Planning a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia

Neighborhoods in Brief

The city's historical and royal heart beats around Palace Square (Dvortsovaya Ploshchad), presided over by the resplendent, sea-green Winter Palace, home of the Hermitage Art Museum. This small district houses few hotels and restaurants, but it's a crucial starting point for experiencing St. Petersburg. The curved facade of the General Staff headquarters faces the Winter Palace from across the square, its three-layered arch leading to Nevsky Prospekt while shielding the square from the street noise and bustle. The square opens westward toward the Admiralty Building, whose ever-glistening spire acts as a compass point for the city, the nexus of three main avenues. Farther west lies the Decembrists' Square, anchored on one end by the enormous single-domed St. Isaac's Cathedral, and on the other by the fearsome Bronze Horseman statue rearing up over the stone banks of the Neva River.

Nevsky Prospekt is St. Petersburg's geographical anchor, an elegant avenue named after medieval Russian warrior prince Alexander Nevsky. When you're touring the city, it helps to bear in mind where you are in relation to Nevsky at any given time. The hotels on upper Nevsky, near Palace Square, are mostly top-notch and top-price. Lower Nevsky has a few mid-range Soviet-era options and an increasing number of inexpensive bed-and-breakfasts. Restaurants on the avenue range from Russian fast food for a few rubles to members-only nouveau riche hide-outs. More creative dining options can be found on the side streets just off Nevsky.

North of central Nevsky are the Square of the Arts and the Summer Gardens, an area that includes the often underrated Russian Museum, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, several theaters and galleries, and the dizzying domes of the Church on the Spilled Blood. Hotels here are scarce, but bars and cafes dot the neighborhood.

Heading east toward the bend in the Neva River takes you to the Taurida Gardens and Smolny Cathedral and Convent. This quiet neighborhood, generally termed North of Nevsky, is ideal for casual strolling and admiring the city's lesser-known architectural wonders. It has a strong selection of private hotels, with reasonable prices and eager service, though some are rather far from the metro and Nevsky. Continuing south brings you to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery and Nevsky Prospekt's eastern end.

South of Nevsky, the neighborhoods become defined by a series of canals, the chief ones being the Moika Canal, Griboyedov Canal, and Fontanka River. The area includes such landmarks as the Mariinsky (formerly Kirov) Theater, the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Dostoyevsky's House Museum, and several picturesque bridges and embankments perfect for a romantic or introspective evening. Less chic and touristy than the area north of Nevsky, this area is more innovative in dining and entertainment, with several restaurants and bars competing for largely local business. The hotel industry is starting to catch up, with "mini-hotels" popping up along the lanes and quays.

On the north side of the Neva, the Peter and Paul Fortress forms a beacon overlooking the rest of the city. This often overlooked part of town, including Vasilevsky Island and the Petrograd Side, is spiffing up more slowly than the area around Nevsky but has produced several chic and inviting restaurants and a few small, inexpensive hotels. Several ship-restaurants line the shore on this side of the Neva, playing up the city's marine traditions. You must take the metro or a taxi to get here from Nevsky and the main museums and shopping.

Vasilevsky Island

It's been called St. Petersburg's Bloomsbury or Peter the Great's precursor to Manhattan, but Vasilevsky Island (Vasilevsky Ostrov) is something all its own. It's just across the Neva River from the Hermitage, but far enough from the bustle of Nevsky Prospekt that many visitors never make it here. A growing cluster of mini-hotels, restaurants, and shops is starting to change the island's rather remote, removed reputation.

Peter the Great considered basing his capital on Vasilevsky Island, but its location made it too vulnerable to storms and flooding. Its western shore is buffeted by winds from the Gulf of Finland year-round, and the spit (called the Strelka) at its eastern tip bears the brunt of the Neva as it splits off into two branches right before reaching the sea. The first bridge built from the island to the "mainland" across the Neva had to be taken down every autumn until the spring thaw because of the rough winters. Despite these challenges, the island quickly became the city's learning center, housing St. Petersburg's first museum, observatory, and university.

St. Petersburg State University still dominates the eastern side of the islands, with several of its buildings dating from the 18th century. In the 19th century, factories grew up on the western reaches of the island, and its mix of students and workers made it a hotbed of revolutionary activity. Today, the west side of the island remains a rather bleak landscape of neglected harbors and warehouses, while the east side boasts vibrant student life and commerce, with a few pedestrian streets and restored churches. Finding addresses on Vasilevsky is highly logical, yet confusing at first. The island is laid out on a numbered orthogonal grid, but the north-south streets have different names for each side of the street, so that the first street is called "1st Line" (1-aya Liniya) on the east side and "2nd Line" (2-aya Liniya) on the west side. Highlights of the island include Menshikov Palace, Kunstkamera and the university complex, and Leytenanta Shmidta Embankment, good for a walk. The nearest metro station is Vasileostrovskaya.

New Holland

It's covered in cobwebs and is not on most tourists' itineraries, but this island is unlike anything you'll find elsewhere, and provides a fascinating way to immerse yourself in St. Petersburg's history. Peter the Great named it after his sojourn in Holland, where he learned shipbuilding and was inspired to found Russia's navy. Formed by the creation of two canals on the city's western edge, the island became a key naval training and testing ground, and has housed a submarine testing pool, a prison, an arsenal, timber storehouses, and a printing press.

New Holland (Novaya Gollandiya in Russian) was closed to the public for most of its history, until the military abandoned it in 2003 and ceded its real estate to the city. Its banks are long overgrown, and its stately brick warehouses stand largely empty amid a network of artificial pools and canals, giving it a mystical, "lost city" feel. Many of the buildings are protected architectural monuments, but the city has done little to renovate or maintain them amid heated debate about what to do with the island. Some want to make it a tourist complex, with hotels, restaurants, and entertainment spaces; others want to make a cultural center with theaters and galleries; others propose a commercial center, or conference center, or elite residential zone. So far, only a few businesses have moved in, and it has staged exhibits by Russian and foreign artists intrigued by the space and its history. The easiest way to enter now is via Konnogvardeisky Bulvar. Guards may ask where you're headed, so just explain that you're a tourist (tu-reest in Russian). Even if you don't go in, walk or drive around the island and take a moment to look through the strikingly elegant New Holland Arch, designed by French architect Vallin de la Mothe in 1779.

