How much cash do I need for St-Petersburg ( 3 days)?

[stefanny28]

The ship will be in St-Petersburg for 3 days this summer and we are booked with TJ Travel for their 3 days tour with an evening at the ballet.

 

I am wondering how much cash ( rubble) should I bring with me for lunch, souvenir and anything extra?

I know that inside the ballet theater they will not accept US or credit card, so how much should I plan for if we want a snack or drinks?

 

How much a Russian lunch cost? Nothing fancy, just regular meal?

 

TJ said they can bring me to an ATM but since we will be with a group, I really don't want to be a bother and make everyone stop just for me to get some cash.

 

Please let me know what you think and what amount should I bring.

 

Thanks

[dogs4fun]

The ship will be in St-Petersburg for 3 days this summer and we are booked with TJ Travel for their 3 days tour with an evening at the ballet.

 

I am wondering how much cash ( rubble) should I bring with me for lunch, souvenir and anything extra?

I know that inside the ballet theater they will not accept US or credit card, so how much should I plan for if we want a snack or drinks?

 

How much a Russian lunch cost? Nothing fancy, just regular meal?

 

TJ said they can bring me to an ATM but since we will be with a group, I really don't want to be a bother and make everyone stop just for me to get some cash.

 

Please let me know what you think and what amount should I bring.

 

Thanks

Your lunch is usually included on group tours. If I were you, I would check with my tour provider - they should be able to give you a rough estimate on rubles needed.

[Nitemare]

We didn't need any.

 

And although their money might be "rubbish", it's spelled: RUBLE

[LondonTowner]

When we went to SPB we didn't spend any cash, apart from USD which we left the guide and driver for a tip.

[GradUT]

I agree that you should just contact TJ Travel and see what they suggest. Some tours include lunch (ours did), but I know many of them require you to purchase your own. TJ Travel will be able to tell you how much to expect to pay for lunch and your snacks on the evening of the ballet and whether you will be able to pay in euros or must have rubles. (Euros were accepted in the souvenir store that our tour company took us to and they are accepted in all of the souvenir/snack stands in the area outside Immigration Control at the port.)

[fabnfortysomething]

There is an atm just after immigration where we met our guide

She pointed it out so could get a small amount for snacks etc so you wouldn't inconvenience the rest of your party by hunting one down

We actually used very few rubles and handed the remainder to our guide at the end of the day as part of the tip

 

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[mskaufman]

We went with about $20 in rubles and wound up using rubles as part of the tip for the guide.

[stefanny28]

We went with about $20 in rubles and wound up using rubles as part of the tip for the guide.

 

Thanks

[wheezedr]

On a 2 day tour including a night at the ballet we never had to use rubles. As noted our lunches were included but we purchased items from vendors and were able to use dollars or euros. Have some small bills and don't worry about change, although my 10 Ruble note became a souvenir Its worth 50 cents

[Priya2]

We're doing the two day tour with SPB. It's good to know we won't need lots of Rubles. That said, I'd quite like to buy some Russian Nesting Dolls as a gift for my daughter. Can anyone say if there is likely to be an opportunity and, if so, will I need cash or are credit cards widely accepted? Both USD and Rubles are foreign currency to me, so it doesn't matter which one I need to withdraw.

[LondonTowner]

Yes, you can use CCs. Ensure you have one that makes no charges for foreign transactions. If you are actually going to change money, then obviously you will receive local currency which is Roubles.

[wheezedr]

We're doing the two day tour with SPB. It's good to know we won't need lots of Rubles. That said, I'd quite like to buy some Russian Nesting Dolls as a gift for my daughter. Can anyone say if there is likely to be an opportunity and, if so, will I need cash or are credit cards widely accepted? Both USD and Rubles are foreign currency to me, so it doesn't matter which one I need to withdraw.

 

We bought our nesting dolls from a vendor at the palace, not as fancy as many in shops but not as pricey. We used dollars but you might get away with GBP or even euros as a good choice. Doubt it would be worthwhile for you to get $'s for this and would never know how many rubles to withdraw. In the shops we were taken to those currencies worked but so did CC's

[Priya2]

We bought our nesting dolls from a vendor at the palace, not as fancy as many in shops but not as pricey. We used dollars but you might get away with GBP or even euros as a good choice. Doubt it would be worthwhile for you to get $'s for this and would never know how many rubles to withdraw. In the shops we were taken to those currencies worked but so did CC's

Thank you :)