'''Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky''' (Russian: ''_P_u_________p_r_|___r___{-_K_p_}___p_____{_y_z'') is the capital and largest city on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and the second largest city in the world that is unreachable by road. It is a port city on the Avacha Bay and surrounded by high, snow-capped mountains and volcanoes such that one cannot see the horizon from any point in the city. This city of roughly 200,000 residents is the principal entry point for travelers visiting the peninsula and has a well-built tourist infrastructure to cater to tourists who wish to do anything from wildlife viewing to bear hunting to paragliding.

Get in

By plane

The small '''Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky''' airport is 16 km from city border in Yelizovo. Most visitors arrive on the Aeroflot flight from Moscow, but S7 offers a 3-hour flight from Vladivostok (10,000 RUB, round-trip). There is also a regular connection to Khabarovsk. The Aeroflot flight is on an IL-96.

Bus #113 goes from the airport to the city center for 25 RUR; a taxi would cost about 500 RUR ($20).

By road

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the second largest city in the world that is unreachable by road. 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. There are also cheap buses and minbuses operating fixed routes throughout the city.

See

  • '''Lenin Square''' — the center of town is based around a statue of Lenin, nearby is a statue of Jean Francois de la Perouse who lead a round-the-world expedition which sank in 1787 en route to Japan from Petropavlovsk.
  • '''Nikolskaya hill''' — excellent views of the city and bay as well as the "Monument of Glory" erected in 1882 in honor of the heroic defense of the city, outnumbered 3-to-1, against the British/French during the Crimean War in 1854.
  • '''Vitus Bering monument''' ? the oldest monument in Russia's Far East, built sometime between 1823-26 in honor of Bering, who founded the city
  • '''Charles Clark monument''' ? erected by the British in 1913 in honor of Cpt. Clark who died shortly after departing Petropavolovsk during a round-the-world voyage in 1779.
  • '''Monument to Lt. A. Maksutov's Battery''' ? a reconstruction of the 1854 battery which was the most crucial in the defeat of the Anglo-French siege
  • Do

  • '''Museum of Regional Studies''' open Wed-Sun 10-1 & 2-8, this museum focuses on the native peoples of Kamchatka, the history of Russians on Kamchatka, and the native flora & fauna.
  • '''Museum of Volcanoes''' has a large collection of rock/mineral samples from volcanoes around the world as well as lots of stock footage of volcanic eruptions.
  • Gamble at the Casino inside Hotel Avacha
  • Take a boat out on the Avacha Bay for great views, fishing, and whale-watching
  • Go bowling at the Hotel Petropavlovsk
  • Buy

  • <listing name="Rossiiskaya Bookstore" address="2 Tushkanova St." phone="" email="" fax="" hours="" price="" url="">A good place to stock up on area maps</listing>
  • Eat

    Drink

    Sleep

  • Heiser Hotel. 0 Toporkova St.. 7 4152 58595. A budget Soviet hotel, which is not terribly pleasant, but offers single rooms for 200 RUR
  • Hotel Avacha. 1 Leningradskaya St.. 7 4152 410808. Three stars and probably the best choice after the Hotel Petropavlovsk. Rooms are below western standards, but the hotel has a central location.
  • Hotel Petropavlovsk. 1a Karl Marx Ave.. 7 4152 50374. ttp://www.petropavlovsk-hotel.ru. The city's "premiere" three star hotel is slightly less centrally located then the Avacha, but has a better restaurant and amenities. Regardless of whether you stay here, this is a good stop for its ATM machine. English-speaking staff

    Contact

  • <listing name="Internet Cafe Tete-a-tete" address="4 Lukashevskovo St." phone="+7 4152 110540" email="" fax="" hours="" price="60 RUR/hour" url=""></listing>
  • Get Out

    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 8:00am.