Is St. Petersburg safe to visit?

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm looking into a RCI Serenade of the Seas cruise that has an overnight in St. Petersburg. This may be stupid, but is St. Petersburg safe? I've never even looked into traveling to Russia, and I'm just trying to get a feel for the experience... TIA.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes. Most likely you will either take a ship's tour or a private tour and be just fine. You won't be just wondering off, due to the visa requirements discussed here regularly.

[eandj]

Treat your visit like you would in any large city. Actually it is safer if you stick with your required tour guide and itinerary. You aren't going to be roaming on your own.

[John Bull]

Yes. And as eandj's post you'll be with a guide, which makes it doubly safe.

The usual city caveats about pickpockets, but violent crime? No.

 

JB :)

[ljandgb]

Yes, to all above, and since we were just there last week, I can say we safely made it home without any problems. :)

 

It's probably safer than some cities simply by virtue that you have to be with a guide or ship excursion, so the likelihood of wandering into a bad part of town unexpectedly is probably nil.

[diesel1973]

Just returned from Cruise and St. Pete was wonderful. Used Alla tours for 2 days and was very comfortable. We even took a subway ride with no worries. The only problems I heard of is some people had their pockets picked but that could happen back at home. Whenever I travel I always take precautions against this and has never happened. To not see St. Pete would be a wasted cruise in my opinion.

[Giantfan13]

I'm looking into a RCI Serenade of the Seas cruise that has an overnight in St. Petersburg. This may be stupid, but is St. Petersburg safe? I've never even looked into traveling to Russia, and I'm just trying to get a feel for the experience... TIA.

 

Don't know if you understand the entire process for visiting St Petersburg. You cannot even get off the ship unless you have a visa. You could try for one on your own, but most people opt for an organized tour, either from the ship or from one of several great private tour companies. When you book with them, they supply you with a temporary visa, but you only travel thru St Petersburg with your group, or with a guide. You are really never on your own there. Most of us book with some sort of group, be it 2-3 couples or 6-7 couples. All the private tour companies limit their group size to about 16 to make travel easier. We happen to use SPB Tours for our time there and they were just wonderful.

 

So back to your question, is St Petersburg safe, yes, considering you are always with either a group or a tour guide.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Len

[kitkat343]

All of the major tourist sites are extremely safe, with the normal warnings regarding pickpockets or camera thieves that congregate wherever tourists travel. We visited St. Petersburg with our 3 year old last August, and all of the tourist parts were extremely safe.

[classicmovies]

All of the major tourist sites are extremely safe, with the normal warnings regarding pickpockets or camera thieves that congregate wherever tourists travel. We visited St. Petersburg with our 3 year old last August, and all of the tourist parts were extremely safe.

 

So how do you take pictures if you constantly have to watch for camera thieves?

[minsterman]

I appreciate the common theme here is to "do an organised tour" and that is probably what most people do, but there is absolutely no reason not to do St Petersburg on your own.

 

You MUST of course sort out a Russian visa beforehand, but that is relatively straightforward, if slightly expensive (we paid around £125 each, so around $190) but the freedom to be able to do what we wanted, when we wanted and enjoy wandering around freely was easily worth it.

 

As people have said it's as safe/unsafe as any other big city. We were slightly paranoid before we went and took extra precautions (money belts etc) but really needn't have worried.

 

It's a beautiful city and is very easy to do by yourself. You can also get a better feel for the place as you can use the underground etc.

 

We got a taxi into the centre (they have a taxi dispatcher at the port, who helpfully wrote the port address down in Russian to give to the taxi driver for our return).

 

We went to Hermitage in the morning and Peterhoff in the afternoon and had lunch and evening meals in the City before getting a taxi back to the ship.

 

On the second day we just wandered around the City and saw the wonderful sights and did a boat trip visited churches etc.

 

We probably saw as much if not more than the organised tours and of course did everything at our own pace so we got to see everything for the length of time WE wanted and also got a good feel for the City.

 

They don't smile much but the taxi driver was amusing when we tried to negotiate the price for our return trip after I said the taxi into the city was cheaper he said: "Yes, but that was sh*t car, this is Mercedes" :)

Edited June 10, 2015 by minsterman

[Tatka]

So how do you take pictures if you constantly have to watch for camera thieves?