The triangular island is between the Moika Canal, Kryukov Canal, and Admiral Canal. The nearest metro stations are Nevsky Prospekt and Sadovaya Ploshchad.

Money

Though capitalism has brought Russia more in line with the economies of the West, money matters continue to vex visitors. Red caviar, symphony tickets, and haircuts can barely dent your wallet; rubbery pizza and roach-ridden hotels can drain it. Russia can be quite cheap, though visitors on escorted tours may not notice, as accommodations are often overpriced and tour operators charge a premium. Cash is by far the most popular form of payment among Russians, but credit cards are increasingly accepted. ATMs are widely available in Moscow and St. Petersburg and are generally reliable.

Frommer's lists prices in the local currency. However, rates fluctuate, so before departing consult a currency exchange website such as www.oanda.com/convert/classic to check up-to-the-minute rates.

Currency

Russia's ruble is still making the transition to becoming a truly "hard" currency, which means very few banks abroad will sell you rubles (in cash or traveler's checks) before you leave home or buy them back from you when you return. The U.S. dollar was the de facto second currency in the 1990s as the ruble lost all credibility among Russians. In recent years the ruble has remained quite stable, even stronger than the dollar, and inflation has calmed down considerably, though Russians still prefer to keep their savings in dollars or euros. If you're not queasy about carrying cash from home, change it at the currency exchange booths found at all airports, hotels, and most street corners. Exchange booths in town offer more competitive rates than do hotels and airports and do not charge commissions, though most buy only U.S. dollars and euros. Be sure to have crisp, new bills, as exchange booths often refuse well-worn notes or those printed pre-1995. Note that prices listed on menus and in shops are often in dollars or euros, though only rubles are accepted as payment. This is a remnant of the 1990s, when the ruble's value plunged daily.

Most prices listed are in rubles. Some are listed in U.S. dollars or euros, following Russian hotel and restaurant practice.

ATMs

The easiest way to get cash in Moscow and St. Petersburg is from an ATM. The Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com) and PLUS (tel. 800/843-7587; www.visa.com) networks span the globe; look at the back of your bank card to see which network you're on. Most Russian ATMs accept both. Be sure you know your personal identification number (PIN) before you leave home, and be sure to find out your daily withdrawal limit before you depart. Also keep in mind that many banks impose a fee every time a card is used at a different bank's ATM; that fee can be higher for international transactions than for domestic ones. On top of this, the Russian bank from which you withdraw cash may charge its own small fee. For international withdrawal fees, ask your bank. To limit these charges, take out as much money as you're comfortable with at once.

You can also get cash advances on your credit card at an ATM. Credit card companies try to protect themselves from theft by limiting the funds you can withdraw outside your home country, so call your credit card company before you leave home. And keep in mind that you'll pay interest from the moment of your withdrawal, even if you pay your monthly bills on time.

Traveler's Checks

Few places in Russia accept traveler's checks outside major hotels and restaurants, and those that do usually accept only American Express. If you have checks from elsewhere, call your hotel in advance to see if they're accepted. Currency exchange booths in the major hotels generally accept traveler's checks, but most other exchange booths do not.

Traveler's checks are something of an anachronism from the days before the ATM made cash accessible at any time. Traveler's checks used to be the only sound alternative to traveling with dangerously large amounts of cash. They were as reliable as currency but, unlike cash, could be replaced if lost or stolen. These days, traveler's checks are less necessary because most cities have 24-hour ATMs that allow you to withdraw small amounts of cash as needed. However, keep in mind that you will likely be charged an ATM withdrawal fee if the bank is not your own.

You can buy traveler's checks at most banks. They are offered in denominations of $20, $50, $100, $500, and sometimes $1,000. Generally, you'll pay a service charge ranging from 1% to 4%.

The most popular traveler's checks are offered by American Express (tel. 800/807-6233, or tel. 800/221-7282 for cardholders -- this number accepts collect calls, offers service in several foreign languages, and exempts Amex gold and platinum cardholders from the 1% fee); Visa (tel. 800/732-1322) -- AAA members can obtain Visa checks for a $9.95 fee (for checks up to $1,500) at most AAA offices or by calling tel. 866/339-3378; and MasterCard (tel. 800/223-9920).

Be sure to keep a record of the traveler's checks' serial numbers separate from your checks in the event that they are stolen or lost. You'll get a refund faster if you know the numbers.

American Express, Thomas Cook, Visa, and MasterCard offer foreign currency traveler's checks, useful if you're traveling to one country or to the Euro zone; they're accepted at locations where dollar checks may not be.

Another option is the new prepaid traveler's check cards, reloadable cards that work much like debit cards but aren't linked to your checking account. The American Express Travelers Cheque Card, for example, requires a minimum deposit, sets a maximum balance, and has a one-time issuance fee of $15. You can withdraw money from an ATM (for a fee of $2.50 per transaction, not including bank fees), and the funds can be purchased in dollars, euros, or pounds. If you lose the card, your available funds will be refunded within 24 hours.

Credit Cards

Credit cards are welcome in nearly all Russian hotels and many restaurants, but many museums and train stations take only cash. Cards most commonly accepted in Russia are American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Eurocard. Places that take Diners Club are rare, and those that take Discover are nearly nonexistent.

Credit cards are a safe way to carry money. They also provide a convenient record of all your expenses, and they generally offer relatively good exchange rates. You can also withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at banks or ATMs, provided you know your PIN. If you've forgotten yours, or didn't even know you had one, call the number on the back of your credit card and ask the bank to send it to you. It usually takes 5 to 7 business days, though some banks will provide the number over the phone if you tell them your mother's maiden name or some other personal information. Keep in mind that when you use your credit card abroad, most banks assess a 2% fee above the 1% fee charged by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express for currency conversion on credit charges. But credit cards still may be the smart way to go when you factor in exorbitant ATM fees and higher traveler's check exchange rates (and service fees).

Health & Safety

Don't Drink the Water -- Most hotels have their own clean water supply, or use filtered water, because of St. Petersburg's often bacteria-infected groundwater. It's a good idea to ask before brushing your teeth with tap water. Numerous brands of locally bottled spring water are good cheap sources of clean water. Some safe brands are Saint Springs (Svyatoi Istochnik) and Natalia. Make sure you ask for voda bez gaza -- literally, water without gas -- unless you want the carbonated kind.

