125. Cruising St. Petersburg's rivers
Touts hawking river cruises are a common sight on most street corners throughout the city center. If I leave my apartment at the Tolstoy House (just to the east of the Fontanka River) and walk west along Nevsky Prospekt to the Neva River near the Winter Palace, I cross the Griboyedov Channel and the Moyka River. Between these four rivers, I must see at least 30-40 people handing out fliers, yelling into megaphones, and signing people up for river excursions on any day of the week. Most of the rivers are filled with boats going up and down the waterways, at any hour of the day or night (indeed, a colleague recently took a cruise from 1:00-2:45 am). This is a popular activity for out-of-town tourists, of course, but Russians also seem to enjoy it. Who doesn't like seeing the city from the water, in this city known sometimes as "the Venice of the North"?
I managed to live in St. Petersburg for five months without going for a cruise. It seemed to me that this might not be the most fun solo activity, and my wife and I ran out of time when she visited in August. But my sister and (future) brother-in-law were interested, so this was the perfect opportunity to explore the city from a new perspective. The first full day after their arrival was a warm day with blue skies, and a cruise was a great way for them to see some of the major sights and get their bearings.
I suppose it was arbitrary which cruise company we went with, but I found one in front of the Stroganov Palace on the Moyka River which had a map displayed showing their route. It hit all the places we wanted to go, so we signed up. With only the slightest hesitation on my part during the conversation (not even approaching an intentional negotiation tactic) the sales agent offered a 100 ruble discount per person. It must be a competitive market with so many cruise operators. At only 600 (or 700) rubles per person (~$10 USD) for over an hour on the water, it was a great deal and it's clear why it's such a popular activity.
We embarked at the Moyka, then motored north to the Zimnyaya Kanavka (Winter Canal) - a small channel that cuts out to the Neva alongside the Hermitage Museum. We rode west along the Bolshaya Neva (the larger Neva channel to the south of Vasilyevsky island) underneath the Dvortsoviy Bridge to the Blagoveshenskiy Bridge, turned back east and went upriver to the Troitsky Bridge, then turned into the Fontanka River just past the Summer Garden. We entered the Moyka River to the west, rode alongside St. Michael's Castle and the Mikhailovsky Garden, and eventually ended up at our starting spot south of Nevsky Prospekt.
The cruise included non-stop, rapid-fire narration for the entire voyage. It was in Russian, so most of the details were lost on English-language passengers. I did understand a fair amount, but I've lived here long enough to know what most of the noteworthy sights are, so I was able to provide English language narration for my visitors (which closely matched the Russian version from the parts I understood). There are a very limited number of English-language cruises available in the city, but they are not a good option if you want to take a cruise at a time more convenient for your schedule.
We timed our departure so that we could watch the sun set from the water, and our timing was perfect. It was still late afternoon when we got on the boat, and night time when we arrived back at the mooring. Just as we reached the Neva river, we were able to watch the sun set over the Kunstkamera and spit of Vasilyevsky island.
I managed to live in St. Petersburg for five months without going for a cruise. It seemed to me that this might not be the most fun solo activity, and my wife and I ran out of time when she visited in August. But my sister and (future) brother-in-law were interested, so this was the perfect opportunity to explore the city from a new perspective. The first full day after their arrival was a warm day with blue skies, and a cruise was a great way for them to see some of the major sights and get their bearings.
I suppose it was arbitrary which cruise company we went with, but I found one in front of the Stroganov Palace on the Moyka River which had a map displayed showing their route. It hit all the places we wanted to go, so we signed up. With only the slightest hesitation on my part during the conversation (not even approaching an intentional negotiation tactic) the sales agent offered a 100 ruble discount per person. It must be a competitive market with so many cruise operators. At only 600 (or 700) rubles per person (~$10 USD) for over an hour on the water, it was a great deal and it's clear why it's such a popular activity.
We embarked at the Moyka, then motored north to the Zimnyaya Kanavka (Winter Canal) - a small channel that cuts out to the Neva alongside the Hermitage Museum. We rode west along the Bolshaya Neva (the larger Neva channel to the south of Vasilyevsky island) underneath the Dvortsoviy Bridge to the Blagoveshenskiy Bridge, turned back east and went upriver to the Troitsky Bridge, then turned into the Fontanka River just past the Summer Garden. We entered the Moyka River to the west, rode alongside St. Michael's Castle and the Mikhailovsky Garden, and eventually ended up at our starting spot south of Nevsky Prospekt.
The cruise included non-stop, rapid-fire narration for the entire voyage. It was in Russian, so most of the details were lost on English-language passengers. I did understand a fair amount, but I've lived here long enough to know what most of the noteworthy sights are, so I was able to provide English language narration for my visitors (which closely matched the Russian version from the parts I understood). There are a very limited number of English-language cruises available in the city, but they are not a good option if you want to take a cruise at a time more convenient for your schedule.
We timed our departure so that we could watch the sun set from the water, and our timing was perfect. It was still late afternoon when we got on the boat, and night time when we arrived back at the mooring. Just as we reached the Neva river, we were able to watch the sun set over the Kunstkamera and spit of Vasilyevsky island.
Comments
Post a Comment