Passenger Port of St. Petersburg Information Guide

The Passenger Port of St. Petersburg is a bustling hub of activity, welcoming millions of visitors each year. Located on the Neva River, it's a convenient and scenic way to arrive in the city.

The port is open 24/7, but the main passenger terminal is open from 6am to 10pm. This allows you to plan your arrival and departure times with ease.

Getting to the port is relatively straightforward, with several options available. The nearest metro station is Ploshchad Vosstaniya, which is just a short walk away.

The port offers a range of amenities, including restaurants, cafes, and shops, to help you pass the time while you're waiting to board or disembark.

The Passenger Port of St. Petersburg has a fascinating history that's worth exploring. In 2002, the St. Petersburg administration proposed building a modern complex for receiving cruise ships, as the existing Marine Terminal couldn't accommodate vessels longer than 200 meters.

This led to large passenger ships arriving in the commercial port of St. Petersburg. The government responded by signing a government order to begin construction of the marine passenger terminal in 2005.

The construction of the port was a massive undertaking that involved reclaiming 35 hectares of land, building a technological channel, access road, and dividing dam. The Marine Facade Company was responsible for these tasks.

The port's construction was a gradual process that spanned several years. Here's a breakdown of the major stages:

The port finally opened on September 10, 2008, with the arrival of the Costa Mediterranea, a 16-deck Italian vessel. By 2011, the work on the passenger port was completed, and the Marine Facade sea passenger port was officially handed over to the city government.

The Passenger Port of St. Petersburg is a major transportation hub, with a total of 17 berths for cruise ships and ferries.

The port's location on the Neva River allows for easy access to the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland.

The port's infrastructure includes a customs terminal and a baggage handling system, making it convenient for passengers to arrive and depart.

The Marine Facade of the Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg is a remarkable feat of engineering and design. It's Europe's largest specialized passenger port, and the first and only one in the Northwestern region of Russia.

The port complex consists of seven berths for passenger cruise ships and ferries up to 340 meters in length, and four sea terminals – three for cruise ships and one specialized ferry terminal.

The marine passenger terminal has a unique design, featuring buildings with metal frames and large stained glass windows along the facade. The terminal buildings are shaped like a slanted four-sided prism with overhangs protruding almost ten meters on the city and berths side, supported by inclined columns.

The main compositional features of the marine terminal buildings are the inclined canopies and the columns positioned under them. The auxiliary buildings of the passenger terminal have an equally laconic design, with alternating dull and glassy surfaces for the facade and a slight shift in the size of the building's units.

Here are some key facts about the Marine Facade:

St. Petersburg has two passenger ports, one for sea passengers and one for river passengers.

The Sea Station is located at the western tip of Vasilievsky Island and is the docking point for St. Peter Line ferries from Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tallinn.

Several buses and marshrutka minibuses run from the first stop on Bolshoy Prospekt near the port to Vasileostrovskaya Metro Station, which is only one stop west from Gostiny Dvor in the city centre.

The River Station welcomes river cruises from Moscow and the Russian North and is located in the far south-east of St. Petersburg on Prospekt Obukhovskoy Oborony.

It's a little under ten minutes' walk from the River Station to Proletarskaya Metro Station, which is on the green line, five stops from Mayakovskaya on Nevsky Prospekt.

If you'd rather not walk, you can book a transfer or phone one of the recommended taxi companies, as trying to find a taxi on the street will be difficult and/or expensive.