Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky



Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russian: Петропа́вловск-камча́тский, pee-truh-PAHV-luhvsk kahm-CHAHT-skee) is the capital and largest city on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. It is a port city on the Avacha Bay and surrounded by high, snow-capped mountains and volcanoes. This city of roughly 180,000 residents (2018) is the principal entry point for travelers visiting the peninsula, and has good tourist infrastructure, offering activities ranging from wildlife viewing to bear hunting to paragliding. Far afield, the city is geographically closer to San Francisco, California, across the Pacific Ocean, than to the capital, Moscow.

Climate
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky shares the same parallels as Manchester and Dublin, but is harsher climate-wise. In summer the daily temperatures happen to reach 25-30°C. Rains are frequent at daytime with mists that occur in evenings. Winters are mitigated by the sea and are much milder and snowier than the rest of Siberia. The end of January and beginning of February are frosty, often about -20 °C. The closest analogues in climate are Alaska's Anchorage and Juneau.

By plane
The only practical way to reach Kamchatka is the

Most visitors arrive on the Aeroflot flight from Moscow, but S7 offers a 3-hour flight from Vladivostok (₽10000). There is also a regular connection to Khabarovsk by SAT Airlines. The Aeroflot flight is on an A330, S7 and Vladivostok Air use A320s.

Other possible destinations include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk. Beginning in July 2012, service will begin to Anchorage on Vladivostok Air.

Bus #113 goes from the airport to the city centre; a taxi would cost about US$20.

By bus
Public transportation in Kamchatka is limited to buses. The main bus station is on Pobedy Prospect and offers daily services (in high season) to Esso, Oktyabrsky, Milkovo, and Ust-Kamchatsk. Be sure to get to the ticket office early in the morning. It opens at 08:00.

By road
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the second largest mainland city in the world that is unreachable by road from any other noticeable city, behind Iquitos in Peru. However, a handful of roads on the peninsula connect the city with its airport (in Yelizovo), and with the closed city of Vilyuchinsk.

Get around
Most things of interest within the city are located within a compact area that can be covered on foot. The central square Teatralnaya is a venue for all major city events. Out of the square are running up three main streets: Leninskaya, Sovetskaya and Partizanskaya. There are also cheap buses and minbuses operating fixed routes throughout the city, mostly along the main road (fare as at July 2011 was ₽16 flat fare, pay driver as you alight).

Events
On the first weekend of September the city hosts the Festival of Bard songs.

Other things to do

 * Take a boat out on the Avacha Bay for great views, fishing, and whale-watching
 * Go bowling at the Hotel Petropavlovsk
 * Go skating in covered rollerdrom at Toporkova st. (47-10-57), plus concert hall.
 * Mountain skiing at "Krasnaya Sopka" within reach of 25 min from Petropavlovsk hotel

Buy
Some shops accept credit cards, but acceptance is not widespread. Most Bankomats (ATMs) limit cash withdrawals to either ₽6000 or ₽10000. Some will levy a 2% fee in addition to whatever your own bank charges. As of July 2011 Rosbank, Gazprom Bank and Bank of Moscow did not levy a fee. The Bankomat at the airport has a ₽20000 limit, but charges 2%.



Wi-Fi
The list of pay wi-fi locations:


 * Hotel Edelweiss
 * Traktir 'Drova' cafe
 * Library of the Krai
 * Hotel 'Petropavlovsk'
 * Supermarket 'Detsky Mir'
 * Cafe 'Planeta Pizza'
 * Cafe 'Yolochka'
 * Cafe 'Kolibri'
 * Cafe 'Begemot'
 * Cafe 'Macgamburger'
 * Hotel 'Oktyabrskaya'
 * Kamchatka Expo center
 * Kamchatka State University

Go next

 * Esso, Oktyabrsky, Milkovo, and Ust-Kamchatsk