Coach and Bus Stations
It is possible to travel to St. Petersburg by coach from an increasing number of international destinations, with coach travel particular popular between St. Petersburg and Helsinki, and between St. Petersburg and the Baltic States. While St. Petersburg does have a Central Bus Station, many international routes are operated by non-Russian companies which prefer to use their own bus stops, close to either railway stations or major hotels. All stops are next to or very close to metro stations, while if you prefer to continue your journey by taxi, you will need either to book a transfer in advance or book a taxi by phone on arrival.
Central Bus Station
Located on the embankment of the Obvodny Canal, St. Petersburg's Central Bus Station is the terminal for most Russian intercity
buses (including daily services from Moscow), as well as international services from Munich, Warsaw, Minsk, Helsinki, and the Baltics.
The 2010 opening of Obvodny Kanal Metro Station, about five minutes' walk from the bus station, has made onward journeys for coach
passengers considerably easier. On the purple line, Obvodny Kanal is two stops south of Sadovaya, in the very centre of the
St. Petersburg. To reach it, turn left out of the main entrance to the bus station and follow the canal to the junction with
Ligovsky Prospekt. The metro station is opposite.
The Lyra Hotel is right next to the Bus Station, while other hotels in the immediate vicinity include the AlexanderPlatz Hotel and the City Hotel Comfitel.
Lux Express
An Estonian company operating coach services throughout the Baltics and Eastern Europe, Lux Express offers direct services to
St. Petersburg from Riga and Tallinn, both of which arrive in front of Baltic Station (Baltiysky Vokzal). Baltiyskaya Metro Station,
attached to the mainline station, is on the red line and four stops south of Ploshchad Vosstaniya, in the very centre of the city.
The only recommended hotel within walking distance of the station is
the Azimut Hotel.
Ecolines
This Latvian firm currently operates bus services to St. Petersburg direct from Vilnius, Tallinn, Riga, Kiev and Odessa, although their
huge network of services means that if you choose to travel by coach to St. Petersburg from almost anywhere in Europe, there is a good
chance you will arrive on an Ecolines bus. All Ecolines services arrive at and depart from the car park next to Vitebsk Station in the
city centre. The station is served by Pushkinskaya and Zvenigorodskaya Metro Stations (on the red and purple lines respectively), and
is a short walk from the Fifth Corner Hotel,
the Asteria Hotel,
the Brothers Karamazov Hotel,
and the Neptun Hotel.
Savonlinja
While there is a huge number of companies offering bus transport to/from Helsinki and other Finnish towns, this Finnish company is
probably the easiest for non-Russians to find, and is particularly attractive for its timetabled daily services to St. Petersburg
from Lappeenranta Airport. The morning service stops in front of
the Moscow Hotel, next to Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo Metro
Station (on the orange and green lines) at the eastern end of Nevsky Prospekt, while the evening service ends up in the far
south of St. Petersburg next to the Park Inn Pulkovskaya
just over five minutes' walk from Moskovskaya Metro Station (head straight up Moskovsky Prospekt from the hotel), on the blue line
and seven stops south of Nevsky Prospekt.