Getting There

By Plane

All international flights into St. Petersburg land at Pulkovo-2 Airport (tel. 812/704-3822 for Pulkovo-1 [domestic flights] or tel. 812/704-3444 for Pulkovo-2 [international flights]; www.pulkovo.ru), which is friendlier and more manageable than Moscow's Sheremetevo-2 Airport. Pulkovo also has the advantage of a 2003 renovation that opened up the halls and lightened up the atmosphere, making the long lines for security and passport control much more tolerable.

Use of luggage carts is free. The airport money-exchange booths offer poorer rates than downtown; a better bet are the airport ATMs, which give rubles at the official Central Bank exchange rate. Internet access is available. The arrivals hall has an information desk with English-speaking personnel, car-rental desks, and airline ticket offices.

Tour groups won't have to worry about transfers to and from the airport, which is 16km (10 miles) south of the city limits or about a 45-minute ride to the center of town. If you're an individual traveler, arrange a taxi in advance from Pulkovo-2 by calling the official airport cab company at tel. 812/312-0022. Otherwise, you can negotiate a ride upon arrival. Official cabs are often scarce, and charge about 800 to 1,000 rubles to Nevsky Prospekt. Official cabs are either yellow or have TAXI written in big letters in English and Russian. The ubiquitous independent cabbies rarely go below 1,300 rubles for the same trip. Public bus no. 13 takes you to the Moskovskaya metro station, south of the city center. Tickets are just 18 rubles, purchased aboard. No trains serve the airport.

Domestic flights into St. Petersburg, from Moscow for example, come into the neighboring Pulkovo-1 Airport (tel. 812/704-3822). The facilities are similar to those of Pulkovo-2, though more basic. Taxi service is the same as at Pulkovo-1, and public bus no. 39 takes you to the Moskovskaya metro station. To book your transfer by Internet, go to www.saint-petersburg.com/transfers/index.asp.

By Train

It's worth mentioning, entering St. Petersburg by overnight train from Moscow is one of the most romantic things you can do in Russia. The Moscow-based trains arrive at, appropriately, Moskovsky (Moscow) Station, right on Nevsky Prospekt, within walking distance of several major hotels and adjacent to the Ploshchad Vostanniya and Mayakovskaya metro stations. The official taxis in front of the station set their own prices, which are invariably higher at the train station than elsewhere in town.

Another easy train connection is from Helsinki, 5 1/2 hours away (plus a 1-hr. time difference). The trip ends at St. Petersburg's Ladoga Station (Ladozhsky Vokzal, Zanevsky Prospekt 73; tel. 812/436-5310). Taxis from there to Nevsky Prospekt cost about 600 rubles. Three daily trains run to and from the Finnish capital, both stopping in Vyborg to clear Customs.

From Poland, Germany, and the Baltic states, trains arrive at Vitebsky Terminal (Vitebsky Vokzal), metro station Pushkinskaya, 52 Zagorodny Prospekt. If you are entering Russia from a European Union member country, you will need only a Russian visa. But if you enter through Belarus or Ukraine, you will need transit visas for those countries. Be aware, too, that rail passes that serve the rest of Europe do not include Russia.

By Bus

A few tour companies offer bus tours to St. Petersburg from Scandinavia on top-class Finnish coaches. From Helsinki the ride takes about 6 hours, including the long stop to clear Customs. Ordinary, nontour buses, which are cheaper than the train, are also available to and from Helsinki. If you travel on your own, you must take care of your Russian visa yourself. The road from Helsinki is relatively well maintained, unlike many others in the region. Buses arrive at St. Petersburg Bus Station (Avtobusny Vokzal; 36 Naberezhnaya Obvodonovo Kanala; tel. 812/766-5777).

By Boat

Many Scandinavian cruises include a stop in St. Petersburg, at the major commercial port 20 minutes north of the city center, at 1 Morskoy Slavy Sq. (tel. 812/322-6052; metro: Primorskaya and Vasileostrovskaya). Minibuses to the metro (K-47, K-128, K-129, K-183, K-273, K-310, K-349, K-359, and K-690) run frequently and cost around 25 rubles.

Most cruises include an organized bus trip to the center. This is the most convenient option, since the metro is a long walk and the minibuses are often overcrowded. The official taxis serving the port charge more than elsewhere; expect to pay about 500 rubles to Nevsky Prospekt in the city center.

By Car

A few intrepid travelers come to St. Petersburg by car from Finland. Not including the long lines for Customs and document check at the border, the 370km (230-mile) drive from Helsinki is about 6 hours. Once in St. Petersburg, head straight to your hotel and settle the parking question. It's easy to park in St. Petersburg, since nearly any sidewalk or embankment is fair game, though underground garages are extremely scarce in this city built on swampland. It's harder to guarantee secure parking, however. Existing maps in English do not indicate one-way streets or other crucial driving details, though the Russian-language pocket-size Atlas of St. Petersburg Roads (Atlas Dorog Peterburga) is quite useful. Traffic in St. Petersburg has gone from a trickle to a substantial rush-hour event over the past decade. Be sure to have all of the car's documentation in perfect order, as the ever-hungry traffic police will quickly spot and fine any infraction. Renting a car with a driver is easier and often cheaper than driving on your own.

Fast Facts

American Express -- The main local office is at 23 Malaya Morskaya, Business Center "Belye Nochi" (tel. 812/326-4500). It's open from 9am to 6pm and will cash traveler's checks. In the U.S., call tel. 800/221-7282.

Business Hours -- Businesses generally operate from 9am to 6pm. A few stores and businesses still take a lunch break between 1 and 2pm. Some shops are closed Sunday, but museums and restaurants are generally open. Several restaurants and bars are open 24 hours.

Currency Exchange -- Every St. Petersburg hotel, many restaurants, and all major streets have exchange booths (obmen valyuty), many of which are open 24 hours. They're well-guarded, reliable places to change cash. Rates are better than in most banks, and they're competitive, so shop around. Most don't charge a commission. Make sure your U.S. bills or euros are new and untainted, since crinkled or pre-1995 bills will be rejected. Exchange booths have a sign out front with four figures: the buy and sell rates for U.S. dollars, and the buy and sell rates for euros. To exchange other currencies, try the bigger banks, or the exchange booths in the underground walkway at Gostiny Dvor.

Dentists -- For international-standard service, try Dental Palace, Bolshoy Prospekt 79 (tel. 812/346-1951; www.dentalpalace.ru), or Stoma, 163 Nevsky Prospekt, (tel. 812/717-5770).

