Arrive to | from St Petersburg 'Pulkovo' Airport (LED)

If you arrived in St Petersburg by plane for the first time and want to get to the city by public transport, you need to purchase a single ticket on board bus, since long-term cards are sold only at metro stations.

You can purchase a ticket with cash, having previously withdrawn the cash from the ATM in the airport hall. Also, in all shuttlebuses plying between the airport and the metro station "Moskovskaya" - numbers 39 and 39E (express), card readers are installed to pay for travel with cards with the technology of PayPass (MasterCard) and payWave (Visa).
If you have a device synchronized with your Visa or MasterCard, you can pay in the same way as for holders of 'plastic'

Between the airport and the subway running also a so-called 'Shared Taxis' (minibuses K39), but we do not recommend this mode of transport because of its relative unsafe (crazy drivers).

Metro of St Petersburg

If you are walking through city in the afternoon / morning / evening (not at night) , then actually this is the best way! Firstly, traffic in St Petersburg can be very dense, that is why we recommend use the metro for travel. In addition! It's fantastically beautiful!!! Subway of Saint Petersburg is one of the most attractive and elegant underground in the world!

Plan your route with interactive metro map
The St Petersburg metro entrances and lines are marked with a styled letter 'M'

Please note! Entrance to the metro stations is open about from 05:40 till ..
a) about 00:30 - for stations in city center
b) till midnight - for stations in other parts of the city
Change of lines is possible only until 00:15.

Ground transport

Please note! Land-based transport in St Petersburg works about from 6 AM till midnight. To find out the schedule and direction, we recommend using the route planner on Google maps

Shared taxis (in Russian - MARSHRUTKA) are a small buses or minibuses that run often along the same routes as ordinary buses, trams and trolleybuses.
Route numbers, alongside the most important stops, sometimes in English for popular tourist attractions, always are displayed prefixed with the letter 'K' on the front and side (see photo).

The difference is in the fact that 'Shared Taxis' can stop for boarding and disembarkation anywhere in the route, and not at official stops only.
To stop the bus on the street, you need to raise your hand. If you are on board, ask the driver to stop. It`s advisable to do this in advance.
Phrase 'stop here' in Russian - "ASTANAVITE ZDYES`"

Besides, the fare here is usually higher and no any discounts are given (for children, students, seniors etc). Payment is possible only by cash or by "Podorozhnik" travelcard with loaded E-Wallet and sufficient balance.
The cost is indicated at the entrance to the bus and usually is 40-60 ₽ depending on the route within St Petersburg.

Note! Although 'Shared Taxi' sometimes is the fastest and cheapest way to travel (incl to suburban attractions of Peterhof, Pushkin, Gatchina etc), we do not recommend this mode of transport because of its relative unsafe (crazy drivers).

Suburban trains
The locals call commuter trains as 'ELECTRICHKA'
In St Petersburg they are not included in the general system of public transport. However, with their help, the city's guests can get to the suburban tourist attractions located in Peterhof, Pushkin (Catherine Palace), Pavlovsk, Gatchina, Vyborg, etc.

Single tickets

Purchase by cash
You can always buy a single ticket on board with cash (to enter the metro you need to buy a special token in the ticket office), but, almost always it will be more expensive than traveling with a ticket bought in advance

Purchase by credit card
Payment for travel is possible by cards PayPass and payWave (MasterCard / Visa) - by metro at any station and also on board of some (not all) buses, trams and trolleybuses. Payment by cards on board of local trains and shared taxis is not possible.
Pay by credit card via card readers on board or automatic barriers (with a bank cards icon) is possible only for one person - no more than once every 10 minutes. The fare is equal to the price of a single ticket for cash

Purchase by smartphone and other gadgets
If you have a device synchronized with your Visa or MasterCard, you can pay for public transport in St Petersburg in the same way as for holders of 'plastic'

Long-term travelcards

Better to buy in advance
It is always cheaper to buy prepaid tickets and the longer the period of validity of the ticket, the cheaper it will be. If you just visit temporarily, the electronic wallet on the card and its top-up, if necessary, are ideal for you. To pay for public transport in St. Petersburg it is best to purchase a PODOROZHNIK card (In Russian - ПОДОРОЖНИК, In English - Plantago or Plantain).

It is necessary to buy the PODOROZHNIK card for 60 ₽ (~0.8 USD) before you add tickets to the card. You can buy and top up all types of long-term travelcards at ticket offices and self-service ticket machines at any metro stations.

On one card, along with any types of long-term tickets, can be recorded electronic wallet, for example, for trips on commuter buses, trains and shared taxis.

Unfortunately, there are currently no multi-person travel passes, such as T-10 in Barcelona.
All long-term travel passes are personalized - it`s impossible to pay the fare for two or more travelers at a time!

Touch in when you travel
Place your PODOROZHNIK travelcard on the round card reader at the automatic barriers in the Metro stations, card readers on board the buses, trolleybuses and trams (usually located on the handrails)

Note! The PODOROZHNIK card is invalid in commuter trains without upon the addition of a special electronic ticket at the ticket offices or self-service terminals at stations. To purchase train tickets by PODOROZHNIK card at any stations, you first need to activate your travel card at the ticket offices at the main railway stations of St. Petersburg - Moskovskiy vokzal, Vitebskiy vokzal, Baltiyskiy vokzal, Finlyandskiy vokzal.

Fares & validity

► Metro - Discount ranges 17-21 ₽ from the full fare for cash (38₽ per trip and less), depending on the number of trips performed.

► Bus / Tram / Trolleybus - similarly as in the metro (33₽ per trip and less)

► Shared Taxis (K) ~ 40-60 ₽ (cost depending on the route number)

► Suburban trains - cost depending on distance (need to load a special ticket - at stations only!)

The most common companies & apps

UBER works in St Petersburg. Yandex Taxi owns Uber Russia subdivision but Uber app functions as well.

Citymobil - app

Yandex Taxi
The largest aggregator of licensed taxi companies in Russia. This is not a carrier, but the largest aggregator of licensed taxi companies in Russia. The service is available in all major cities.
Payment methods / Order by (via)
CASH -
website - yes | app - yes | phone - yes
CARD -
website - yes | app - yes | phone - NO
Call: phone - (+7812) 366 6666
via website | via apps - Android or iOS

Gett
The second largest aggregator of licensed taxi companies in Russia
Payment methods / Order by (via)
CASH - NO
CARD -
website - NO | app - yes | phone - NO
Call: phone - NO, online only
via website - NO | via apps - Android or iOS

Taxovichkof
The biggest and popular taxi service in St Petersburg. Taxovichkof`s cars are located throughout the city. This allows timely responses which will exceed your expectations. Cars can reach you within 5-15 minutes across St. Petersburg.
Payment methods / Order by (via)
CASH -
website - yes | app - yes | phone - yes
CARD -
website - yes | app - yes | phone - yes
Call: phone (+7812) 33 000 02 or 333 0000
via website | via apps - Android or iOS

Taxi 068
The second most popular taxi in St Petersburg
Payment methods / Order by (via)
CASH -
website - yes | app - no | phone - yes
CARD -
website - yes | app - no | phone - yes
Call: phone (+7812) 324 7777 or 068
via website | via apps - Android or iOS

Important note: Some companies position themselves as official taxi, “city taxi” and so on, thus trying to underline their unexisting link with the city’s government or something like that. Keep in mind, this is just an attempt to promote itself with the help of light misleading.

Unlike in European and American towns, in St. Petersburg you can take any cab you like waiting in front of a hotel or airport, not only first one in a queue. The locals usually book a trip by phone or through a website of a taxi company. The fare is being told by an operator or seen at the site immediately and never (it’s our practice and the practice of our friends) revised. In the past, foreign tourists often had some troubles with taxi drivers in St. Petersburg, nowadays it’s excluded when booking online or with taxi apps (Uber etc.). In St. Petersburg’s airport Pulkovo there is a desk of the official airport’s taxi which we recommend. And it’s one of the cheapest.

Payment by credit card is being accepted by most companies, but it’s better to ask a dispatcher if the company accepts it. This kind of payment does not attract any additional charge. Once you booked a cab, soon before departure you get an SMS and a call with an identification number and a type of a car which to arrive to transfer you further to your destination. Additional charges can be applied when you need a child’s chair, have very big luggage, want to have your pets transported etc.

