Russia With an English Accent

Finding a friendly place to stay where the staff speaks English can be a big relief, especially in Russia. In St. Petersburg, a youth hostel that fits that bill is the joint project of Hostelling International and Russian Youth Hostels.

The St. Petersburg International Hostel (3rd Sovetskaya Ulitsa, 28, St. Petersburg, 193036, Russia) is in a renovated 19th century building with high ceilings and modern facilities. It is a five-minute walk from the central metro train station. The doors are open 24 hours a day, and it features a cybercafe (you can send and receive e-mail from home), nightly movies, a library, kiosk and travel store.

The hostel’s travel service, Sinbad Travel, can assist with air and rail tickets (including the Trans Siberian Express), city tours, excursions, ballet and theater tickets, and with booking beds at other hostels in Russia, the Baltic countries and many gateway cities worldwide.

Rooms are shared by three to five travelers. The nightly bed rate is $19 March 1 to Oct. 31 and $15 Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. Members of Hostelling International receive a $2 to $3 reduction. Nightly fees include breakfast.

You can also contact the St. Petersburg International Hostel via Finnish Post at P.O. Box 8, SF-53501, Lappeeranta, Finland.

When you are in Europe, these youth travel offices will make reservations for beds at the St. Petersburg International Hostel include:

YHA Travel Store, 14 Southampton St., London, England;

DJH-German YHA Berlin-Brandenburg Office, Templehofer Ufer 32, Berlin, Germany;

Eurohostel Linnankatu 9, Helsinki, SRM--Finnish YHA, Yrjonkatu 38 B. Helsinki, Finland;

Karol YHA Travel, Lembitu 4, Tallin, Estonia;

and Lithuanian YHA at Kouno 1-A, 407, Vilnius, Lithuania.

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The British Tourist Authority has announced that England’s Hadrian’s Wall Bus will be extending its summer season, this year until Sept. 28. This is the only public transportation service to the best-preserved sections of the famous Roman wall, which was built in the 1st century. The bus calls at three youth hostels and all main attractions, museums and visitor centers.

Hadrian’s Wall was built across the narrow neck of northern England by Roman legions. The 73-mile barrier was begun in AD 122 and took six years to complete. Sections of the wall, including castles, forts and turrets, have survived.

The Hadrian’s Wall Bus is offering a direct service for the first time from Newcastle on the east coast. The three youth hostels in the area are: Once Brewed (about three miles from Housesteads Fort and Museum and one mile from Vindolanda Fort and Museum), Greenhead (one mile from the Roman Army Museum at Walltown) and Acomb (about two miles south of the wall).

The bus service is also suitable for walkers who are looking for a comfortable ride back to base at the end of the day. You can pick up bus leaflets at local tourist information centers or from Northumberland National Park, Eastburn, South Park, Hexam NE46 1BS. Hadrian’s Wall lies along the southern border of Northumberland National Park.

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Here’s a new source for locating cybercafes where you’ll be able to send and receive e-mail from home. The https://www.netcafeguide.com/ site lists about 1,000 cafes in 64 countries.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com