How to use the St. Petersburg Metro
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
Sadovaya metro station in St. Petersburg
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.
Interior of a subway station Novokrestovskaya
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.
Mayakovskaya station.
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
The map of St. Petersburg subway
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.
Avtovo metro station
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.
Avtovo metro station
How to pay for your ride
'Podorozhnik' transport card
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.