What’s important is that taxi companies cooperate and if they currently don’t have enough cabs at hand for accomplishing an order they transfer it to another carrier or a freelance driver. So, if you book a taxi, for example, from company A, you may get a car painted in colors of company B. Usually it’s not a problem, the fare doesn’t change. Who is a freelance driver? In Russia you are not required to have a taxi driver’s license to work. Many men have contracts with a few taxi companies and in their free time pick up any order they are getting through apps from dispatchers. Well, yes, of course, it may sometimes result in some troubles, when a taxi operator cannot quickly find a car though you need go to the airport right now. But it happens rather rarely. An average official waiting time for a car is 15 minutes, in fact you get an SMS and a call in 5-10 minutes. Why so quickly? The answer is that the system covers numerous freelance drivers distributed throughout the city. When a company’s call center receives a call (or an order through the Internet), it sends the order through an app to the drivers and one of them which is near to your location and which is interested in the order accepts it.

Many companies, of course, operate their own fleet and combine it with freelancers or even don’t hire unstaffed drivers. In any case, you can be calm for the quality of service and price. Problems might occur when you hail a taxi in the street and come across a driver who knows how to get from a foreigner’s wallet much more money than really needed.

The most important thing to mention is that UBER app functions in St Petersburg so feel free to use it.

Even if you are making a short trip to Russia, we recommend to buy a local SIM card, as roaming in Russia may be very expensive. It's cheap - for less than 10 USD (payment in rubles), you can purchase a SIM with few hundred minutes of domestic calls and often unlimited Internet connection.

Russian cellular operators uses European frequencies throughout its country - 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE. The quality of communication is, mainly, good. However, the mobile network may not be present at a distance from population centers.

If your device is not compatible with networks used by Russian operators or locked by its original carrier, purchase an inexpensive smartphone (costing in the range of 2 000-3 000 roubles / 30-50 USD). Of course, this phone is not a high quality, but it is enough for working with the Internet.
Also, for access to the Internet is possible purchasing a Wi-Fi router to act as a mobile hotspot. But these are typically locked to a specific carrier.

Ordinary mobile phone cost ~1 000 roubles (15-20 USD).

Cellular operators

In Russia are several mobile operators active, but we recommend the three most common carriers, between which there are no differences in the quality of of sound, internet connection and the rates is also similar. They are called as "The Big Three".

MegaFon (in Russian - МегаФон, green logo at the top) has the nationwide coverage and good speeds in cities. Many Russians consider this network to be the best in the country. MegaFon covered almost all regions, except Crimea.

MTS (in Russian - МТС, red logo with egg). The biggest carrier in Russia - about 110 mln customers. It`s present in all regions of the country. It`s the only Russian operator that can be used in Crimea.

Beeline (in Russian - Билайн, logo is black-and-yellow striped circle) is Russia's third-largest mobile operator. Working in most regions of the country.

All carriers of "Big Three" have free english-speaking support for foreign customers.

Where to buy a domestic SIM card

The "Big Three" companies have their own sales networks. Find the store nearest you by clicking on the link (select your city in Russia) -
MegaFon | MTS | Beeline

Besides, there are many others stores of mobile networks. The two most widespread of them are called:
Evroset` (in Russian - Евросеть / in English - Euronetwork), and
Svyaznoy (in Russian - Связной / in English - Messenger).
There you can buy a SIM card of any operator, except for MTS, which sells sim-cards in its own offices only.

Everywhere are many cell communication sale offices, so you can find them very easy - at the airport and railway stations, near subway, in shopping centers and just on the street. Prices, within the same city, are the same and no matter where you buy a contract. Choose the first store that you see.

Do not forget that the types of SIM cards are different (standard, micro, nano for Apple devices). If you are not sure, show your phone to the staff and / or ask the seller to put the SIM card in your device and activate it.

Note! In order to purchase a SIM card, one has to produce your passport. This is dictated on the Russian law. Do not buy SIM cards in random places! Only purchase from official mobile and operator shops and stalls are recommended.

Adding / Topping up

Almost all mobile plans in Russia are prepaid - service stops when the phone account balance reaches zero. A SIM card which has not been used for 2 to 6 months, depending on the operator, is blocked automatically.

