Another of the most important questions when planning a trip is how much money do I need? How do I pay by cash or card?
All goods and services on the territory of the Russian Federation are paid in rubles in cash or by card. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, with the exception, perhaps, of street shops, taxis, services outside stationary trade places (excursions, street entertainment). At the moment, 1 ruble is worth 1.1 euro cents or 1.3 American cents.
And, of course, the first thing that we usually pay for is the place of accommodation – hotel, hostel, apartment. All these options are available for booking in St. Petersburg; most of the options are presented on the largest international services booking.com and airbnb.com. However, the cost varies greatly depending on the time of year, the level of housing, the distance from the central attractions.
The next step is how to get from the airport or railway station and how much it costs. Pulkovo Airport is located relatively close to the center – 45-60 minutes drive. There are two options: a taxi (approximate cost 1000-1200 rubles) and a bus to the nearest metro station (one-time ride in ground public transport – 50 rubles per person). A metro ride will cost 55 rubles per person. A taxi in the center of St. Petersburg will cost about 300-400 rubles.
The next question is where and for how much can I eat? Catering places in the city can be roughly divided into four categories:
1) canteen / fast food (average bill 300-400 rubles)
2) cafe (average bill 500-700 rubles)
3) restaurant (average bill 1000-1500 rubles)
4) a premium class restaurant (average bill 3500-5000 rubles)
If you decide to buy food and drinks in a store, here is an approximate order of prices in a regular supermarket: bread 60 rubles, milk 60 rubles, meat 300 rubles / kg, tomatoes 250 rubles / kg, mineral water 60 rubles, wine 500-1000 rubles, beer 150-400 rubles, ice cream 60 rubles, cake 300 rubles / 300 g, coffee to go 200 rubles.
Of course, when getting to know the city, people visit a lot of attractions, many of which are museums. The range of prices here is quite large – from very inexpensive 250 rubles per person to quite expensive 1800-2500 rubles per person as in the Catherine Palace or Peterhof. Also, prices vary greatly depending on the season.
For those who travel by car, it will be useful to know this information too – a liter of gasoline will cost on average 47 rubles, parking in a paid parking lot 60-200 rubles / hour, traffic fines 500 rubles for violating the speed limit, 5000 rubles for a turn in the wrong place, 30,000 rubles for drunk driving (there is no permitted ppm in Russia).
