'Aqua buses' begin canal and river routes in St. Petersburg

'Aqua buses' began running routes today along the rivers and canals of Saint Petersburg. The holiday development and tourism committee told a Rosbalt correspondent that aqua buses will run four routes during business days and one weekend route along the Neva, Fontanka, Griboedov, Moika, and Kriukov waterways and include stops at Peter/Paul Fortress, Kunstkamera, Summer Garden, Michaelovsky Garden, Nikol'sky Cathedral, Palace Square, Bronze Horseman, and other architectural and historical monuments. The boats will also stop at a few hotels and metro stations in the city's historical center. Excursion guides will relate stories about the history and culture of Saint Petersburg during the entire route.

The cost of each route for one day, allowing multiple stops/boardings along the route, is 200 rubles. The cost to travel from one stop to another on a route is 30 rubles. There is also the option of taking all the routes in one day, the price for which is 350 rubles. Buses are planned to depart every half hour, and the time to complete one entire route without disembarking is 90 minutes. Aqua buses will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Participating in the project are 20 boats of various capacities that belong to the tour-excursion companies: Aqua-Ekskurs, Astra-Marin, Driver, Matisov Ostrov, Nord Soyuz, and Samson. All together the boats can carry a total of 2, 500 people.

The tourism and holiday development committee noted, 'water travel will allow Saint Petersburg's citizens and guests to travel problem-free to the major tourist attractions and places of interest in the northern capital.'