the back of the building.
Address: 8 Marta Ul., #8d. Open Mon-Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 10:00-20:00.

TsUM has a couple of brand-name shops such as Hugo Boss plus the usual assortment of shops selling various goods. YouХll find anything you could possibly need here.
Address: Vainera Ul., #9. Open Mon-Fri 10:00-20:00, Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 11:00-18:00.

Grinvich: This massive shopping and entertainment center has a lot of varied outlets, a cinema, restaurant, food court, bank and, most importantly, a 24 hour supermarket.
Address: 8 Marta Ul., #46. Open 24 hours.

For souvenirs, the best option is Stolitsa Urala (Bankovsky Pereulok, #1. Tel: 377-5642). For maps and English language books try Dom Knigi (Antona Valeka Ul., #12. Tel: 358-1898).

Central Market: A massive market, itХs definitely worth visiting just for a look. Have a browse around the different things on sale, get hassled by the vendors, itХs all a fun way to stimulate your senses for 20 minutes or so.
Address: Sheinkmana Ul., #57a. Open 8:00-17:00 (approx).

Telephones.
The international phone code of Russia is "7", the code of Ekaterinburg is "343". If you call to Ekaterinburg from abroad, you should dial the international access number (usually 00 or "+"), then the code of Russia "7", then Ekaterinburg (343), and then the 7-digit city number. If you call to Ekaterinburg from any place in Russia, dial 8, wait for a tone, then dial the Ekaterinburg code (343), and then the 7-digit city number. If you dial a Ekaterinburg number inside Ekaterinburg, just dial the 7-digit number, without any prefixes. The calls inside the city are free, except in hotels (check how much they charge).

The best place to make calls is at the Main Post Office (see section 7 for the address). To make a phone call, first queue for the operator, pay an advance for a call (about 50 R) and then they'll tell you what cabin to go to make a call. Once your call is finished, you can get back the money you paid, if you haven't used it all already.

But if you plan to stay in Ekaterinburg for a longer period it is very cheap to buy a SIM card with any of the local operators: MTS, Beeline or Megafon are the main ones. SIM cards cost about $3 or $4 and usually come with a few dollars of phone credit. If you already have a Russian SIM card with one of the main networks it will also work in Ekaterinburg, though you will be charged slightly higher Фinternal roamingХ tariffs.

Tourist Information.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ekaterinburg actually has a tourist information bureau! They offer all sorts of information about the city and can also help with hotel bookings, excursions, car rental, guides and interpreters. They also sell souvenirs. It features English-speaking and helpful staff.
Address: 8 Marta Ul., #21. Tel: 222-2445.

Web Resources.
http://its.ekburg.ru/eng/
The Ekaterinburg Tourist Information Service has a website, launched in March 2006. ItХs quite a useful resource with a list of hotels, clubs, restaurants, shops, practical information and details of upcoming events. There are also maps of public transport routes, which would be useful if you could decipher them. There are other informational guides to the city online but they are run by travel agencies so are self-interested to some degree.

www.ekaterinburgout.ru
Ekaterinburg Out (Russian Only) has great listings for nightlife, theater, sport, shopping and all other lifestyle related issues. They also have some accommodation and transport information.

http://ekaterinburg.afisha.ru
Cinema, theater and nightlife listings can be found on AfishaХs Ekaterinburg portal. There is also information about upcoming exhibitions and festivals.