The 10 Commandments of SPG!
1. Avoid Golden Dolls and Maximus strip club unless you are very rich and like to be hassled
2. Russian women seem to like foreigners, so getting lucky( for free) here seems to be pretty easy.
3. Marstals and tribunal bar late at night ( after 1am) are great places to find pros and non-pros
4. Never pay more than $150 for the WHOLE NIGHT with ANY girl you meet at a bar
5. Let the woman do all the talking with your hotel security and be prepared to pay $2-$10 hush money
6. There are Pros in almost all SPG hotels but they are usually way overpriced
7. You can avoid the whole hotel/security issue by renting an apartment
8. Taxis are cheap, so use them late at night. Remember the police are NOT there to help you!
9. ALWAYS pay attention to the drawbridge schedule (with a safety margin) if you are going to cross the Neva
10. ATM/ Money machines are everywhere and you avoid the risks of carrying a lot of money. Usually get an okay rate and you don't have to deal with the money exchange assholes!
Find your local Russians!
Traveler22,
The websites I gave you were only for example! Some sites have prices from $35 dollars a night. If you stay for 3 months you can definately find cheaper apartments. Haggleing for prices is okay in Russia, to a certain degree.
There are DOZENS of web sites to help you find cheap apartments in SPG. Like I said, the cheapest way to find a centraly located, cheap apartment is to OPEN YOUR LOCAL PHONE BOOK AND CALL A TRAVEL AGENT WHO IS A FORMER RUSSIAN CITIZEN!
The least expensive way to stay in SPG is to rent a room with a family. Even if it for only a couple of weeks and then find an apartment once you are there. Few Russians can afford to pay more than $300 a month rent, even in downtown SPG.
Behind the Kazaan cathedral, VERY convenient to Marstals and Tribunal bar, is the university dorms/hotel. You can stay there for around $14 a night. This is the place if you need a last minute place to get laid, even if you live with a family. Just let the woman (Pro or non-pro) do the talking at the front desk!
The ONLY good thing about the damn bridges is that it is a common excuse to say you were stuck on the wrong side of the river and could not get home for the night, if questioned.
Finally, There are several youth hostels in SPG. Here is the address for the main one:
[url]www.ryh.ru[/url]
You do not need to be a "youth" to stay at a hostel. In most youth hostels (worldwide) you can usually only stay for a specific period of time (several days to a few weeks) until you must leave for a brief period.