English-language press

St. Petersburg has a number of English-language publications of varying quality. The best-known and most widely available is the weekly St. Petersburg Times which, like its Moscow sister paper, combines local, international and business news with comment and a very good arts section. While somewhat amateur in comparison to the Moscow edition, The St. Petersburg Times is still of remarkably high quality for an expat publication. It's easy to find the paper in the lobbies of big hotels and in restaurants and bars catering to the tourist trade, and it's probably the best way to find out what's going on in the city during your stay. You can also see the paper on the Internet at www.sptimes.ru. The Times usually appears on Wednesdays, although this can change due to public holidays or special events.

The In Your Pocket series of guides to European cities also does a St. Petersburg edition. Although it isn't as entertaining as some of their other titles, the guide provides reliable and regularly updated advice on dining out and clubbing, written by experienced local expats. It also has several pages of concise and accurate travel tips, all presented in a usefully compact format. In Your Pockets are available free in some hotels, restaurants, and bars, and can be found for sale in some English bookshops. You can see all their guides at www.inyourpocket.com. In your pocket currently appears every two months.

The most extraordinary English-language publication is also one of the oldest. The Neva News has been running since 1992, mostly as an advertising vehicle for some dubious-sounding business ventures. Amongst the broken-English gems, it has a "Girl of the Month" competition and constant "Letters to the editor" full of extremely lavish praise for the publication. It's something of a St. Petersburg institution, and definitely worth a look for giggle. Sadly, it's a little bit harder to find than its rivals, but there's also an internet version: www.nevanews.com.