Getting Around on the Metro

While not quite the subterranean museum boasted by the capital, St. Petersburg's metro system is none too shabby and highly recommended -- not to mention deep, deep, deep! (It seems St. Petersburg's soggy soil was found unfit for such massive underground constructions -- the solution decided upon was to just keep digging.) Trains are generally fast and reliable -- with clocks that record the time elapsed since the last train's departure, rarely more than a 2- or 3-minute wait. A single token (zheton) runs 5 rubles (about 20 cents), and a selection of multi- trip cards that work out cheaper per journey can also be bought -- including one month or half-month passes.

The metro network is not all that difficult to use. There are four color-coded numbered lines crossing the city and it is undoubtedly the most convenient way to get around. Maps are usually located at station entrances, before the turnstiles, and there is usually one in each carriage though in big crowds this is of little help.

You may have trouble at first because there are few signs indicating which station you are in and at some of the stations outer doors prevent you from seeing out of the carriage. Pay close attention to the announcements, even if you don't speak Russian, as they follow a definite pattern. As a train pulls into a station an announcement is made stating the present station first, immediately followed by the words "Sleduyushchaya stantsiya" and the name of the next stop. This can be confusing as it can give you the impression that you are one station ahead of where you are. "Ostorozhno, dvery zakryvayutsya" means "Caution, doors are closing." Take this pretty literally as they close pretty hard.

To change from one line to another follow the overhead signs that say . To get out follow the ones that say .