ST. PETERSBURG METRO

St. Petersburg's metro is perhaps not as majestic as the one in Moscow, yet it looks more impressive than most other subways and undergrounds of the world. It is also the deepest subway in the world.

Despite the recent funding problems the metro is still the most reliable city transport (particularly convenient for long-distance journeys). Normally trains arrive every 2-3 minutes, with slightly longer waiting periods early in the morning and late at night. Note the changes in the metro opening times: on average the stations open at about 5:45 am. and close between midnight and 0:30 am. You can transfer from one line to the other until 0:15 am.

ORIENTATION
St. Petersburg's metro has four lines which are numbered and assigned specific colors on a metro map. Line 1 is red, Line 2 - blue, Line 3 - green and, finally, Line 4 is yellow. You can find English language metro maps in most printed city guides. Click here for Metro Map

Line 1 has the most beautiful stations and thus is perfect for "metro sightseeing".

Note that some metro stations may be open according to individual schedules due to repairs.

N.B.: The Northern edge of Line 1 was broken into two parts in December 1995, when one of the tunnels collapsed. If you travel North-East from downtown by metro, you will have to get from Lesnaya to Ploschad Muzhestva stations by a free shuttle bus #80.

ENTERING METRO
Unless you buy a monthly pass (called kartochka or proyezdnoy) you pay by tokens, which can be purchased at special counters or booths located at every station. These booths also sell monthly metro passes and passes which allow you to use all forms of public transport (yediny or yedinaya kartochka).

There are two types of entry gates at metro stations, but the old ones quickly disappear. New gates accept both tokens and monthly / 10 journey passes, while in the past you had to use different gates.

To enter the metro do the following:

IF YOU USE TOKENS: place your token in the entry gate (with your right hand), wait for the token to drop, then walk through, or

IF YOU HAVE A MONTHLY / 10 JOURNEY PASS: insert your monthly/10 journey plastic pass into the slot of a gate. When the card is ejected, walk through. If you have any problems with a gate, take your card to the member of station staff on duty, who can normally be found in a glass booth near the entry gates.