How to use the St. Petersburg Metro

Grigorev_Vladimir / Getty Images
Grigorev_Vladimir / Getty Images
The St. Petersburg Metro subway system is a fast, beautiful and convenient way to get around the city. Here’s how to pay for your ride, navigate underground and what to keep in mind when changing trains and transferring between lines.

Operating hours

Sergio Formoso / Getty Images Sadovaya metro station in St. Petersburg
Sergio Formoso / Getty Images

The subway in St. Petersburg opens between 5:30-5:45 am and closes between 12:30-1:00 am, depending on the station and line. The operating hours may also vary based on the number of exits at a station. So, if you’re planning an early or late trip, it’s best to check the subway’s official website for the exact schedule.

blinow61 / Getty Images Interior of a subway station Novokrestovskaya
blinow61 / Getty Images

The passages between lines, meanwhile, close at 12:15 am.
Trains run every 90 seconds to 4 minutes during peak hours and up to 12 minutes on weekends.

Alexander Demyanchuk / TASS Mayakovskaya station.
Alexander Demyanchuk / TASS

Sometimes, you might hear the following announcement: “This train terminates at [station name].” If you need to go further, simply exit and wait for the next train.

Lines & stations

Alex Florstein (CC BY-SA 3.0) / undefined The map of St. Petersburg subway
Alex Florstein (CC BY-SA 3.0) / undefined

The subway consists of five lines, numbered from M1 to M5, each with a distinct color. There aren’t many transfer points, but some can take quite a long time, due to long passageways (for example, between ‘Mayakovskaya’ and ‘Ploshchad Vosstaniya’ stations). The easiest way to navigate the subway is by following the color-coded signs.

Asim Ali / Getty Images Avtovo metro station
Asim Ali / Getty Images

St. Petersburg has over 70 stations, each with a unique interior. Some even resemble palaces – like ‘Admiralteyskaya’, one of the deepest stations in the world (depth of 86 meters/282 feet), and ‘Avtovo’, which is dedicated to the defense of Leningrad during World War II. You can discover more beautiful stations here.

moomusician / Getty Images Avtovo metro station
moomusician / Getty Images

How to pay for your ride

Alexander Galperin / Sputnik 'Podorozhnik' transport card
Alexander Galperin / Sputnik

In St. Petersburg, you can pay for your subway ride in several ways:

- Using the ‘Podorozhnik’ transport card

The ‘Podorozhnik’ card is a top up transport card used for paying fares on public transportation in St. Petersburg, including the subway, buses, trams and other forms of transit. You can purchase a physical card at any subway or train station ticket office or at Pulkovo Airport.

The card itself costs 80 rubles (approx. $0.93 as of March 2025). This is a one-time fee for the physical card.

You can also purchase a keychain version of the card for 100 rubles (~$1.16).

After purchasing the card, you need to top it up to pay for your trips. The fare using the card in 2025 is 56 rubles (~$0.65) per ride.

You can top up the balance at subway terminals or ticket offices. No documents are required and you can pay by Russian debit/credit or cash.

- Using any Russian debit/credit card

The fare in this case is 81 rubles (~$0.94) per ride.

- Using single-ride tokens

Tokens are sold at ticket offices and terminals. The fare is also 81 rubles (~$0.94) per ride.

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