Taxi Risk from Russian Airport

Q: We will be travelling to St Petersburg at the end of June arriving by air. The books I have read suggest that it is not safe to take a taxi from the airport to the city and we should rather arrange a car through our hotel to collect us. Is this correct? Is it very complicated to take the subway from the airport to the city? - Rena Bernstein

A: In St. Petersburg, the major airport for international flights is Pulkovo 2 and the major airport for domestic flights is Pulkovo 1. They are located close to each other. I imagine you will be arriving at Pulkovo 2, which is 17km south of St Petersburg. I have no personal experience, but from research it indeed appears that one should not take a taxi from the airport. At the very least, you will be overcharged. There is a bus service from the airport to the Moskovskys metro station, which is likely to be the cheapest way to get into the city. However, it seems that organising a transfer service in advance with your hotel or a limousine company is the best option. During a quick check on the Internet, I found a company offering a service charging 50 US dollars for a car and 70 US dollars for a minibus from the airport to the city (email: transfers@voyage.inc.ru). I think it is worth paying for this service for sheer peace of mind. With a little more checking around, you could probably find a cheaper price for the same service. (21 June 2009)