Doctors -- For Western-standard medical care and English-speaking staff, try these private clinics. They'll help you deal with emergencies, allergy attacks, or general health problems. Their services are expensive and may not be covered by your insurance company, so be sure to check with your insurer before you go.

• American Medical Center St. Petersburg, 78 Naberezhnaya Moyky (tel. 812/740-2090; www.amclinic.ru).
• Euromed, 60 Suvorovsky Prospekt (tel. 812/327-0301).
• Scandinavia, 55a Liteyny Prospekt (tel. 812/336-3070).

Embassies -- St. Petersburg has consulates for many countries, though the embassies are in Moscow.

• United States: 15 Furshtadskaya Ulitsa (tel. 812/331-2600).
• Britain: 5 Ploshchad Proletarskoi Diktatury (tel. 812/320-3200).
• Canada: 32 Malodetskoselsky Prospekt (tel. 812/325-8448).

Emergencies -- In case of fire, dial tel. 01; for the police, dial tel. 02; for an ambulance, dial tel. 03. For legal advice, dial tel. 065.

Holidays -- During holidays, St. Petersburg's commerce slows down but doesn't shut down. Many museums and restaurants remain open. Check with your hotel concierge or call the establishment to make sure it's open.

Hospitals -- Most Russian hospital employees speak little or no English, except for the top doctors. These are some of the bigger and relatively reliable hospitals:

• Regional Medical Unit no. 20, 21 Gastello Ulitsa (tel. 812/708-4810)
• City Children's Hospital no. 1, Avangardnaya Ulitsa (tel. 812/735-1207
• Mariinsky Hospital no. 16, 56 Liteyny Prospekt (tel. 812/275-7310).

Internet -- Most hotel business centers offer online access, though at steeper rates than the Internet cafes popping up around the center of town. Try Quo Vadis, at 24 Nevsky Prospekt; or Café Max at 90/92 Nevsky Prospekt. Both are open 24 hours. Café Max also has a branch inside the Hermitage Museum.

Newspapers/Magazines -- The twice-weekly English-language newspaper The St. Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.ru) is the best and pretty much only worthwhile source of local news and entertainment listings in English. The International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, and other international publications are sold at the chain hotels and some of the Russian hotels, but not at city newsstands. The many bilingual guidebooks offered free at hotels and tourist offices are good for listings and museum reviews. For Russian speakers, Vedomosti, Kommersant, and Izvestia newspapers are the most respected; Afisha Petersburg is the best weekly magazine for entertainment, dining, and shopping advice.

Pharmacies -- St. Petersburg has an ever-growing number of pharmacies, called apteka, many of which are open 24 hours. Look for a blue or green cross. Check with your hotel concierge for the all-night pharmacy nearest you.

Police -- Call tel. 02.

Post Office -- The main city post office (Glavny Pochtamt) is at 9 Pochtamtskaya Ulitsa (tel. 812/312-8302).

Restrooms -- St. Petersburg has far too few public restrooms for its size, and the ones it has are odorous and often no more than a hole in the floor. A recent phenomenon is the vans parked at tourist sites such as Palace Square with portable toilets inside; these charge a small fee. Bring toilet paper everywhere. In a pinch, dive into any hotel or restaurant restroom.

Salons -- St. Petersburg residents make salons a part of their routine, and you can find the simpler parikmakherskaya (barber shop/hair salon) or the more elaborate salon krasoty (beauty salon) just about anywhere. Quality and prices are higher in the center. If you've got a night on the town, two central places to try (for both men and women) are Prestige, 56 Naberezhnaya Moiki (tel. 812/314-7521), and the fancier Adamant-Caprice, at 90/92 Nevsky Prospekt (tel. 812/272-7514).

Taxes -- Stores and restaurants include VAT (value-added tax) of up to 18% on the list prices of store and menu items, though many hotels do not include it in their listed rates. Ask if you're unsure. VAT is not refundable upon departure as it is in some European cities. St. Petersburg has no sales tax.

Pay phones: St. Petersburg is phasing out its token-operated phones for card-operated ones. The token-run ones rarely work and should be avoided. Cards for the other phones can be purchased at any metro station and many hotel kiosks in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Not all phones accept all kinds of phone cards, and not all phone cards allow international calls. The most common is Petersburg City Telephone Service. Most cards and card phones provide instructions, though very basic, in English.

Time Zone -- St. Petersburg is in the same time zone as Moscow, 3 hours ahead of GMT from October to March, and 4 hours ahead during daylight saving time. That means it's usually 3 hours ahead of London, 8 hours ahead of New York, and 11 hours ahead of San Francisco. Russia switches to daylight saving time a week earlier than Europe and North America, and reverts to standard time a week earlier, too. To check the current time from any fixed-line phone, dial 065 (Russian only).

When to Go

Frost-tinged, wind-whipped, ice-glazed. Snow blankets much of Russia for much of the year, and Moscow and St. Petersburg usually see flurries in May and September. Warming global temperatures have made for some unusually mild Januarys in recent years, but it's still a northern nation. Understandably, September through May prices are lower and tourist sites less crowded. Hotel and airline rates spike around the New Year's holiday, the main event in the Russian calendar.

Most visitors favor summer, in both Moscow and subarctic St. Petersburg, with sunsets that linger until sunrise, balmy temperatures, and all-night activity that makes you forget it's 3am and you haven't slept. Russians shed layers, sunbathe on park benches, and let loose after their long hibernation. Festivals and open-air concerts make up for the summer departure of the major opera and dance companies such as the Bolshoi and Mariinsky (formerly the Kirov) theaters. Summer weather in both cities can be unpredictable, though, with spells of heavy heat (and rare air-conditioning) or drizzly cold. Bring layers and an umbrella no matter when you go.

Autumn is a few idyllic weeks in late September and early October when the poplars and oaks shed their leaves and the afternoon sun warms you enough to help you through the cooling nights. Spring, a few weeks in April, is slushy and succinct in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

If a winter wonderland is your fantasy, Russia in December won't disappoint you. The northern sun shines softly low on the horizon, and snow masks garbage-strewn courtyards and muffles the sound of traffic. Cross-country skiing fans can wind through forests within Moscow city limits or skate-ski along the frozen Gulf of Finland in St. Petersburg. Skaters have frozen ponds galore for ice season fun. The downside, other than a suitcase weighted with sweaters, is that many country palaces and other outdoor sites close for the winter.

