St. Petersburg has only one airport Pulkovo (IATA code LED, ICAO code ULLI) that’s located just 19 km from the city center (Nevsky prospect) and 9 km from the nearest subway station Moskovskaya. Currently, it runs one terminal serving both international and domestic routes.
Address: Pulkovskoe shosse (road), 41, lit. ZA. The address in Russian: Пулковское шоссе, 41, литера ЗА.
About how to get to / from Pukovo read here.
Attention: till December 4, 2013, there had been two terminals in operation, Pulkovo-1, and Pulkovo-2. The former Pulkovo-1 is now a part of the new terminal, Pulkovo-2 is closed. Many guides, unfortunately, contain information on Pulkovo Terminals 1 and 2, as if they are still in operation though it’s out of time.
St. Petersburg Airport Pulkovo. Arrivals / Departures
Arrivals / departures timetable is on the front page of the Pulkovo’s website http://www.pulkovoairport.ru/en/.
Inquiries: +7 812 337 38 22, + 7 812 337 34 44
Arrivals are on the ground floor with two exits for passengers. The left-sided exit is for passengers of domestic routes (including ex-Soviet countries, members of CIS, i. e. Ukraine, Belarus, etc.), the right-sided one for international lines.
Departures are on the 2nd floor with almost 400 check-in desks. To find your desk use the information on screens throughout the terminal. You can also check-in online: http://www.pulkovoairport.ru/en/passengers/check-in/online/
Note that buses №39 and №39Э (Express) deliver you from the city to the doors of the second floor (departures).
For information contact two dedicated desks on the ground floor, opposite the exits.
Pulkovo airport interior
Facilities At The Pulkovo Airport
Eateries: McDonald’s, Il Patio (Italian restaurant, 24h), both on the ground floor.
Coffee shops: Starbucks (24h, ground floor), Puro Gusto (24h, first floor).
Pub: Irish pub O’Reina
Shops: Stop Express, Miledy Aero (flowers), Vine and Sweets, Hudson, Good news (in Russian Хорошие новости), where you can purchase newspapers, magazines, souvenirs, soft drinks.
Pharmacy: two outlets of the Health people (in Russian it reads Здоровые люди) chain (on the ground and second floor).
Banks: VTB24 (ground floor), cash machines throughout the terminal (Sberbank, Raiffeisen, bank St. Petersburg).
As well: car rental, flowers, baggage storage, Russian Orthodox chapel, mother and child room, lost and found (in the right side of the terminal, ground floor).
Hotel at the airport: Park Inn by Radisson Pulkovo Airport St. Petersburg.
There is a capsule hotel named Aerospace, opened in December 2018. It’s located on the second floor near the Puro Gusto cafe. There are 13 capsules with TV, Wi-Fi, mirror, king-size bed, and shared bath facilities. 200 rubles per hour in the daytime, 400 rubles per hour at night.
There are seven hotels near the airport.
Baggage wrapping costs 300 roubles, available at the ground and second floor. It’s advised you get your luggage packed inside the terminal, not outside of the airport as your packed baggage may be opened and searched at control.
Pulkovo is a totally non-smoking area. The smoking area is located 15 meters away from the doors of the ground floor, a special sign will help you find the spot, just near the stop of transport.
Access to a broadband wireless Internet connection is provided for free but doesn’t work well.
Parking at Pulkovo airport: http://www.pulkovoairport.ru/en/transport/car/
Where To Recharge Your Mobile / iPad / Notebook
It’s a big problem to find in Pulkovo a free socket to charge your gadget. On the first floor, there are two stands with four sockets each. As well there is a coffee shop Puro Gusto where some seats are located near sockets. After the passenger control, you can also find a few stands in the waiting rooms.
Private transfer is the best option in case you travel with children or friends and you have a lot of luggage. Book it online in advance and choose a car class you need. KiwiTaxi provides 11 car classes from Economy for 4 passengers to Minibus for 19 passengers. If you are traveling with children you can order a child seat or booster. The driver will meet you with the nameplate upon arrival of your flight. He will help you with the luggage and drop you off at the hotel with comfort.
Awards Of St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport
As a newly-build venue, the airport won a few considerable awards from Airport Service Quality based on passengers’ evaluations:
2020: Best European Airport 15 – 25 million passengers;
2019: Best European Airport 15 – 25 million passengers;
2015: Best European Airport 5 – 15 million passengers;
2014: Best Improvement in Europe.
By the way, watch a video of one day of Pulkovo’s life:
