Tourist Information Offices in St. Petersburg: Where to Find Them and What Services They Offer

One of the first things you can do as soon as you arrive in St. Petersburg is drop by a tourist information office. They give you a free paper map, answer questions about transport, museums and current events, and there’s usually English-speaking staff on hand. In this article I’ll show you where the 10 official offices currently operating in the city are, what services they offer (free and paid), and how to reach the tourist contact center by phone or Telegram.

The St. Petersburg Tourist Information Bureau (GTIB)

The tourist information offices in St. Petersburg are run by the Городское туристско-информационное бюро (City Tourist Information Bureau, known by its Russian acronym GTIB), a public institution founded in 2000 and the first official tourist information center in Russia. Today it manages 10 information points spread across the city, in strategic spots: next to the main tourist attractions, at the two main train stations, at the bus station, at the airport, and in Kronstadt.

• Official St. Petersburg tourism portal: visit-petersburg.ru (available in Russian, English and Chinese)
• GTIB website: ispb.info
• GTIB central phone number: +7 (812) 242-39-06
• Email: [email protected]

One important thing to keep in mind: the bureau’s administrative headquarters is at 14/52 Sadovaya Street, but that address no longer works as a public information office. If you turn up there expecting to find a tourist desk, you’ll be disappointed. The 10 points where you can actually drop in are the ones listed below.

Map with the location of the 10 offices

On the interactive map below you can see where each office is located. Click on the markers to see the exact address, opening hours and practical notes on how to find it:

Map built from the official addresses published on visit-petersburg.ru/info. By default the map shows the 9 offices in central St. Petersburg; click “View Kronstadt” to jump to the office at the Island of Forts park.

What services do the tourist information offices offer

What the GTIB offers is split into free services (the majority) and paid services (mostly its own themed tours). Here’s what you can ask for when you walk into any of the 10 points:

Free services

• Paper maps of the city in several languages (including English). If you don’t want to rely on your phone, they hand them out for free. You can see what official maps are available in the article on official tourist maps of St. Petersburg.
• Themed guides and brochures: literary routes, food routes, architecture routes, Pushkin routes, Leningrad rock routes, cinema routes, and more. Some brochures are only in Russian, but most of the pocket maps and guides have an English version.
• Practical information on transport, museum opening hours, daily events, restaurant recommendations, where to find public toilets, and maps of free wifi spots.
• Route and excursion advice: they’ll help you plan an itinerary based on how many days you have and what you’re into.
• Information on accredited guides: GTIB is the body that officially accredits tourist guides in St. Petersburg. There are over 5,000 accredited guides and the official list can be consulted on the portal.

Paid services

• Tickets for the bureau’s own themed tours: GTIB organizes its own very specific guided tours (literary routes, religious routes, routes tied to particular historical figures…) and the tickets are sold directly at the information points. If you’re curious about a niche topic, ask: many of these tours aren’t advertised on international platforms.
• Souvenirs and official publications: some points sell guides published by the bureau itself, plus items branded with the city’s tourism mark.

The key point: asking questions and getting basic maps is free. You only pay if you decide to book a tour organized by the bureau or to buy one of their publications.

1. Offices in the city center

1.1. Palace Square (next to the Hermitage)

This is the most central pavilion and probably the most useful one if you’re doing classic sightseeing. It sits on Palace Square, right across from the Hermitage, so it’s worth swinging by before queuing for the museum to grab a map of the area.

• Address: Дворцовая площадь, 1А (Palace Square, 1A)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00
• On 9 May (Victory Day): 14:00–19:00

1.2. Peter and Paul Fortress

This information point is inside the grounds of the Peter and Paul Fortress, in the Ioannovsky Ravelin (Иоанновский равелин), which is the first defensive structure you cross after the Ioannovsky Bridge from Kamennoostrovsky Avenue. You’ll find it as soon as you enter the fortress, before reaching the cathedral.

• Address: Петропавловская крепость, Иоанновский равелин (Peter and Paul Fortress, Ioannovsky Ravelin)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00
• On 9 May: 10:00–18:30

1.3. House of Books (Dom Knigi) on Nevsky Avenue

One of the new additions compared with previous years: GTIB now has an information point inside the House of Books (Dom Knigi), the iconic Art Nouveau Singer Building with the glass dome, located at 28 Nevsky Avenue, right across from Kazan Cathedral. It’s probably the most convenient location if you’re staying in the very center and want to combine a tourist query with a visit to one of the most beautiful bookshops in town.

• Address: Невский проспект, 28 (Nevsky Avenue, 28)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00

1.4. Sennaya Square (Sadovaya 37)

This pavilion sits where Sadovaya Street meets Sennaya Square, a very practical area if you’re staying in the southern part of the center or planning to get around by metro (Sennaya is one of the city’s main metro interchanges).

• Address: Садовая улица, 37 (Sadovaya 37, corner of Sennaya Square)
• Phone: +7 (812) 242-39-04
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00

1.5. Vosstaniya Square (Nevsky 118)

The Vosstaniya Square information point is at the eastern end of Nevsky Avenue, in an area you’re going to walk through anyway since Vosstaniya Square is exactly where Nevsky ends and where Moskovsky Station stands. It’s a useful stop if you arrive by train from Moscow and prefer to step outside for a moment to get your bearings before heading to your hotel.

• Address: Невский проспект, 118 (Nevsky Avenue, 118)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00
• On 9 May: 15:00–19:00

2. Offices at the city’s arrival points

One of the most useful things about GTIB is that it has a presence at the four main gateways for tourists arriving in the city: the airport, the two main train stations, and the bus station. If you arrive tired, disoriented, and still haven’t figured out transport, this is the first place you should stop.

2.1. Pulkovo Airport

At Pulkovo Airport there are two tourist information stands, not one. And it’s important to know because they’re in different spots inside the passenger terminal:

• Arrivals hall, exit no. 1 → for passengers on domestic flights
• Arrivals hall, exit no. 2 → for passengers on international flights

If you’re coming off an international flight, the stand you want is next to exit 2 of the arrivals area. It’s a good spot to grab your first paper map and ask how to get to the center (bus 39, express 39Э or taxi). For the full breakdown of the journey, you can read this guide on how to get from Pulkovo Airport to St. Petersburg.

• Address: Пулковское шоссе, 41 (Pulkovo Airport, passenger terminal)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00

2.2. Moskovsky Station (trains from Moscow)

Moskovsky Station is the main train station in St. Petersburg, and it’s where the Sapsan trains from Moscow arrive, among others. The information point is now inside the station itself, which is a significant change from previous years (the pavilion used to be outside, on Ligovsky Avenue). To find it, follow the bureau’s own directions: “past the Main Hall (Light Hall), on the left as you walk from the platforms toward the exit to the city.”

• Address: Невский проспект, 85 | Московский вокзал (Moskovsky Station)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00

2.3. Ladozhsky Station (trains from the north and east)

Ladozhsky is the city’s second train station and the one used by many trains from northern Russia (Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Karelia). The information point is on the second floor, at the entrance to the Atrium of the station. Useful to know because the station is big, and without prior orientation it can easily take fifteen minutes to find anything. For more on Russian train stations and their practical services like luggage storage, I wrote this guide: train stations in Russia: luggage storage, wifi and other services.

• Address: Заневский проспект, 73 | Ладожский вокзал (Ladozhsky Station)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00
• How to find it: 2nd floor, next to the Atrium entrance

2.4. Bus Station (Avtovokzal)

There’s also an information point next to the main intercity bus station, on the embankment of the Obvodny Canal. It’s handy if you arrive by bus from Estonia, Latvia or Finland, or from other Russian cities like Pskov or Veliky Novgorod.

• Address: Набережная Обводного канала, 36 (Obvodny Canal Embankment, 36)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00

3. Office outside the center: Kronstadt (Island of Forts Park)

Kronstadt, the former base of the Baltic Fleet on Kotlin Island, has become one of the top day-trip destinations from St. Petersburg. Right in the heart of the new large tourist and museum complex (Музейно-исторический парк «Остров фортов»), GTIB has opened an information point:

• Address: г. Кронштадт, Цитадельское шоссе, 14 (Tsitadelskoye Highway, 14, Kronstadt)
• Opening hours: daily 10:00–19:00
• How to find it: next to the main entrance of the “Island of Forts” park

If you’re planning to spend a whole day in Kronstadt (highly recommended), this point is the logical first stop to pick up a map of the park and the old town, and to ask about visits to the “Krasin” icebreaker, the “Narodovolets” submarine, and the Naval Cathedral complex.

Tourist Contact Center: free phone line and Telegram bot

Beyond the 10 physical information points, St. Petersburg has a tourist phone helpline running with the support of the city’s Tourism Development Committee. It’s a really useful resource when you’re out and about, don’t feel like going all the way to an info office, and need a quick answer (how to get somewhere, museum hours, what to do if you hit a problem).

• Free phone within Russia: 8 (800) 222 88 12
• Local phone (St. Petersburg): +7 (812) 324 03 03
• Telegram bot: @contact_center_bot
• Website: touristinfo.spb.ru (English version available)

Mobile app and official social media

The official Visit Petersburg portal has a free mobile app with all the website’s information adapted for mobile, including an interactive map of attractions, events and recommendations. There’s also an additional version with augmented reality that identifies buildings when you point your camera at them.

GTIB’s official social accounts are on platforms that international tourists can access, and they’re a good source for current events, temporary exhibitions and themed routes as they’re announced:

• Telegram: @visit_petersburg (verified, 13,000+ subscribers)
• VKontakte: vk.com/visitpetersburg
• RuTube: official channel
• MAX and Odnoklassniki: for users of Russian social networks

If you’re planning your trip from outside Russia, the most useful resource is the web portal visit-petersburg.ru in its English version. Once you’re there, the Telegram channel is a good complement because it publishes content almost daily about specific events (singing drawbridges, food festivals, pop-up exhibitions…). To better understand the drawbridges show, for example, I’d recommend following them for a few days before the trip.

Other useful services from the Visit Petersburg portal

The official portal visit-petersburg.ru offers, beyond the list of information offices, other practical resources worth knowing about before your trip:

• Interactive map with points of interest, restaurants, accommodation and excursion routes
• Public toilets map: visit-petersburg.ru/en/toilets
• Free wifi map: kis.gov.spb.ru/wifimap
• Official list of accredited guides and tour operators
• City events calendar, updated daily

Quick summary (which office should you go to?)

• If you’re arriving by plane → Pulkovo Airport stand (next to exit 2 if you’re on an international flight)
• If you’re arriving by train from Moscow → Moskovsky Station information point
• If you’re arriving by train from the north/Karelia → Ladozhsky Station information point
• If you’re arriving by bus from Estonia/Latvia → Bus Station information point (Obvodny 36)
• If you’re already in the city center → the most convenient ones are usually the House of Books (Nevsky 28) or the Palace Square point
• If you’re doing a day trip to Kronstadt → the Island of Forts park information point
• If you don’t want to go in person → Telegram bot @contact_center_bot or call 8 (800) 222 88 12

Frequently asked questions