Businesses and government agencies slow down considerably because of vacations the first 2 weeks of January, the first 2 weeks of May, and much of August. These are calmer times to visit Russia but can prove a nightmare if you have visa problems or other administrative needs. When a public holiday falls on a weekend, the nearest weekday is given off in compensation.

Tips on Accommodations

Hotel options in Russia have come a long way from the days of the state agency Intourist's monopoly on serving foreigners, but the country still has far too few mid-range hotel rooms to satisfy demand. Luxury chains were quick to recognize this new market and opened several top-class hotels in the 1990s, some opting for renovating elegant old hotels while others started from scratch. The most active chains in the luxury market are Marriott, InterContinental, Radisson, Sheraton, and Renaissance (now part of the Marriott chain). Holiday Inn (now part of the InterContinental hotel group) and Best Western have also entered the scene with somewhat cheaper offerings.

Even the highest-end locations sometimes offer deep discounts through online or traditional travel agencies or their own websites, up to 60% off the official or "rack" rate. It definitely pays to shop around. Most package tours rely on well-established Soviet-era hotels, usually enormous, architecturally bleak buildings offering the key services tourists need but with limited enthusiasm. The good news is that several of these hotels are renovating one floor at a time, and the increased price for the new rooms is usually well worth the fresh plumbing and improved service.

The best Russian hotel development in recent years is the flowering of the "mini-hotel" market in St. Petersburg. Dozens of hotels of 12 to 30 rooms have opened up, often occupying a few renovated floors of an apartment building. Most are centrally located and inexpensive, and offer eager, individual service that the big hotels lack. Unfortunately, Moscow's powerful hotel industry has kept this phenomenon largely at bay in the capital.

Hostels and traditional bed-and-breakfasts are rare though growing. Several companies rent out furnished apartments at rates much lower than the hotel rates. Quality varies widely, with some offering warm and helpful English-speaking hosts, others offering daily maid service and hotel-style assistance, and still others offering nothing but a key. Get the opinions of previous guests through websites such as www.frommers.com or www.virtualtourist.com before booking.

Russian hotels tend to be emptier in winter and busier in summer, especially around St. Petersburg's White Nights festival from late June to early July. Rates usually reflect this. Be aware of any big festivals or holiday events that might fill up hotels.

Neither Moscow nor St. Petersburg offers an official reservations service, and your chances of just showing up and getting a room are slim, even in hostels. You are strongly recommended to reserve in advance by phone or online; the cost is usually lower that way as well. Another advantage of reserving ahead is that most hotels will arrange for your visa, and register it once you arrive.

Hotels often have "floor monitors" employed round-the-clock who in the Soviet era often acted as KGB informers; now they're basically nosy chambermaids and sometimes they'll make guests tea.

Russia's star-rating system is only gradually adjusting to the international standard and is an unreliable source of judging quality.

Bed & Breakfasts, Home Stays & Apartment Rentals

Opting for less conventional accommodations can inject your trip with individuality and flexibility -- or it could tangle you in scams and unfulfilled promises. If you choose wisely, these three options can offer comfort, charm, and a convenient location at a reasonable price. Be aware that they lack many of the security features and financial guarantees of big hotels, and that rates and quality vary widely.

Just because a Russian hotel calls itself a "bed-and-breakfast" doesn't mean it will look anything like what you'd expect. Russian tourism gurus have taken the term to mean just about anything: an upscale urban hotel, a room in a student dormitory, a spotless apartment serviced by a real estate agency, or a cramped room in a family's apartment vacated just for the duration of your stay. There is no single body regulating who or what can call itself a B&B. The website www.bnb.ru, for example, is a portal for Russian accommodations of any category, from high-end Marriott hotels to long-term real estate deals. The main thing to keep in mind is that in Moscow and St. Petersburg, bed-and-breakfasts are urban experiences, not village cottages with fruit fresh from the orchard. Russian B&Bs usually occupy a single apartment or a floor of an apartment building. Some were once communal apartments, with entire families sharing single rooms and the whole floor sharing a single bathroom and kitchen, but today they are entirely renovated and quite comfortable.

In St. Petersburg, you'll see lots of places advertised as "mini-hotels." These are often a renovated floor of an apartment building, and they offer more services than most bed-and-breakfasts but are less expensive and more intimate than the massive Soviet-era hotels most tour groups prefer.

Renting a private apartment for your stay is also popular, opening up more options in price and location than the hotel industry can. This is especially convenient during high seasons, such as the White Nights in St. Petersburg, when hotels fill up fast. The safest bet is to use a real estate agency that services the apartment and is available for assistance at all hours in case of emergency. Many individual apartment owners also advertise rentals online or hover around international airports and train stations, but most of these are risky propositions.

If you're seeking a closer look at day-to-day Russian existence, or want to learn or practice Russian, a homestay can be a good option. The ideal homestay is an apartment with a family history and a family member eager to tell you about it, as opposed to someone merely renting out a room for extra cash. Your room will probably be packed with the family's stuff, a library's worth of books, and a few generations' worth of knickknacks. Your host will clear out a shelf in the overstuffed closet for your belongings, but little more. The best way to determine what you're getting into is to call your hosts before you reserve, or at least before you pay. (This is also a good way to check how well they speak English.)

Note: With any of the above options, be sure to find out before you reserve whether they can arrange your visa invitation. If not, you'll need to find a reputable travel agency to take care of that for you, which could cost up to 5,000 rubles more and takes at least 2 weeks.

• Russian Travel Service (www.123russia.com): This service arranges homestays in St. Petersburg with English-speaking or Russian-only hosts. Rates start at 500 rubles per night. They'll ask you about your animal and food allergies and arrange your visas.

Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism

In line with its reputation as a country of extremes, Russia offers some of the best and worst that nature has to offer. Vast tracts of untouched Siberian forest and wildlife, and pollution-choked cities with little regard for recycling or emissions limits. Its attitude toward transport is similarly polar: Its trains and trolleybuses carry millions daily and have offered efficient, carbon-free travel for a century, and most Russians do not own cars. But those that do generally own the dirtiest kind: fuel-thirsty SUVs and Hummers, or Soviet-era models built when emissions were of no concern. One positive development is that the collapse in Russia's industry in the 1990s means office buildings and apartment towers took over factory grounds that used to cough pollution into downtown Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Navigating both cities with the environment in mind is challenging but possible. Nearly every site listed can be reached by public transport. Bikes are available for rent in both cities.

