The St. Petersburg’s only airport Pulkovo is located south of the city, about 20 km from the city center (Nevsky avenue, Dvortsovaya square) and 9 km from the nearest Moskovskaya subway station, a point to which lead all public and commercial transport routes from the airport.
This page has been UPDATED on January 4, 2020.
Transport To / From Pulkovo: In Short
There are four options for reaching the airport:
— by private car;
— by taxi;
— by city public bus;
— by commercial minibus (marshrutka).
There is no rail, aviaexpress or other modes of transport connection. Buses run between 6am-24pm. There are no night transport services, at night you can use a taxi only.
Buses №39 run between Pulkovo and Moskovskaya every 10-15 minutes; bus №39Э (express) runs at a bit longer intervals, but during a shorter time as it doesn’t stop on intermediate stopovers.
Commercial minibuses K-39 run every 10 minutes between Pulkovo and Moskovskaya.
Travel time is 20-25 minutes.
Fare:
— for buses №39 and №39Э and minibuses K-39 is 50 rubles (and the same fare for luggage);
— taxi to the Moskovskaya subway station is about 650 rubles.
From Moskovskaya, you can take subway or other buses/minibuses bound to the city’s center and other districts.
Read also our post on St. Petersburg Pulkovo airport.
You can easily book a transfer online through an international aggregator which secures your payment in your currency and a seat and ensures a safe deal:
Transport To / From Pulkovo: In Detail
1. How to get from the Pulkovo airport to St. Petersburg
Pulkovo airport runs only one terminal that serves both domestic and international routes. After getting out of the arrivals hall (on the ground floor), you appear just at a bus stop from where buses №39, №39Э (express) and K-39 depart to the city.
After a 20-25-minute journey you arrive at a bus stop just near the entrance to the Moskovskaya subway station. Taking a subway, you can get to almost any point within the city.
At this stop you can also take the following land routes:
— K-11 to the Lomonosovskaya, Ploterarskaya subway stations;
— №3 (attention, not K-3!) to the Moskovsky (Moscow) railway station, Vosstanya square, Nevsky avenue;
— K-3 and K-213 to the Sennaya square;
— K-350 to the Vasilievsky island through the Sennaya square;
— №180 to the town of Pushkin.
Travel time from Moskovskaya to the city center, the Nevsky avenue, by subway is just 15 minutes.
Beware of the difference between №3 and K-3 routes. №3 is a public bus, and K-3 is a commercial line (a bit more expensive), their routes are different. For more information on the transport system of Saint Petersburg see our post here.
From the Moskovskaya square, which’s located 300 meters away from Moskovskaya subway station in the direction to the city center, commercial buses depart to the towns of Pushkin, Pavlovsk, and Gatchina.
Useful tips regarding travel from Pulkovo airport to St. Petersburg
If you have a lot of baggage you’d better take a public №39 bus or №39Э since they provide more space for your things (as you can see on the photo above), and travel times of a public bus and a commercial minibus K-39 doesn’t differ that much.
You’re not permitted to pay in dollars or euro or any other currency except the Russian ruble, neither credit cards are being accepted, so it’s necessary to exchange money at the airport. You can do it at a VTB24 bank outlet on the ground floor.
In most cases, your fastest way to your destination within the city is the subway. More information on how subway in St. Petersburg works you can see here.
2. How to get to Pulkovo airport from the city
Buses №39, №39A (express), and K-39 depart to the Pulkovo airport from Moskovskaya subway station. Please, beware that there are four exits from the station, and you need only one.
The stops of all the routes are located near the building of a McDonald’s between the buildings at the Moskovsky prospect №195 and №197 (see the map and the photo below).
The stops of both routes are located near the building of McDonald’s
You can see bus №39 in front of 197, Moskovsky avenue, near the restaurant of McDonald`s
The stop of the K-39 minibus near the station’s exit, the McDonald’s restaurant is right behind you
Finding this, if you travel to Moskovskaya by subway, isn’t difficult, but you need some guidance, of course.
Once you’ve got out of the metro train, follow the arrow at the wall (see the picture below).
You have to choose the exit toward Tipanova street
Having got through the turnstiles, you go until the end of the tunnel and get left to the stop.
Useful tip. The road to Pulkovo is rarely being congested, but anyway you’d better start from Moskovskaya two hours before your departure given the necessity to pass through security and customs control.
3. Taxi To / From Pulkovo Airport
If you arrive, it’s highly recommended to book a taxi by phone and not to accept the services of taxi drivers waiting for clients near the exit and at the bus stops outside the terminal. They are likely to offer you inflated prices. Some of them can carry signs of an official taxi (in fact, it’s not). The airport Pulkovo does have its own taxi service, but the city of St. Petersburg doesn’t. There are no «official», «municipal», «state», «city» taxis, these are private companies only which operate in the city.
The fare from Pulkovo to Moskovskaya is about 650 rubles, to the Nevsky avenue is 1050 to 1200 rubles. Many taxis in St. Petersburg accept credit cards, but unfortunately few have English-speaking drivers. About taxi system in St. Petersburg read our article here. If you need a hotel near Pulkovo airport read this post.
And if you want to know about REAL taxi fares to/from Pulkovo airport you have to read this article.
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.