Visit Russia - 5 Love & Hates of St Petersburg, Russia - Wolters World
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Date: 2022-02-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
Антон
I agree that the service is worse than in the US but better than in Canada. Bright side is that in the most cases the waiter would be more beautiful than any American movie star and you may start flirting with her with any disastrous ramifications.
Visa paperwork is reciprocal. You cannot even imagine all the full cavity searches that we Russians are subjected to on our way to American visa. For locals the level of bureaucracy is rather tolerable and 99% cases can be solved on-line. We even have Apps to automatically pay traffic tickets, parking etc.
Russia was rather dangerous place in 90th and early 00th but now for ten years I never heard any crime related stories from people whome I know personally. Probably pickpockets are targeting particular tourists.
My American colleagues often come to Saint Petersburg carousing all through the nights hitting all the bars in the vicinity and nothing bad ever happen to them. The things may turn ugly if you start to grab somebodys girl for Russians may be more protective than you expect but its another story. Just be decent even while drunk and nothing bad ever happen to you.
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I agree that the service is worse than in the US but better than in Canada. Bright side is that in the most cases the waiter would be more beautiful than any American movie star and you may start flirting with her with any disastrous ramifications.
Visa paperwork is reciprocal. You cannot even imagine all the full cavity searches that we Russians are subjected to on our way to American visa. For locals the level of bureaucracy is rather tolerable and 99% cases can be solved on-line. We even have Apps to automatically pay traffic tickets, parking etc.
Russia was rather dangerous place in 90th and early 00th but now for ten years I never heard any crime related stories from people whome I know personally. Probably pickpockets are targeting particular tourists.
My American colleagues often come to Saint Petersburg carousing all through the nights hitting all the bars in the vicinity and nothing bad ever happen to them. The things may turn ugly if you start to grab somebodys girl for Russians may be more protective than you expect but its another story. Just be decent even while drunk and nothing bad ever happen to you.
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Louis
1: 32. It is not just Russia that lacks the civility of a line culture. Europeans are completely ignorant of line ettiquete. Go to Tivoli in peaceful Copenhagen, watch the actions in the line for the rides. You have to have Gordie-Howe-elbows or else you will be toast.
McDonalds has done a very good job exporting line culture to the rest of the world. There was a good book, apparently out of print now, titled Under the Golden Arches, which has eight or so essays, written by natives of different countries about how MCD changed cultural mores in different countries around the world. Russians tend to distrust a stranger who smiles. MCD taught their employees to deliver service with a smile, and Russians came to understand that the employee wasn't smiling because they had cheated them.
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1: 32. It is not just Russia that lacks the civility of a line culture. Europeans are completely ignorant of line ettiquete. Go to Tivoli in peaceful Copenhagen, watch the actions in the line for the rides. You have to have Gordie-Howe-elbows or else you will be toast.
McDonalds has done a very good job exporting line culture to the rest of the world. There was a good book, apparently out of print now, titled Under the Golden Arches, which has eight or so essays, written by natives of different countries about how MCD changed cultural mores in different countries around the world. Russians tend to distrust a stranger who smiles. MCD taught their employees to deliver service with a smile, and Russians came to understand that the employee wasn't smiling because they had cheated them.
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Simone
You're totally correct - when the Russian people open up to you, it's great. Some of my most memorable moments were speaking to the locals - one particular conversation with an older gentleman on a bus - I had 50 words of Russian and he had about the same in English - but he and others still helped me to find the stop I needed.
Also, St Petersburg is just a great city to wander the streets, especially the quieter ones along the many canals. Overall I felt safe there, even later in the evening walking back to my hotel.
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You're totally correct - when the Russian people open up to you, it's great. Some of my most memorable moments were speaking to the locals - one particular conversation with an older gentleman on a bus - I had 50 words of Russian and he had about the same in English - but he and others still helped me to find the stop I needed.
Also, St Petersburg is just a great city to wander the streets, especially the quieter ones along the many canals. Overall I felt safe there, even later in the evening walking back to my hotel.
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markv1
I would add another hate is the weather! First of all, it's very cold and very snowy during winters. And, during summers, White Nights are beautiful and definitely worth experiencing, but weather overall is SOO unpredictable - it's super cold one hour and then temperature jumps like 10 degrees in a few hours and then it's hot. It rains one moment and then it's sunshine. So, advice is always wear layers of clothing (even during summer, so you can take things off and put them on depending on the elements.