In St. Petersburg, try Skat Prokat, for 300 rubles a day plus deposit. (3 Glinka Ulitsa, inside the Kitsport store; tel. 812/325-7198).

None of the car rental agencies currently offer hybrids.

Few hotels or restaurants pay much heed to environmental concerns. An exception is the Alexander Hotel in St. Petersburg. To be more certain about the provenance and contents of your food, try the open-air markets in the city (Mikhailovsky Market in St. Petersburg). The older women camped out on the edge of the markets are often selling goods from their own gardens.

Though caviar is a centerpiece of Russian cuisine, the Caspian Sea sturgeon that produce them are desperately endangered. If you are keen for a taste, favor the red caviar, or salmon roe, on many restaurant menus.

Recycling has yet to catch on in either city, as the excessive packaging we know in the West came only recently to Russia. An exception are Soviet-era machines that allow you to exchange empty aluminum cans for cash, though they are often out of order.

The best way to stay "green" is to visit the parks. The St. Petersburg island Krestovsky Ostrov has sporting facilities near the main entrance but thins out into lush, peaceful forest farther back. St. Petersburg's botanical gardens host some 12,000 plant species.

The Typhoon Experimental Meteorology Research Institute sets ecological standards for the country (www.typhoon.obninsk.ru/english/main.htm).

Getting Around

City Layout

Peter the Great built his dream city on a cluster of islands in the marshland of the Gulf of Finland. To make sense of this boggy site, he designed a network of canals and bridges whose grueling construction cost the lives of many of the city's builders. The gift they left later generations is a city of remarkable logic and beauty despite the irregularity of its land.

The Neva River folds around the city center in a rounded number 7, taking in water from the city's dozens of canals before flowing out to the Baltic Sea. The city's main land artery is Nevsky Prospekt, a 4km-long (2 1/2-mile) avenue that slices across the city center roughly northwest to southeast. The city retains a coherent center even as it has expanded north, east, and south in recent decades. (The sea stops it from expanding westward.) Museums, hotels, and shopping are conveniently concentrated in and around Nevsky and the historical downtown. Train and bus stations are all attached to the subway system, which is fast and efficient even though the city has outgrown its overcrowded four lines.

Today's St. Petersburg houses five million residents and, like Moscow, is both dense and territorially large. That means a lot of walking even within the city center, but St. Petersburg is not nearly as unwieldy or overwhelming as its southern sister.

Addresses in Russia are often perplexing, so don't be afraid to ask for detailed directions. It's also a good idea to carry your hotel business card with you, to show taxi drivers the name written in Russian to avoid misunderstandings.

Drawbridge Dilemma

The drawbridges that span the Neva are both a charming attraction and a logistical consideration for St. Petersburg's tourists. They remain down during the day for automobile and foot traffic, but lift in the middle of the night in a carefully synchronized performance to allow shipping traffic from the Baltic Sea into Russia's inland rivers. That means you want to be sure to be on the same side of the river as your hotel when night falls, or else you may be stuck for a few hours.

The main bridges are up at roughly the following times, with minor adjustments each year:

Volodarskiy: 2 to 3:45am and 4:15 to 5:45am

Alexandra Nevskogo: 2:20 to 5:10am

Liteiny: 1:50 to 4:40am

Troitskiy: 1:40 to 4:50am

Dvortsovy: 1:25 to 4:55am

Blagoveshchenksy (formerly Leytenanta Shmidta): 1:25 to 2:45 and 3:10 to 5am

Birzhevoy: 2 to 4:55am

Tuchkov: 2 to 2:55 and 3:35 to 4:55am

Finlyandsky: 2 to 5:30am

Bolshoi Okhtinsky: 2 to 5am

By Public Transportation

The St. Petersburg Metro is a fast, cheap, and extraordinarily deep subway system that every visitor should try out at least once. Station entrances are marked with a big blue letter M. The four-line system is easy to follow, with each line color-coded and transfers clearly marked -- though usually in Russian only. This is where it's highly useful to learn the Cyrillic alphabet. Trains run from 5:45am to 12:15am. Each train car has a metro map inside to consult, though it's a good idea to carry one with you (they're available free at all ticket counters). The trains run quite frequently but the system is insufficient for the size of the city and doesn't serve many of the key tourist attractions. It can also be crowded at any time of day, and you can find yourself in a waddling mass squeezing onto the fast, steep escalators. Most platforms are enclosed and resemble a long hall full of elevator-like doors. You can't see the train as it approaches, but you hear a tone and suddenly the doors open -- and there's a train on the other side.

One ride costs the same no matter how far you're going. The city is phasing out metro tokens, replacing them with paper cards using a magnetic strip. For the time being, every metro station sells tokens, which cost 20 rubles, or they sell cards for 5, 10, or more trips that get cheaper the more you buy.

The blue plastic tokens are dropped into machines with marked slots. The cards are slid into machines with slots on the side and pulled out on the other end before you can cross.

Trams are a pleasant way to see the city, but only a few lines are convenient for hotels and tourist sights. Two lines worth trying are the no. 14, which runs from the Mariinsky Theater up through the center of town and across the Neva, and the no. 1, which runs through Vasilevsky Island, including a stop just outside the Vasileostrovskaya metro station. Trolley buses run along Nevsky Prospekt and some other large avenues.

Tickets for trams and trolley buses cost 18 rubles and are available from a conductor in a yellow vest who roams the vehicle selling them. Maps are posted inside the vehicles, and routes are often listed at the stops, but in Russian only.

By Taxi

Reliable companies to try are the official Petersburg Taxi (tel. 068 -- that's right, just 3 digits) or Taxi Park (tel. 812/265-1333), or Khoroshee Taxi (tel. 812/700-0000) or New Yellow Taxi (Novoye Zholtoye Taxi; tel. 812/600-8888. All work 24 hours.

By Car

Some rental companies to try are these:

Hertz/Travel Rent: Pulkovo Airport-1 and 2, arrivals halls. tel. 812/326-4505, 326-4501. www.hertz.com. Rents cars with or without drivers.

Europcar: Pulkovo-2, arrivals halls. tel. 812/703-7733. www.europcar.com. Rents with or without drivers.

Rolf-Neva: 17/10 Vitebsky Prospekt. tel. 812/320-0010. Rents with or without drivers.

