Ok I'm leaving for St. Petersburg in about 2.5 weeks and I'm going to be there until December. If anyone's been there in the winter, I was just wondering if there's anything specific I should take that I might not normally think of... thankssss

When I was growing up we had Russian exchange student from Saratov, slightly south of Moscow. He told me that in the winter (I forget where, maybe he was talking about St. Petersberg) he could spit and it would be frozen before it hit the sidewalk. I didnt believe him, but on a trip to Russia my dad tried it and said he was right. Brrr. I guess if you dont pack warmly enough you can buy something, but I would say... dress like a polar bear.

heh im hoping to get to st petersburg for a few days mid oct, do you fancy a mini tpunk meet up? and if you fancy travelling to budapest id be more than happy to show you the sights

that would be fun... i don't know if i have a re-entry visa, however, so i don't know about going to budapest. i was thinking about going there in dec-jan, though.

We live a little south of St. Petersburg, in Vilnius. The winters kind of fluctuate between bitter and mind-numbingly, soul-destroyingly cold (and I'm a Canadian) though in truth, it doesn't get really wintry until January, usually. That said, it snowed here last October. You can probably count on temps hovering just below freezing (maybe down to -10 or even -15 C.) but maybe not too much colder. I don't know whether it's sunny there in the winter - here it's mostly grey, but not too snowy, in Kiev and Moscow it's often gloriously clear but when your eyes are frozen shut, that beauty is lost...

Basically, there is a reason that people here wear fur. Lots of it. So if you are affiliated with PETA, don't come. We are surviving with multiple layers of polar fleece, wool and good winter parkas, fleece lined jeans are the greatest invention yet, I think. Above all, keep your extremities warm, with the best boots you can find (we've got Sorels), a really good hat with some cover for your ears, scarf and mittens. You can buy fur or sheepskin ones in the markets in Vilnius, I imagine St. Petersburg is similar.

i am heading to Moscow on December 11th, was wondering if you have any tips about travelling in Russia, or what to bring. did you stay in hostels?