I would call a taxi dispatcher and get a quote, it is usually 1/2 the price of getting a taxi from the street. There are lots of them but the ones I use, because their numbers are easy to remember, are 6-000-000 or 7-000-000 It will be less than 600 Rubles.

I've never had a problem with taxis, who told you taxi companies are not reputable?

River and canal cruise boats leave when the weather turns cold so they did not leave until mid January the last two years. All the museums are open normal hours during the fall and winter but the fountains of Peterhof are shut down in mid-October

Thank you for the info on St. Peterburg's Taxis going to Pulkova Int'l. Airport. Good to hear that many of the St. Petersburg sights will be still open when I am over there in mid October. Re: my remarks about the Taxis not having a good reputation in St. Petersburg...this is just info I picked up from a couple that were in St. Petersburg 3 years ago consequently this gave me cause for concern. Your info was great and once agin thank you very much.

Hi Snowcrow

There are a few rules for taxis that will prevent over charging. The companies tend to be pretty honest and straight but the individual drivers are often looking out for people who do not know the value of a ride.

If you have 10-20 minutes lead time, order a taxi from the dispatch services. they will quote an exact price and give a description of the car, license # and color and when it will arrive. If you stand out on the curb with bags, it is likely that other taxis or even private cars will stop. That is why the description is important to get the right one.

This rate will be rather reasonable.

Taxis on the street work with one rule that catches unsuspecting visitors. If the price is not set before getting in, they can charge ANYTHING they want and some will. The expected method of negotiation with taxis is from outside the car. When an accepted price is agreed on, get in. They will honor that price. From the street, the price will be double what a dispatched taxi will cost.

Opening the passenger side front door is best to negotiate. Some have their meter turned on, few, but when you ask for a quote and they point to the meter and it is on, you are in luck, they will go by the meter price and it will be reasonable even without negotiating. Only about 10% have their meters turned on and that goes to 1% after the metro closes at 00:30 in the morning.

Getting a taxi on a side street, or away from major hotels will lower the price. A counter offer is expected so start low, if they will not cooperate and lower to your range, forget them, there are many others within the block. An interesting aside, the newer and cleaner the car, the more likely the meter will be on or that the driver is willing to take a reasonable fare. Old Volga's parked in clusters along major streets are often hard to deal with and they are willing to sit all night without fares waiting for the one desperate sucker who will pay anything. The shiny newer cars are driven by younger drivers who know that keeping the taxi in use with passengers, even for a lower fee, makes a lot more over a full day period than waiting all night for a big kill. A good example of the difference between the Soviet vs. Modern Russian mind set. Shops, stores and services are easy to spot as to the mind set of the owner, and therefore employees is evident in the customer service. And how many shoppers there are in the stores or services.