It is no less safe than in any major city. No need to watch non-stop for thieves.

[mskaufman]

So how do you take pictures if you constantly have to watch for camera thieves?

 

I replace my normal camera strap with a slash proof strap from Pacsafe. When not in use I keep the camera in a Pacsafe bag worn cross body.

[NCruiser2012]

It is no less safe than in any major city. No need to watch non-stop for thieves.

 

Our tour guide said that the pick pockets are more organized in St. Petersburg than other places. In Rome, you may have little children try to steal your stuff. In St. Petersburg, there may be a group of people very nicely dressed. One would hand the stolen object to his associate and just carry on. Our tour guide was always pointing out known pick pockets at all the sights. He would say, "Watch out for the guy in the blue sports coat."

 

It was no big deal. We had our money belts. We watched our cameras and were very aware of our surroundings.

[Tatka]

Worst cases of pickpocketing we witnessed were in Rome and Barcelona. Mostly gypsies (common problem in Europe)

 

I am originally from FSU (Ukraine). I love St Pete, but don't really like Russia now. Having said this I do not think you are in greater danger visiting this beautiful city than in any other capital in Europe.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Tatka

[cruisemom42]

Our tour guide said that the pick pockets are more organized in St. Petersburg than other places. In Rome, you may have little children try to steal your stuff. In St. Petersburg, there may be a group of people very nicely dressed. One would hand the stolen object to his associate and just carry on. Our tour guide was always pointing out known pick pockets at all the sights. He would say, "Watch out for the guy in the blue sports coat."

 

 

Trust me, those well dressed pickpockets also operate in Rome, Barcelona, Paris, etc. I've seen them. It's not always the people who look like pickpockets...

[Pet Nit Noy]

As people have said it's as safe/unsafe as any other big city. We were slightly paranoid before we went and took extra precautions (money belts etc) but really needn't have worried.

 

The best strategy is to find the right balance. Do just the right amount of worrying beforehand so we all take the necessary extra precautions. Once at our destinations, enjoy the visit but never immerse ourselves so much in our sightseeing that we forget to be alert to our surroundings. Your situational awareness is as much protection as the PacStraps and hidden money wallets.

 

One last thought and it's hardly specific to St. Petersburg.

 

If anything starts to happen to you that makes no sense realize that it is likely a diversion from the real activity: a pick pocketing.

 

Shout "Pickpockert" in your loudest voice. Shouting "help" won't do as much good. You want the problem to go away and shouting "pickpocket" draws attention to the folks around you. Once identified, pickpockets will ease away quickly but not so fast that they draw more attention to themselves.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[classicmovies]

I replace my normal camera strap with a slash proof strap from Pacsafe. When not in use I keep the camera in a Pacsafe bag worn cross body.

 

I have a Pacsafe purse but didn't know there was a slash proof camera strap before. I just ordered one. Thanks.

[Carolla5501]

I replace my normal camera strap with a slash proof strap from Pacsafe. When not in use I keep the camera in a Pacsafe bag worn cross body.

 

Another victory for the Pacsafe paronia marketing campaign. Have to admire how they have managed to make lots of cash off by convincing everyone you need these things.

 

Amazingly I have traveled to places considerably less safe then St. Petersburg without the need to arm myself with a safe and done just fine. IMHO these things just create a false sense of security.

 

A search for purse slashing in St. Petersburg for example didn't turn up any real stories.

[kaisatsu]

Another victory for the Pacsafe paronia marketing campaign. Have to admire how they have managed to make lots of cash off by convincing everyone you need these things.

 

Amazingly I have traveled to places considerably less safe then St. Petersburg without the need to arm myself with a safe and done just fine. IMHO these things just create a false sense of security.

 

A search for purse slashing in St. Petersburg for example didn't turn up any real stories.

 

I agree. Keeping track of your belongings and making yourself a difficult target are all you really need to do. I carry a normal purse when I travel, and I've been to some pretty sketchy places.

 

I don't even use a cross-body purse most of the time. I keep it under my arm, on the table or in my lap at restaurants, and if I'm in a crowded place, I'll hold it closer and in front of me. My husband likes to carry a backpack, and a simple luggage lock to hold the zippers closed makes it hard enough to get into that thieves will likely choose an easier victim. Personally, I get nervous with a backpack, because I like to be touching my things to know that they're still in place and all is in order.

