When I told my friends and family that I was going to Russia, some people thought I was going to die or worse…
St. Petersburg (and Russia for that matter) is not safe!
Overall, I’m glad I came to Russia, even though the visa process was long and expensive.
I’m kind of a weird person. The less people want to travel somewhere, the more I want to go there. Reverse psychology or something, right?
Anyways, I’ve had a blast in St. Petersburg so far (my first stop in a 3 month journey across Russia).
So in this blog post, I want to talk about how safe is St. Petersburg Russia for Americans
Why is Russia dangerous?
So far I’ve heard a ton of reasons why Russia is dangerous from friends and family.
One reason they think it’s dangerous is because Russians are a bit “racist” and don’t like people of color (which I am).
But overall, I haven’t really seen anything like that or any racial crimes (petty or not).
Another reason they think Russia is dangerous is because of the political situation and government propaganda against the “west”.
I think this is an interesting observation. I’ve been in St. Petersburg for about a week or so now. And I haven’t noticed too much government propaganda yet.
I mean when I was in Cuba, I saw it pretty much everywhere. You couldn’t walk anywhere without a mention of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro!
Now THAT was government propaganda.
And one of the more interesting things about the political climate is that Americans are the ONLY country that Russia issues a 3 year tourist visa for.
Finally, people think that Russia is corrupt. So far, I have my thoughts about corruption in Russia, but I’ll discuss it later in this blog post.
The point is, I think many of the perceived dangers about St. Petersburg and Russia in general are overblown by a wide margin.
So, just how Safe is St. Petersburg Russia for Americans? I think the safety level is comparable to a large U.S. City for a number of reasons.
St. Petersburg is very safe in the summer!
Overall, I think St. Petersburg is incredibly safe in the summer for several reasons.
First of all, during summer (especially in June), the city experiences something called “white nights.”
Because the city is so close to the arctic, the sun never quite fully sets. In other words, it never gets pitch dark.
The sun sets around 10:30 or 11:00 PM, but it only turns into a nice dark blue color (my favorite color for the sky). And then the sun rises at around 3 AM.
Pretty cool, right?
Further, every street is chock full of headlights.
As a result, you’ll never walk in the dark in the summer – which adds to your safety in my humble opinion.
I’ve been out in St. Petersburg as late as 3 AM and I’ve never had an issue with anyone harassing me.
I suspect the situation in the winter is very similar (expect the White Nights) – the streets all have lamps and lights so you’ll never be walking in the dark.
Corruption – big safety issue in St. Petersburg?
Russia is considered to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world at number 1.
Meanwhile, Russia is #138 of 180 ranked countries! In fact, the list has Russia below places like Bolivia!
Overall, I have no doubt that Russia is a corrupt country (like many developing countries are).
However, I believe that most of the corruption is at higher levels within the government and business to business dealings (between Oligarchs).
I haven’t seen much corruption when it comes to targeting tourists.
In Mexico (especially tourist places like Cancun), you will typically see cops targeting tourists driving with fake “speeding tickets.”
But I haven’t seen or experienced anything like this in St. Petersburg so far.
How is the petty crime in St. Petersburg?
Overall, I haven’t noticed much petty crime at all in St. Petersburg.
There are likely pick pockets within the city, but I haven’t traveled with a backpack outside. Further, I keep all of my important items in my front pockets, so it’s harder for them to steal something.
But I haven’t noticed much petty crime in St. Petersburg. No purse snatchings, no pick pocketers, or anything of the sort.
Asking for directions in St. Peter
Despite what people think, Russians are not “super rude.”
In fact, a few of them helped me when I needed to find a location.
On one of the days I was in Piter, I wanted to attend a hot yoga class. I thought my GPS was screwing up, because I couldn’t find the place!
The map said it was in between a Cuban restaurant and an Irish pub. However, I didn’t see the sign at all.
Anyways, I went into another building next door to try and see if it was there.
I saw a security officer there decided to ask him for help. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak any English at all, but was able to help me find the location.
So Russians are not as “cold” as the stereotype suggests!
Homeless population in Saint Petersburg
One of the things I noticed a few days after I arrived in St. Petersburg was that I had not even seen ONE homeless person.
Like where are they? Usually in a city as big as this (7 million) you’d see a ton of them.
I mean you can’t walk around downtown San Francisco, LA, or Seattle without bumping into one.
Well, I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I talked to a local I went to a museum with one day and she said the city cleaned up the streets for the busy summer tourist season.
When she said “clean up” I thought she meant they were “killed” to be honest. But they are just rounded up to homeless centers to not bother tourists.
Anyways, in the summer (at least), the homeless population is pretty much non-exist for tourists’ eyes.
Common safety tips
Obviously, all big cities have their dangers.
But if you take common sense precautions, you will not have any trouble at all.
First of all, never leave your stuff in public unguarded. You don’t want to take a chance for your stuff to get stolen.
Second, keep all of your belongings in your front pockets. Don’t keep your wallet in your back pocket as it’ll make it easier for pick pocketers to steal your stuff.
And finally, don’t be crazy. I know it sounds weird, but just don’t do anything crazy. Don’t get into fights, don’t yell at anyone.
If you follow these tips you’ll be able to enjoy the best of what Saint Petersburg has to offer without any problems at all!
Men vs. women – in St. Petersburg Russia
So far, this post has been from the point of view of me (a man). However, obviously traveling as a woman is a little different.
I haven’t noticed any other female travelers being harassed at all. In a big modern city like St. Petersburg, life is pretty much like the states to be honest.
Other than the language and some cultural differences, it’s not too different than a big city like New York.
I would say women (especially solo travelers) have nothing to fear about coming to St. Petersburg, Russia!
How Safe is St. Petersbug Russia – Final Thoughts
Overall, St. Petersburg Russia is a pretty safe place to travel.
There are generally low levels of crime (similar to large U.S. cities). Plus, all of the streets are well maintained with lighting at night.
Further, there’s not much of a homeless population here (at least in the summer) and if you get lost, people will generally help you with directions.
So if you’re interested in visiting the great city that Peter the Great founded, you have no