Product Description

Discover St Petersburg

Unearth the connection between an Italian architect and a famous beef dish at the Stroganov Palace
Plug into St Petersburg's avant-garde art and music scene in a former squat
Beat a total stranger with birch branches at the local banya
Join the newlyweds for champagne and dancing in the shadow of the Bronze Horseman

In This Guide:

One passionate author with over twenty years' experience of St Petersburg
Full-color coverage of the unparalleled Hermitage museum
Meet the locals: a photographer/journalist/bar owner, an artist and a violinist show you their town

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #158656 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781740598279
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"...Lonely Planet, the intrepid traveler's bible..." -- Los Angeles Times, April 2005

…Lonely Planet, the intrepid traveler's bible...' --Los Angeles Times, April 2005

From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
*We update our guidebooks by visiting thousands of places in person to get the details right and tell it as it is.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travelers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The following is a sidebar box beginning on page 152 in the Getting Around chapter of this practical information guide to the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

A Day With One Of Russia's Most Hated Public Servants

In the States, it's the I.R.S. In the Soviet Union, it was the KGB. In England it's Manchester United fans, but in the new Russia, motorists and passengers alike loathe, fear and despise the ubiquitous members of the Gosavtoinspektsiya: GAI.

GAI (`gah-yee') are traffic officers who stand at intersections throughout the country looking for signs of vehicular misbehavior. Actually, they can pull you over for anything they want. And they do. But what makes them really annoying is that they're entitled to impose on-the-spot fines. Oh, yeah, one more thing: if you don't stop when they wave you over, they can shoot at your vehicle.

I got pulled over twice on my last trip, while riding in two separate vehicles. The first driver was fined, the second let go. What makes these guys tick? How do they decide whom to pull over? And is it exciting to be an armed traffic cop? I mean, their New York City counterparts would give a limb for the opportunity. In the interest of fair play, I spent a rainy morning with some of the guys at St. Petersburg GAI Central.

7 am. Roll Call. No big surprise, kinda like Hill Street Blues with shabbier uniforms. Hot sheet covered, accidents discussed, criminal element lamented. I learn that GAI Guys work two days on, two days off, and they have regular beats.

9 am. Upstairs Office. Meeting with Sergei, a captain. Yes, we can shoot at your car. No, I can't tell you how many officers we have, but there are enough to keep control of the situation. I ask him what a foreigner does if he disagrees with an officer's charges against him. "Well, his documents will be confiscated and then he can go to the address on the ticket the officer gives him and get them back."

Oh.

Customer Reviews

Far and Away the Best St. Pete Guidebook
The group I was with in Russia had every guidebook under the sun, and the LP guide only one we ended up consistantly using. Like all guidebooks, some of the information is out of date. For instance, the prices listed in the guide were often 4-5 times higher than what we ended up paying (not that I'm complaining). Overall, the guide is very accurate, the maps are great, and the suggestions are right on the money. Nick Selby's wit and style make the guide not only practical but highly entertaining. You aren't going to find a better St. Pete guidebook.

Good Additional Guide Book
As the founder of a company devoted to enriching cultural and business travel to Russia, we are always looking for a good, general guidebook for clients. "Lonely Planet St. Petersburg " details several sights and museums not covered in many other guidebooks, such as the GUVD Museum and a guide to the little-visited southern St. Petersburg (which was to have been the new city center after the Siege of Leningrad). The history and art sections are also strong for a guide book. The entertainment, bar, restaurant and hotel suggestions are comprehensive (as far as quantity, quality and general pricing range, although the pricing itself is not accurate).

One annoyance is that there are no Cyrillic displays of a sight's name (or even transliterations into Latin script), which means that you are likely to miss a sign right in front of you for, for instance, the Toy Museum.

Note, however, that we always tell clients and other visitors to Russia that you should get the most current guidebook, as attractions, hotels, restaurants and transportation options do often change--AND THEN VERIFY THE INFORMATION! All in all, we recommend "Lonely Planet St. Petersburg " as a good guidebook to bring if you are staying more than a few days, or if you want comprehensive entertainment and restaurant listings before departing for your journey of Discovering Russia's second city, St. Petersburg.

Marc David Miller, Discovering Russia, New York

Chock Full of Information
I just returned from St. Petersburg. The Lonley Planet guide was amazingly helpful. This little pocket sized book contains virtually everything one needs to navigate the city, find hotels, restaurants, visit the important and novel sites, and gain a perspective on the city's history.

There is also a section on language and phrases as well as easy to follow maps of the subway. If you go, I also recommend a companion purchase, Lonley Planet's map of St. Petersburg. It is laminated and fits easily into one's coat pocket.