By Bus

Several European tour companies offer bus trips to Moscow, usually from Germany; or to St. Petersburg, usually from Finland. The journey from Berlin to Moscow is long, about 2 days, and involves poorly maintained Russian highways and long waits at the borders. You will need transit visas if you travel through Belarus, as most Moscow-bound routes go. The Helsinki-to-St. Petersburg journey takes about 7 hours and is often included on Scandinavian-based tours.

By Cruise Ship

St. Petersburg, one-time capital of imperial Russia and the second-largest city in Russia, is the country's largest port. It's also become a popular cruise ship destination. Shore excursions to St. Petersburg include visits to top sights like the Hermitage Museum, which has one of the richest art collections in the world; the Peter & Paul Fortress, the burial place of the Romanov dynasty; and St. Isaac's Cathedral, the fourth-largest cathedral in the world. Cruise lines also typically offer nighttime shore excursions to see ballet, opera, folk performances, or circuses.

Important Visa Information -- Passengers who participate in St. Petersburg shore excursions or arrange for private transportation through the ship's shore-excursions desk do not need to obtain a visa.

Those who wish to go ashore on their own, however, do have to obtain a tourist visa prior to departure. To receive a Russian visa, you must have a valid passport that remains valid at least 30 days past the last day of the cruise.

Visitor Information

The St. Petersburg City Tourist Office is quite modest for such a significant city, with not much more to offer than most hotels. Still, it's worth a visit to find out about festivals or special events that you might otherwise miss. The main offices are at 14 Sadovaya Ulitsa (tel. 812/310-2822), open Monday to Friday from 10am to 7pm.

Maps are available free in most hotels, and for a low price at bookstores and newspaper stands, though sometimes they're only in the Cyrillic alphabet. An easy-to-read and richly detailed map to look out for is the bilingual "St. Petersburg Guide to the City." Avail yourself of the numerous free listings magazines at nearly all hotels and many restaurants. Most are in English and Russian and are heavy with ads but are full of information. Pick up a copy of The St. Petersburg Times, a twice-weekly English-language newspaper, for local and international news.

Surfing the "Ru-net" Before You Go

Soviet programmers created their own interactive "Web" back in the 1980s, and today's Runet (roo-net), as the Russian-language Internet world calls itself, is as vibrant as any online community. More and more Russian sites have English-language pages, and below are a few worth checking out before you go. The sometimes clumsy translations are compensated for by the information and guidance. And, of course, don't forget www.frommers.com, especially the advice from other travelers on the Russia destination forum.

Museums

• www.hermitagemuseum.org: Official site of Hermitage Museum, good for planning your visit to the museum ahead of time.

News

• www.sptimes.ru: Site of English-language semiweekly paper The St. Petersburg Times.

Listings/General Information

• www.ru: Calls itself the "original Russian Web directory." Information-packed and searchable in English, but rather unwieldy.

Airlines/Airports

• www.aeroflot.ru/eng: Site of Russian airline Aeroflot, with schedules and fares.

Visa Information:

• www.russianembassy.org: Site of Russian Embassy in the United States, with visa applications and information and links to embassies and consulates in other countries.

Maps:

• www.infoservices.com/stpete/map/index.html: Maps of St. Petersburg neighborhoods and sights.

Calendar of Events

All dates below are official holidays unless noted. December 25 is not a holiday in Russia.

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you'll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what's happening in cities all over the world.

January 1-2: New Year's Day. This is the major holiday of the Russian year, a family event centered around a fir tree, a huge feast, and gift-giving traditions transferred by Soviet leaders from Christmas to the more secular New Year's Day. Even the smallest children stay up to ring in midnight. Both January 1 and 2 are holidays.

Presents under a fir tree, a copious family feast, and a big man with a long white beard -- for a Russian, these traditions conjure up not Christmas, but New Year's Eve. The atheist Soviet government wiped religious holidays off the official calendar, but they couldn't suffocate the midwinter holiday spirit. Stalin, recognizing the people's unwillingness to abandon Christmas traditions, encouraged their shift to the more secular New Year's holiday. Even today, a decade and a half after the collapse of Soviet Communism, New Year's remains the primary event on the Russian calendar. Russian Orthodox Christmas -- celebrated on January 7, according to the Julian calendar in use before the revolution -- has reassumed some of its former significance, but it's seen as a day for attending Mass and singing hymns instead of gift-giving and family celebration. Those rituals are reserved for December 31, when even the smallest children stay up to ring in the New Year.

Some restaurants and clubs are tapping into Western New Year's rituals with expensive all-night parties drenched in champagne, but the majority of Russians consider it an at-home, family event. The appetizers emerge in early evening, when relatives squeeze around the over-burdened table. For the next several hours, people eat, drink, tell stories, and dance to favorite songs. Father Frost, or Dyed Moroz, delivers gifts sometime around midnight. Because most Russians live in apartment buildings, the whole coming-down-the-chimney tradition plays no role here, and family members pull presents from cupboards or from under beds. In fairy tales, Dyed Moroz is assisted by a Snow Maiden, Snegurochka, and some families dress up as the two characters.

Menu items reflect the end of the pre-Christmas fast called for by Orthodox custom, 40 days of refraining from meat and dairy products: beef and pork roasts dripping with fatty sauces, cured meats, veal in aspic, salads packed with diced ham and egg and heaped with mayonnaise, buttery pancakes heaped with caviar. . . . To drink, men stick to vodka; women either join in or sip nastoika, a homemade liqueur made of vodka brewed with berries, herbs, or roots. Pre-revolutionary aristocrats introduced fine French champagne to their Christmas feasts; the Soviets spread the tradition to the masses with the production of cheap sparkling wine that is still a staple of the New Year's table. The most popular brand is Sovietskoye (all categories but the brut are quite sweet).

The New Year's celebrations peak with a midnight fireworks display over Red Square, broadcast nationwide. The crowds of mostly young revelers in the square are so dense that few of them notice the freezing temperatures. In St. Petersburg, the biggest fireworks are shot over the Neva River across from the Hermitage. Back at home, many families celebrate well into the night, or go outside to set off their own small firecrackers. The first day of the year is a day of rest and lots of leftovers.

