By air: Pulkovo Airport with its domestic and international terminals just over 10 miles south of the city serves as the main gateway to St Petersburg. This is the third busiest airport in Russia so connections are numerous to the rest of the world, particularly major destinations in Europe such as London, Paris and Berlin as well as to CIS capitals like Baku, Bishkek and Kiev in Azerbaĳjan, Kyrgyzstan and the Ukraine respectively.

By train: there are five main rail terminals in St Petersburg, four of which serve international destinations. Vitebsk station serves the majority of international destinations in the likes of Belarus, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland among many other European destinations. Travellers to and from Finland should head to Finland station for regular services to Vyborg on the Russian side of the border and Helsinki, the Finnish capital.

By bus: getting to St Petersburg by bus represents the most cost-effective way to travel to and from the city from nearby countries, mostly those in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe such as Finland, the Ukraine and Germany. Check Eurolines for the latest bus times and prices.

By boat: in winter St Petersburg Port is too iced up but in summer there are plenty of international ferry connections running to the likes of Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn, the capitals of Finland, Sweden and Estonia respectively, along with Rostock in Germany and Kallingrad.