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I would add another hate is the weather! First of all, it's very cold and very snowy during winters. And, during summers, White Nights are beautiful and definitely worth experiencing, but weather overall is SOO unpredictable - it's super cold one hour and then temperature jumps like 10 degrees in a few hours and then it's hot. It rains one moment and then it's sunshine. So, advice is always wear layers of clothing (even during summer, so you can take things off and put them on depending on the elements.
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Роман
Hey there, if you're visiting St Petersburg, I'd be happy to show you around.
I love traveling myself, and when I do, I make sure to experience it through the eyes of the locals. Here's your chance to do the same: )
Even though I am not an actual tour guide, I know the city really well and I can also lend you an e-scooter or a longboard if you want. If you're into that kind of stuff, St Pet will surprise you.
If you're not, I'd be happy to hang out either way.
Rome
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Hey there, if you're visiting St Petersburg, I'd be happy to show you around.
I love traveling myself, and when I do, I make sure to experience it through the eyes of the locals. Here's your chance to do the same: )
Even though I am not an actual tour guide, I know the city really well and I can also lend you an e-scooter or a longboard if you want. If you're into that kind of stuff, St Pet will surprise you.
If you're not, I'd be happy to hang out either way.
Rome
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Pat
I would add some additional cautions; cover your camera, and put your phones away when crossing the border. Do not take pictures of the border guards. And do not throw any document away that you are given when crossing the border, like migration documents. Do not stay to the last day allotted on the VISA, you might have trouble getting out. But, I truly loved the Hermitages European art and Impressionists galleries. Personally I think its better than the Louvre.
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I would add some additional cautions; cover your camera, and put your phones away when crossing the border. Do not take pictures of the border guards. And do not throw any document away that you are given when crossing the border, like migration documents. Do not stay to the last day allotted on the VISA, you might have trouble getting out. But, I truly loved the Hermitages European art and Impressionists galleries. Personally I think its better than the Louvre.
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Bill
I hear a great deal of meeting people in these countries and if you know some words of their language and have a conversation with them that they befriend you and invite the tourists to their homes and though I am certain a few have experienced the hospitality --- I am somewhat uncertain. We are strangers to these people as we are to them. I don't know you met these people, Mark but it would be interesting to find out.
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I hear a great deal of meeting people in these countries and if you know some words of their language and have a conversation with them that they befriend you and invite the tourists to their homes and though I am certain a few have experienced the hospitality --- I am somewhat uncertain. We are strangers to these people as we are to them. I don't know you met these people, Mark but it would be interesting to find out.
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Oskar
Did St. Petersburg and then the high speed train to Moscow last year. 2 absolute MUST HAVES are Yandex-taxi & Google translate apps. Buy a local SIM-card at the airport. Wish We had stayed longer in St. petersburg, as it firstly was much cheaper than Moscow, and much more accessble. Don't miss the hydrofoil-boat to Peterhof and Kronstat + the Siege museum.
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Did St. Petersburg and then the high speed train to Moscow last year. 2 absolute MUST HAVES are Yandex-taxi & Google translate apps. Buy a local SIM-card at the airport. Wish We had stayed longer in St. petersburg, as it firstly was much cheaper than Moscow, and much more accessble. Don't miss the hydrofoil-boat to Peterhof and Kronstat + the Siege museum.
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А.
Bureaucracy in Russia?
Americans are used to traveling around the world without a visa, but as soon as they were faced with a visa, they started singing about bureaucracy! Interesting!
You have no idea how difficult it is to get to the US: ) and most importantly, they charge you for the consular fee and then say, you are denied a visa
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Bureaucracy in Russia?
Americans are used to traveling around the world without a visa, but as soon as they were faced with a visa, they started singing about bureaucracy! Interesting!
You have no idea how difficult it is to get to the US: ) and most importantly, they charge you for the consular fee and then say, you are denied a visa
reply
tdub18914
If you can manage getting to St Petersburg by boat or ship (via Tallinn or Helsinki or a Baltic Cruise for example, and you stay less than 72 hours, you do NOT need a Visa at all. (oops sorry, saw that he got to that later in the video) And in The Hermitage, get early entry, and there will be at most 10 people in each room with you.
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If you can manage getting to St Petersburg by boat or ship (via Tallinn or Helsinki or a Baltic Cruise for example, and you stay less than 72 hours, you do NOT need a Visa at all. (oops sorry, saw that he got to that later in the video) And in The Hermitage, get early entry, and there will be at most 10 people in each room with you.
reply
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