Checkout is at noon, the train leaves at ten in the evening, and in between you have ten hours and a suitcase. Museums in St Petersburg will not take large luggage in the cloakroom, so the bag has to go somewhere before you start sightseeing. Here is what it actually costs.
Lockers at the railway terminals
All five terminals have automatic lockers, open 24 hours. At Moskovsky, Ladozhsky, Vitebsky and Baltiysky the tariff is identical: a standard locker (600 × 500 × 800 mm) costs 200 roubles for one hour, 500 for one to three hours, 800 for three to six, 950 for six to eight, 1,100 for eight to twelve and 1,200 roubles for a full day. A medium locker runs from 300 roubles an hour to 1,800 a day, and a large one, 1,800 mm tall, from 450 to 2,500.
Finlyandsky station is cheaper than the rest, which almost nobody knows: 150 roubles an hour and 900 roubles a day for the standard size, 1,200 for medium, 1,500 for the largest. If your day runs through the northern half of the centre, leave the bag there.
Locations differ, and signage is thin. Moskovsky keeps its lockers on the basement level, Ladozhsky in the long-distance concourse, Vitebsky on the second floor, Baltiysky on the first floor in the light hall, Finlyandsky in the central light hall.
The fifteen-minute rule
This one catches everyone. For the first fifteen minutes after payment you may open the locker as often as you like. After that, opening the door counts as ending the rental — you must take your things out and pay again. Move everything you will need during the day into a daypack before you shut the door. Overstaying is charged per started hour; forcing a locker open costs 500 roubles; abandoned luggage is stored at 820 roubles per calendar day.
