Banking and Currency Services

Today virtually all common banking operations can be achieved at one of St. Petersburg's 92 banks but don't count on any transaction being speedy and do expect various fees and form-signing along the way. Few banks have foreign-language staff working as tellers, though they usually have workers in the building who in a pinch can act as translators.

American Express has a full service office in the Grand Hotel Europe which sells cheques to cardholders, replaces lost or stolen cards, and provides information on local establishments that accept the American Express Card. A currency exchange booth handling cash and travellers cheques is located on the premises. Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7. Grand Hotel Europe. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt. Their travel agency accepts all major credit cards. Open 09:00- 17:00 Mon-Fri. Tel: 329 6060; Fax: 329 6061.

It is possible to receive money here by wire transfer through Western Union at the following centrally located banks as well as many others in less convenient locations:

Incombank: Nevsky Palace Arcade. Nevsky Prospekt 57. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt. Open 10:00-16:00 Mon-Sat. Tel: 113 1970.

Promstroibank (Industry and Construction Bank): Ulitsa Galernaya 24. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt then trolleybus 5 or 22 to Konnogvardeiskiy Bulvar. Open 10:00-17:00 (13:00-14:00) Mon-Fri. Tel: 312 4342.

St. Petersburg Bank: Ploshchad Ostrovskogo 7. Metro: Gostiny Dvor. Open 09:30-13:00 Mon- Fri. Tel: 119 6187.

The following are locations of some exchange booths that give cash advances on credit cards. There are many others along Nevsky Prospekt and around the city, and the practice is becoming more and more common.

Nevskij Palace Arcade: Nevsky Prospekt 57. Metro: Mayakovskaya. Open: 09:40-20:45 Mon- Sun.

Grand Hotel Europe (below Sadko's bar): Mikhailovskaya Ulitsa 1/7. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt. Open 24 hours.

Kalinka Stockmann: Finlandsky Prospekt 1. Metro: Ploshchad Lenina. Open: 9:00-22:00 (14:00-15:00;18:30-19:00) Mon-Sun.

DLT: Ulitsa Bolshaya Konnushennaya 21/23. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt. Open 10:00-20:30 (14:00-15:00) Mon-Sat; 11:00-16:45 (14:00- 15:00) Sun.

Automatic tellers are new to St. Petersburg. The following automatic tellers are located in the city center, with more undoubtedly to follow. Most auto- tellers can provide rubles or dollars; guess which currency they have usually run out of.

Hotel Astoria (Mostbank operated autoteller): Ulitsa Bolshaya Morskaya 39. Metro: Nevskij Prospekt .

Passage (Mostbank operated): Nevsky Prospekt 48. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt .

Central Telephone Office (Promstroibank operated): Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa 3 .

Inside Tekhnologichesky Institut Metro (Promstroibank operated).

Sadovaya 34 (at the entrance of Baltyisky Bank).

The following banks perform a wide variety of banking services for account holders and visitors alike:

Industry and Construction Bank (Promstroibank) has a wide array of currency services. Cash advances can be made on Visa Classic at branches of this bank or from the bank's automatic tellers. They also handle Western Union cash transfers from abroad, and visitors can rent safe desposit boxes. Main branch: Nevsky Prospekt 38 across the street from the Grand Hotel Europe. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt. Open 10:00-16:30 Mon-Fri. Tel: 110 4638.

Inkombank branches can open hard currency accounts, buy and sell travellers cheques and give cash advances against Visa, MasterCard and EuroCard. Main branch: Ulitsa Komsomola 41. Metro: Ploshad Lenina. Open 10:00-16:30 (13:00-14:00), 10:00-13:00 Sat . Tel: 541 8247.

Russian Savings Bank opens private hard currency accounts, sells Thomas Cook, Mastercard and American Express travellers cheques (1% surcharge) and buys American Express, Citicorp, Thomas Cook and Visa travellers cheques (3% surcharge). Branches of the bank give cash advances against Visa, MasterCard, and Eurocard. They also have safe deposit boxes in five locations. Main branch: Ulitsa Moskvinoi 7. Metro: Tehnologichesky Institut. Open 09:00-18:00. Tel: 251 1152.

St. Petersburg Bank does everything the others do. Main branch: Nevsky Prospekt 178. Metro: Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo. Open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Sat. Tel: 210 8612; Fax: 219 4386.