If you visit Moscow or St. Petersburg over New Year's, be sure to check in advance online or through your travel agent for special holiday events at your hotel. If you can't get invited to a Russian home, try one of the elaborate parties at traditional Russian restaurants such as One Red Square, Baltschug Kempinski hotel, or Le National hotel (all have great views of the Moscow fireworks). Meal service starts at 10pm or later. Seats are expensive and must be booked well in advance. For English-language listings on New Year's parties, see The Moscow Times newspaper (www.themoscowtimes.com) or The St. Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.ru). And practice saying "S Novym Godom!" ("Happy New Year!").

January 7: Russian Orthodox Christmas. Ignored in Soviet times, this is now a primary religious holiday, with many people attending midnight Mass and more festive meals.

January 14: "Old" New Year. Not an official holiday, but celebrated nonetheless. It's left over from the pre-revolutionary days when Russia followed the Julian calendar, which was about 2 weeks behind the one used by the Western world.

February 23: Defenders of the Motherland Day (Armed Forces Day). With the military draft still mandatory, many Russians see this as a general "Men's Day," involving much vodka and stories of hazing and corrupt commanding officers.

February/March: Maslenitsa, or Butter Week. Not an official holiday. The week before Orthodox Lent is traditionally a time to eat lots of buttery bliny (crepelike pancakes) and other rich foods that believers will forego for the next 40 days. Each day of the week has a significance, such as Cleansing Thursday when Russians purge overstuffed closets, and Forgiveness Sunday when people forgive wrongs committed over the past year. The origins of the holiday are pagan, and many towns stage raucous Maslenitsa festivals. It's not Carnival or Mardi Gras, but it's lively.

Butter Week began as a pagan festival celebrating the end of winter. The arrival of the Orthodox calendar didn't extinguish this week of revelry, but turned it into a pre-Lenten party, a sort of Russian version of Carnival or Mardi Gras. The name comes from the butter used for pancakes eaten throughout the week -- pancakes whose golden warmth and roundness are meant to represent the sun and impending springtime. The butter also refers to the upcoming Lent, when Orthodox believers are expected to refrain from dairy products and other luxuries. To store up for this austere period, Russians indulge greedily in rich foods during Maslenitsa. Pancakes are stuffed with soft farmers' cheese, ham, or caviar. Eggy desserts grace the table, not to be seen again until Easter.

Maslenitsa was a major event in Moscow and St. Petersburg before the revolution, and after a Soviet-era lull, festivities are again staged at parks such as Kolomenskoye in Moscow and the Summer Gardens in St. Petersburg, as well as in villages and country estates on the cities' outskirts. A key part of the ritual is the burning of one or several straw scarecrows representing winter. They're paraded around a snow-covered field and then set alight as onlookers cheer, chant, and dance. At Kolomenskoye, performers in embroidered costumes revive traditional songs and children's games, and build ice forts for mass snowball fights. Everyone is treated to honey from nearby hives, and tea and barrels of mead -- a warm, fermented honey drink -- are prepared just for the occasion.

Dates of Butter Week vary from year to year, since it's linked to Orthodox Easter, but it usually falls between late February and late March. The original rituals have been adapted to modern times, with the big parties usually held on Saturday and Sunday to accommodate work schedules. Each day of the week has a significance. Thursday, for example, is Cleansing Day, when Russians are expected to clean out their cupboards and lives for the coming spring. Sunday is Forgiveness Day, and even in Soviet times it was common for long-feuding siblings to phone each other on that day to mend their differences. According to some traditions, Monday morning is teeth-cleaning day, when men are expected to drink large amounts of vodka to cleanse the remnants of fatty foods from their teeth.

If you're visiting Russia during this season, tracking down a Maslenitsa party is a great way to boost your mood and distract you from the cold slushiness all around. Some Russian travel agencies arrange special Maslenitsa tours. Check with your hotel concierge for a calendar of Moscow Maslenitsa events; or check The St. Petersburg Times website (www.sptimes.ru) for St. Petersburg parties.

March 8: International Women's Day. Begun by U.S. feminists in the 1920s, the holiday became a Soviet banner for gender equality. Today's Russian women lament that men get pampered 364 days a year and women get appreciated only on Vosmovo Marta (Mar 8). It's a sacred holiday and official day off work for everyone nonetheless, and every Russian male is expected to present flowers or chocolates to his wife, mother, daughters, and female colleagues.

April/May: Orthodox Easter. The date varies, but it's usually 1 or 2 weeks after Catholic/Protestant Easter. The following Monday is a state holiday, though Good Friday is not. The day has taken on greater significance since the collapse of Soviet atheism, and on Easter morning, every Orthodox church has lines of people waiting to have their traditional Easter cakes blessed. The holiday feast is the richest on the Russian calendar, with eggs a major theme.

April/May: Easter Arts Festival (Moscow). A weeklong event showcasing St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Company orchestra in Moscow and small choral ensembles performing in the city's cathedrals following Orthodox Easter. Bell ringing is a major part of the event.

May 1-2: Labor Day/Spring Festival. May Day parades under red Communist banners still wend through Moscow's streets, though they're no longer allowed on Red Square, site of the tremendous Soviet-era demonstrations of Kremlin-enforced proletarian solidarity.

May 9: Victory Day. The Soviet Union lost more people than any other nation in World War II, and even 6 decades later the day commemorating Hitler's defeat is a major Russian holiday. Every Russian has a relative or friend who served in what they call the Great Patriotic War, and the sight of elderly veterans pinning on rusting medals for a day is a poignant reminder of one of the most impressive feats of the Soviet era.

June 12: Russian Independence Day. On this day in 1990, the Russian Federation declared itself independent from the Soviet Union, a symbolic move inspired by nationalist movements in the Baltics and eastern Europe. Few Russians today know what the holiday commemorates.

Late June/early July: White Nights. Two weeks around the summer solstice, St. Petersburg puts on concerts, film festivals, all-night boat tours, and other events to celebrate the northern light. It's peak tourist season.

November 7: Day of Reconciliation and Accord. For 70 years this was called Revolution Day, marking the 1917 events that brought the Soviets to power. The post-Soviet government didn't have the heart to take away the holiday, so they renamed it. A dwindling number of Communist die-hards still gather around Red Square, visiting Lenin's tomb and lamenting the demise of his brainchild.

December 12: Constitution Day. Marks the 1993 referendum that approved Russia's first post-Soviet constitution.

Last week in December: White Days Festival (St. Petersburg). The city boosters' efforts to lure tourists during the snowy months, this festival includes winter carnivals in the city parks and a dense program of dance, opera, and orchestral performances. See www.whitedays.com for more information.