Moscow Travel Guide

Moscow, Russia — Travel Tips

Getting There By Air

Sheremetyevo International (SVO)
Tel: (495) 232 6565.
Website: www.sheremetyevo-airport.ru

Located 30km (19 miles) from Moscow, Sheremetyevo is the busiest of Moscow's four airports (the other airports are Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Bykovo). There are two terminals and most flights serving destinations outside the former Soviet Union, land or take off from here.

Airport facilities: The terminals have banks, bureau de change, a post office with fax and e-mail services, newsagents, a pharmacy, left-luggage, first-aid facilities, duty-free shops, and a limited number of quite expensive restaurants, bars, and cafes. Car hire is available from Avis and Europcar.

Transport to the city: Most hotels will pick up their guests in a courtesy van for a fee. Taxis are probably the next simplest and safest way to get to the city, although they are expensive. It is a good idea to book in advance because fares arranged on arrival can be twice as expensive. Krasnaya Gorka Taxis (tel: (495) 454 6291/7201) operates a taxi service from the airport.

To reach Moscow by public transport, take minibus 851 to Rechnoy Vokzal metro station, then the Metro to the city center (journey times - 45 minutes by bus, then 30 minutes by Metro to the center). Alternatively, take bus 817 to the Planernaya metro station.

Aeroexpress trains now connect directly Sheremetyevo Airport to Belorussky Railway Station.

Domodedovo International Airport
Tel: (495) 933 6666.
Website: www.domodedovo.ru

The privately-owned Domodedovo Airport, located 34km (21 miles) south of Moscow, receives flights from Western Europe, America, the Middle East and several destinations in Asia.

Airport facilities: The terminal has banks, ATMs, bureau de change facilities, a post office, Internet kiosks, information desks and travel center, several restaurants, bars and coffee shops, shops and duty-free, a business center, VIP lounges and conference rooms available for hire and short and long term parking. Car hire is available from Europcar, Hertz and Sixt by advance bookings only.

Transport to the city: A fast and efficient rail service runs between Domodedovo and Paveletsky Vokzal railway station, just south of the river in central Moscow. The high-speed Aeroexpress train runs every half hour in both directions (journey time - 40-50 minutes). A number of airlines provide their passengers with free tickets to the Aeroexpress train. Alternatively, you can take the Modern Scania express bus from the airport to Domodedovskaya Metro station (journey time - 30 minutes). Tickets can be purchased the Russian airlines hall. Taxis to the center (journey time - 1hour 30 minutes) are best booked in advance from Gorodskoe Taxi (tel: 500 0500) or on arrival at one of the taxi desks in the arrivals terminal.

Approximate flight times to Moscow: From London is 3 hours 30 minutes; from Munich is 4 hours; New York is 9 hours; from Los Angeles is 12 hours; and from Sydney is 20 hours.

Getting There By Road

The road network around Moscow is good, but the condition of highways deteriorates away from the main intercity routes. The government has created several tourist routes with road signs in Latin script; elsewhere, it is necessary to read names in Cyrillic. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum age for driving in Russia is 18. Speed limits are 60kph (37mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (55mph) outside of built-up areas and 100kph (62mph) on motorways. All cars must carry a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher and an emergency triangle or red light. Filling stations can be far apart and so it is wise for drivers to carry spare petrol. To drive in Moscow, foreign drivers need an International Driving Permit or a national driving license with an authorized translation. Visitors traveling in their own cars must carry an itinerary card, petrol vouchers purchased at the border and a Customs form guaranteeing that the car will be taken out of the Russian Federation on departure. Motor insurance for travel within the Russian Federation should be arranged prior to departure or upon entry to the Russian Federation. The Russian Embassy or a specialist tour operator can provide foreign drivers with further details.

Emergency breakdown services
GAI (tel: (495) 923 5373).

Routes to the city
The Moskovskaya Koltsevaya Avtomobilnaya Doroga (Moscow Ring Road) surrounds Moscow, linking roads from Minsk (M1), Kiev (M2), Nizhny Novgorod (M7), Riga (M9) and St Petersburg (M10).

Driving times to the city
From Nizhny Novgorod - 7 hours 15 minutes; St Petersburg - 12 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services
There are long-distance buses to many cities around Moscow but trains are usually a better choice. The Central Bus Station (tel: (495) 468 0400/4370) is located by the Shcholkovskaya metro station in the eastern suburbs of the city.

Getting There By Rail

State-owned Russian Railways (tel: (495) 262 1280; http://eng.rzd.ru) is a model of efficiency but the bureaucracy can be daunting. Timetable information in English is available from their website.

Rail Services
Moscow has nine railway terminals arranged in a ring around the city center that serve various destinations in the Russian Federation and beyond. The railway stations most likely to be used by visitors to Moscow are Belorussky, Kievsky and Leningradsky vokzal, or Yaroslavsky vokzal for Trans-Siberian trains. Kupeny (second class) service is usually perfectly comfortable. Compartments have four berths, the linen is clean and each carriage has a provodnik (attendant) who can provide tea and snacks. Spalny vagon (first class) seats in two-berth compartments cost twice as much. Tickets can be purchased at stations or from the downtown offices of the Moscow Rail Passenger Agency. Bookings may also be made online at http://rzd.ru but currently only in Russian. For more information on Russian trains, see www.seat61.com/Russia-trains.htm.

Rail Operators
Trains and stations around Moscow are operated by the Moscow Railways Agency (tel: (495) 266 9333; www.mza.ru, in Russian only).

Connections
Due to the vast distances involved, most rail journeys made in Russia tend to be on night trains. Travel between Moscow and St Petersburg takes between six and nine hours. From Helsinki, it takes 14 hours.

Getting Around in Moscow, Russia

Public Transport

The easiest way to get around Moscow is using the efficient but often crowded Metro system (http://engl.mosmetro.ru). Entrances are marked by a large 'M' and services leave regularly throughout the day. Stations often have multiple names - one for each line that intersects at that point. Buying a card for 10 trips affords a small discount. Monthly passes are also available. Moscow also has an extensive network of buses, trolleybuses and trams, run by Moscow City Transport (tel: (495) 233 3995). These can be unpleasantly crowded during rush hour. Bilyeti (tickets) may be purchased from kiosks or directly from the driver at a slight premium. Unified City Transport Passes, available from metro stations and kiosks, are valid on buses, trams and metro.

Taxis

Official taxis are yellow with a 'T' sign. These have a sealed meter and a printed fare table on display, but drivers may insist on a negotiated fare. Tipping is not expected. Reliable taxi firms in Moscow include AllTaxi (tel: (495) 504 3010) and Taxi-Maxim (tel: (495) 231 2222). Moscow also has an extensive network of marshrutka (minibuses) that follow set routes and can be flagged down at bus stops.

Driving in the City

Driving in Moscow is difficult and rush hour traffic jams are common. Trumped-up fines requested by traffic police are another good reason to avoid driving in Moscow. For those that do, guarded car parks are safer as theft is common - many of the larger hotels offer this facility to non-guests.

Car Hire

Car hire is expensive in Moscow. Some firms will only hire out cars with a driver. International firms represented in Moscow include Avis, Komsomolskaya ploschad 3 (tel: (925) 046 9949: www.avis.com) and Europcar, Voznesensky pereulok 7 (tel: (495) 937 3082; www.europcar.com). Drivers must be at least 21 years old and have one year of driving experience.