All mobile operators offer USSD commands for customers to check the balance for free, and also 24/7 support (all numbers are free), including in English language:

MegaFon
Balance check USSD: *100#
Support: 8800 550 0500

MTS
Balance check USSD: *100#
Support: 8800 250 0890

Beeline
Balance check USSD: *102#
Support: 8800 700 0611

How to top up a account

By credit card or by cash at carrier-specific or general mobile stores
By card in ATMs of almost every bank (typically do not charge commission or small fee)
Directly through the carrier's website by card: MegaFon | MTS | Beeline
By cash in private payment terminals (e.g. via cashbox like on a picture). Not recommended. Although they are located almost everywhere, they charge a high commission - from 15 to 50 percent (in airports)

1. What documents will I need to receive a Tax Free VAT refund?
1) Passport
2) Sales Receipt
3) A completed Tax Free Form and export validated with a customs stamp.

2. Who is eligible for a Tax Free Shopping?
1) Foreign Tourist with passport issued by country that is not part of Eurasian Union (Russia,
Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan).
2) Foreign Tourist who made a purchase for an amount not less than 10,000 RUB including
VAT (in one day, in one store, sales receipts can be summed up).
3) Foreign Tourist must leave Russia no later than 3 months from the date of purchase.

3. How and where I can receive a Tax Free VAT Refund?
Foreign Tourist can receive a refund at the Global Blue office or send the form by registered mail or by cash in offices.
* Detailed information about customs and return offices can be found on the Global Blue
envelope or leaflet.

1. Mamonovo (automobiles exit)
2. Vladivostok (airport, sea port)
3. Volgograd (airport)
4. Ekaterinburg (airport)
5. Kazan (airport)
6. Kaliningrad (airport)
7. Moscow (Domodedovo airport)
8. Moscow (Sheremetyevo airport)
9. Moscow (Vnukovo airport)
10. Nizhny Novgorod (airport)
11. Rostov-on-Don (airport)
12. Samara (airport)
13. StPetersburg (Pulkovo airport, two seaports)
14. Saransk (airport)
15. Sochi (airport)

Worldwide: More than 700 Global Blue VAT return offices.

4. What Tax Free VAT refund methods exist in Russia?
In Russia, the refund can be received on the credit card or by cash in offices.

5. What are the time limit of a Tax Free VAT refund?
At the Global Blue office, cash refunds carried out immediate with an additional commission charges. Return to the credit card carried out within 20-30 days. Tax Free forms send out to the Global Blue office by mail carried out within 3-4 weeks.

6. In what currency VAT will be refunded?
Immediate VAT refund at Global Blue office is in the currency of the country in which the return office is located. VAT refund on the credit card is in the purchase currency.

7. Can I get a Tax Free VAT refund in another currency?
If the customer wants to receive a refund in a different currency, the current exchange rate will apply in the place where the refund carries out. VAT refund on the credit card in a currency other than the currency in which the purchase was made, the current Global Blue exchange rate (based on the commission of a recognized European bank) will
apply for conversion plus a commission of 3-5%. Credit card accounts always credited in the local currency of the country in which the card was issued.

8. How can I calculate the VAT refund amount?
You can calculate the amount of the refund using the calculation table or the calculator on
globalblue.com. In addition, on the Tax Free form will be the shown the refund amount.
The refund amount is approximately 11% (for VAT 18% minus the Global Blue commission)
The refund amount is approximately 6% (for VAT 10% minus the Global Blue commission)

9. Does Tax Free Shopping extend to goods ordered online and delivered by a courier or other delivery method?
No, the client must purchase the goods only in the off-line store.

10. Conditions for receiving Tax Free VAT Refund?
1. All purchases made in same day.
2. All purchases made in within one store, except tenants stores below
• S.T.Dupont
• Chanel
• Fendi
• Furland
• Корнеры: Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci
• Louis Vuitton
• Samsung
• Suit Supply
• Stephen Webster
• ERES
• Manolo Blahnik
• Dior (cloth and accessories)
3. The amount of purchases should be at least 10.000 rubles.
Tax free form issued only on the same day of purchase.

11. Is it always necessary to present the goods at the customs office to confirm the purchase?
Yes, the customs will check the purchases, so it is necessary to keep the original packaging and not to cut off the label's tags.

12. What products do not take part of Tax Free Shopping?
Excise goods, gift cards, services, and tenants.

13. For what goods I can get Tax Free VAT refund?
Clothes, shoes, accessories, perfumes, cosmetics, household goods, porcelain, crystal, jewelry, and Apple products.

14. Who is the operator for Tax Free Shopping in Russia?
Tax Free Shopping operators are Global Blue and HiSky.
If you do have any additional questions, please contact TaxFree@tsum.ru or call 6688.