Biking to and in St Petersburg

kfrogzx7

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I'm riding to SP in June ( White Nights :) ) and will be travelling around / visiting the city for several days by bike hopefully. Anybody with experience of riding in the city with any tips would be welcome ?
Mainly I'd be interested to know what facilities there are for bike parking, are there plentiful, or indeed any, bike dedicated parking bays ( like here ) ?
Also, how "creative" can you be in finding parking spots off the road ( on wide pavements etc ? ) without attracting the attention of law enforcement ?
Any other tips welcome and thanks in advance, Simon.
 
I'll be there in 3 weeks if I spot anything which may be of interest I'll post it although I'm pretty sure there's quite a few from here have been on bikes and will know more.
 
I'll be there in 3 weeks if I spot anything which may be of interest I'll post it although I'm pretty sure there's quite a few from here have been on bikes and will know more.
Thanks, enjoy your trip ... even if it isn't on your bike !!
 
I went there in 2016. Great place, took a few hours to get in, and out, of the country. Petrol is cheap the Russian side of the boarder, at least back then. You will need to fill in entry and exit papers when you enter, they give you the Russian version but if you ask they give you the English version. They are very official so you just need patience and go along with it. Russian drivers, exactly as you see on all those youtube videos, overtake from any side will scant regard for your safety. I arrived in the rain at 5:00 pm which was interesting.

I stayed in the historic district at an old ministry building converted to a hotel with secure parking, was cheap no frills, and walked everywhere which is easy to do. If you go to the museums etc book the tickets online as it avoids the queues.
Lots of the younger people speak English so that’s no problem. I remember the road there was the main road but seemed like a country lane at times which had me doubting the route but I made it.

If your interested my ride report is:

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/432187-A-Peek-Behind-The-Iron-Curtain

I loved it there.
 
Thanks Grez, I'll read your report.
I know you walked around the city itself, but how do you think it'd be to use the bike, I know it's busy, but I regularly take on London without any hesitation so I'm thinking SP can't be that much worse ? Are there many bikes / scooters on the roads and did you notice any parking provisions ?
Thanks again
 
Didn't notice anything in particular but to be honest I wasn't looking. Did see some bikes parked up on pavements and, from memory, there appeared to be enough spaces on the roads and at various attractions to park. Couple of days you can pretty much cover everything on foot without the need to ride. Drivers make the east end of London look tame, they are amongst the worst I have seen, worse than Morocco and up there with Vietnam. Just watch for overtakes in places no sane person would consider. They think nothing of sweeping across the road into an incoming filter lane just to undertake you and pull out in front before hitting the brakes.

Watch for speed traps outside the cities as well.
 
A couple of years ago I went to St. Petersburg. However, I drove a car. The city is very beautiful, there is something to look at, very good architecture. There you can relax with any budget that pleases. I went in the summer because I heard that it gets cold there in the fall and it rains all the time. I really liked the drawbridge.
My friend also went to St. Petersburg, but on a motorcycle. Then he said that there is a problem with parking, there are no specially designated places for bikes. And just like that he was afraid to stay on the street. Therefore, he used private parking.
 


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