4 Things you need in St. Petersburg ASAP
The four most important things that you need to know when you travel to Saint Petersburg may not come naturally to people from other European countries. But it is really easy to adapt. Just be sure to get all of these and you will be geared up for your stay in Saint Petersburg. It is a beautiful city, you should explore and discover every corner and with these 4 points it will make it really smooth.
Prepaid SIM Card
The first thing you should do is to get a prepaid sim card for your phone. It’s really cheap in Russia to get one and they are very accessible. Normally at the airport there are some shops where you are able to purchase it. Compared to Austria, where I’m from the contracts here in Russia are really cheap. It will cost you about 600-800 ₽ for a month with enough data and calls to spare. If you are staying longer than a month it’s really simple to top up your card at any of the mobile shops but it’s easier still to simply load it with enough roubles for your entire stay. Just be sure that your phone is unlocked and you’re able to put in a foreign sim card.
The Water in St. Petersburg
As soon as you arrive it’s really important to get some water for your flat or your hotel room. For a lot of people across Europe it’s normal to drink tap water. In Russia as a foreigner you shouldn’t drink it at all. You’re not used to it. Just go and get yourself a gallon of water. That should last you for some days. If you’ve got a light stomach you should also think about using bottled water for cooking or brushing your teeth. Besides there are some key locations that have filtered water where you can fill up your bottles. In Liden & Denz school you will find drinking fountains with filtered water.
Apps to use in St. Petersburg
You can use your normal Google maps for navigating in the city but a Russian app would be better. You should try Yandex.maps for navigating in Russia. And for your long nights out get some taxi apps. The best to use are Gett/Uber/Yandex.Taxi and the price is a fraction of the prices at home. An average city fare is about 150 ₽. Also when you’re staying in cities like Moscow or Saint Petersburg it may be worth downloading the metro app. If you want to improve your Russian you could also change the interface of the most apps onto Russian and even change the language of your phone to Russian.
Roubles ₽
The best spot to change your currency is at the airport or in a bank. Even if you already have your roubles the exchange rate now is quite high, so be sure to always compare it to your currency at home. It is also a good idea to get a credit card before you visit Russia because even in the smallest stores it is possible to pay with credit.
In order to have a pleasant stay in Saint Petersburg I would recommend that everybody follows these 4 points to ensure that everything runs smoothly. It will safe you a lot of time and effort. What do you think is most important to get in Saint Petersburg? Do you have any additional tips? Tell us your opinion on our Facebook page.
Stay tuned and see you soon.
