Last month, we visited Helsinki. In this edition, we are catching a bus to St Petersburg. From here, we will hop from one border to the next in a series of travel stories which sees the Sydney Observer team traverse the globe and take you along for the ride. Stay tuned next month for the latest installment.

After a week in Helsinki it was time to move once again. However, this time, I wasn't going to just another country — next stop was the mighty Russia!

I knew that the Finnish bus companies charged around 54 Euros for the ticket to St Petersburg, but I had heard from an American backpacker at my hostel that the cheapest way to go was by Russian-operated buses with tickets only costing 12 Euros.

The problem was, no one knew where to buy a ticket from. They had no office in the main bus station. Another backpacker — who had just come by the same bus from St Petersburg — told me where the bus stopped in the morning to let off passengers, just down the road from the main bus terminal.

The next morning, I waited for that bus on a freezing December morning, and right on time, at 7am it rolled in. I paid my 12 Euros to the driver and made arrangements to meet the bus at 9pm.

The bus ride was great. It was clean and comfortable and the driver was so friendly. He seemed to know most of the passengers. They were frequent travellers to Helsinki. Many Russians go to Helsinki for shopping holidays.

We arrived in St Petersburg at 7am. I spotted almost all the major buildings, monuments and bridges during the 30-minute drive from the city gates to the centre of the city.

It takes only a few minutes to realise that you are in a majestic city. The bus makes many stops at different major metro stops and hotels. The last stop is Ploshchad Vosstaniya (Revolution Square).

The best way to enjoy 'Piter' — as it's affectionately known to its inhabitants — is on foot.

A view from the River Neva: Peter and Paul Fortress next to Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral 1712—33.  Architect Domenico Trezzini

St Petersburg is the most European of all Russian cities, however, the Soviet heritage is still very present.

The city's metro network is a monument to Soviet excellence. Each station is decorated with amazing statues and paintings celebrating Russian writers, artists and scientists.

The metro is cheap (for tourists). One ticket costs 10 Roubles (about 50 cents). Buy a ticket and see as many stations as you can.

No visitor should miss the gigantic Hermitage Museum. It takes a full day just to walk through all its floors.

All visitors need to obtain tourist visas for which an official invitation is required.