Way to Russia Talk Lounge

rachel7503 · Just Starting Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1

We're off to St Petersburg shortly and staying at the St Peterburg Hotel opposite the Aurora cruiser, not far from the Finlandia Vokzal.
From the guides I've read it seems there's not much to do in the vacinity and I'm worried that becuase of the bridges being raised we will have to do any late night drinking in the splendour of our hotel bar.
Even if we can't get home late across the Liteiniy Most from the main city centre, do the bridges between us and the Petrograd area stay down throughout the night?
Or can anyone recommend interesting place for eating and drinking north of the centre?

Thanks for any advice!
Rachel

wu687 · Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:56 am Post subject:

The shipping season may be over, if it is you may not have a problem.

nikir · Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 3:37 am Post subject:

while the river is probably not frozen yet the shipping traffic will have slowed considerably so it won't be too much of a problem.

Groobs · Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:03 am Post subject:

So far, there is no ice in the river and therefore the river is still navigable to shipping and the bridges are still opening. Having said that, a few nights ago we had a flood warning here in SPB and the bridges did not open one night, I guess cos the river was so high that it was not safe to do so.

But remember that you CAN get back from the centre to your hotel, it just needs a bit of clever timing! Several of the bridges open for about 30 minutes at (around) 2.30am and if you get organised (tricky at 2.15am on the wrong end of 8 Boshkarevs, I grant you....!) you can get a taxi in the street to take you over the bridges in this "window". The bridge at Hermitage has a period when it closes (by which I mean it’s open to cars not boats) and at the same time you can continue onto Petrogradskya side over the Tuchkov bridge and then onto the Sampsoniyevsky bridge (that’s the one next to Aurora and your hotel). It's a pain but it can be done.

Also, I recently took a little boat across from the Hermitage to Vassilevsky Ostrov for 300 Rurs - highway robbery (well, high seas robbery maybe) but I THINK (but can't confirm) that there are little boats across to the other islands too.

Either way, it should all stop soon, so it just depends by what you mean by "we are coming SHORTLY"!!

Peter80 · Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject:

Go to Aquarel, yet it is expansive i guess:

http://www.aquarel.net/en/afisha.php

Map:

http://maps.yandex.ru/map_search.xml?map=3&lay=16&id=12969&map_type=address&text=%E4%EE%E1%F0%EE%EB%FE%E1%EE%E2%E0%2014%E0&res=exact