 

However, if you have trouble remembering to guard your things, or it makes you feel more secure, I have no problem with safety-specific gear. It's not much different from me not wanting to wear a backpack because it makes me nervous. The one thing I do question is under-clothing money pouches, because they're usually so hard to access that people end up leaving other belongings unattended as they fumble to get to their money. Not to mention that it's akin to walking around staring at a map when it comes to labeling someone as a tourist/target.

[Pet Nit Noy]

I don't even use a cross-body purse most of the time.

 

I do, but then I typically carry a cross-body purse because I like the way it distributes the weight of the contents across my body rather than pushing down on one shoulder. Additional safety against purse snatching is a bonus.

 

Incidentally, I once was told that thieves tend to target leather purses more than purses made from alternative materials. Every purse manufacturer makes versions using a plasticized material -- typically covered with the manufacturer's name or logo but I'm increasingly seeing other prints on the plastic. Now, common sense also has to come into play here. I wouldn't carry a purse with a designer label splashed all over.

 

The one thing I do question is under-clothing money pouches, because they're usually so hard to access that people end up leaving other belongings unattended as they fumble to get to their money. Not to mention that it's akin to walking around staring at a map when it comes to labeling someone as a tourist/target.

 

If you travel with a companion, consider making one person the accessible money person and the other person the neck-wallet security person. Each morning, load up the accessible wallet with one credit card and a reasonable amount to fund that day's activities. (The location of the money card for an ATM/cash point machine depends on your comfort level and the type of card. With a debit card, I'd be skittish about carrying it anywhere except a neck wallet. No problem carrying a pin-required money card, especially if the neck wallet traveler carries a back up money card.)

 

During the day, if you realize you need to dip into the contents of the neck wallet, a quick visit to a rest room allows the person to privately access the neck wallet. The next step is finding a reasonably discreet public place to hand over whatever small item was removed from the neck wallet.

 

These steps become routine with a little bit of planning and experience.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[mskaufman]

Another victory for the Pacsafe paronia marketing campaign. Have to admire how they have managed to make lots of cash off by convincing everyone you need these things.

 

Amazingly I have traveled to places considerably less safe then St. Petersburg without the need to arm myself with a safe and done just fine. IMHO these things just create a false sense of security.

 

A search for purse slashing in St. Petersburg for example didn't turn up any real stories.

 

I don't know that you "need" one. It was not an expensive item. I bought one when I went to Barcelona and as long as I have it I use it. My goal is to make myself look like less of a target than others. So far, so good.

[LondonTowner]

If SPB was unsafe, then cruise ships would not stop there.

[Tatka]

If SPB was unsafe, then cruise ships would not stop there.

 

 

I agree. St Pete is no less safe than many places.

 

However ships do stop in Jamaica, St Kitts, Dominican Republic etc.

[Vineyard View]

While purse slashing might not be found in the search, having the ability to easily secure the zippers on the bags (which is the most common pick pocket entry with bags - unzipping) is worth it to me. Plus they are light and RFID. For purse and camera. But I travelled a lot before going the PacSafe direction. It works for me.

Regarding St Petersburg, we just returned from there. Worked with TJ Tours, who were the most flexible and reasonable of all the companies I contacted. We had a group of 8 people and it was terrific. I didn't think I would enjoy St Petersburg as much as we did.

We tend to DIY in most ports.....there are some we hire private tours. I was really happy that we did so here. It worked well for all of us. We saw WAY MORE than we would have going it on our own.

[cruisemom42]

I don't know that you "need" one. It was not an expensive item. I bought one when I went to Barcelona and as long as I have it I use it. My goal is to make myself look like less of a target than others. So far, so good.

 

I'm not sure that I'm convinced a PacSafe bag makes you look like less of a target. If I were looking for a good haul from someone, I'd think that a person who bothered to carry a PacSafe bag was probably carrying something worth taking. :cool:

 

Also, in some places (e.g., Naples) it's not uncommon to hear of purse-snatchers on scooters. Not sure a PacSafe bag offers any help here and in fact it could be a hindrance if you get dragged by its super-strong strap. See here, for example: http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/safety-tips/category/pickpockets-by-country/italy/tip/scippatori-scooter-riding-bandits-who-steal-purses-from-walking-tourists-in-italy