Travel Tips

Time difference

Time in Moscow is 3 hours ahead of GMT

Weather

Late spring is a standout season to visit Moscow, when the city’s parks are filled with flowering trees and the entire city is spruced up for the May holidays. The weather in May is relatively mild and temperatures rapidly start to rise averaging between 20°C / 68°F, although it may rain sometimes.

Customs

Russian customs laws are similar to those in many other countries. From time to time laws are changed, so make sure you are aware of the latest changes.
Here are some general rules. When you are on board, you are handed out a custom entry form for you to pass the passport checking in the airport.
It is necessary to claim all the money and capital assets you have with you. There are no limits for the amounts you are entering with, but please note, you can not leave Russia with more money than the declared at the border on the arrival date. Please, declare all the precious metals and stones (gold, silver, jewelry), or they can be withdrawn on your way back.
Before leaving make sure you have a stamp on your custom entry. It is obligatory in order to leave the country. Before departing you are to fill another similar custom entry, for a custom officer to compare it with the first one. Make sure you do not have more money than you claimed when entering Russia.
There are no fees for any personal belongings unless its money equivalent exceeds 1000 euro, or its total weight exceeds 50 kilos (45 lb).

Moving drugs

Individuals can import or export medicines in any quantity required for personal use.

Money, exchange

National currency in Russia – the Ruble. There are 5.000, 1.000, 500, 100 and 50 Ruble notes. All payments by cash and by a credit card in the country are made in Rubles. Exchange can be carried out in banks, and also in the exchange offices located in large shops.
On arriving it is necessary to exchange the currency, our shops and restaurants are forbidden to accept foreign currency by law. There are a lot of exchange offices around the town. Notes should be in a good shape; otherwise banks can refuse to exchange or apply lower rate of exchange.
You may be required to show your passport at the exchange booth. Do not exchange currency in the street! It is a good idea to keep exchange receipts. You can exchange currency in some hotels, restaurants and large stores as well.

Credit Cards

Credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard are accepted at most banks, hotels, restaurants and big department stores.
You will need rubles for regular stores and local transportation. It may be difficult to use your card out of the city.

Phone

Moscow telephone code – 495 or 499
For a call on an intercity it is necessary to dial 8 - city code – telephone number. For an international call it is necessary to dial 00 (an exit to an international telecommunication) - a telephone code of the country - a city code – telephone number.

Internet

There are plenty of Internet cafes and bars, scattered all over the city. Many cafés and restaurants are equipped with Wi-Fi.

Electricity

European-type AC outlets. Voltage is 220V

Shops, banks, museums hours

Shops, banks and museum hours can vary. The schedule of their work is usually displayed at the entrance. At weekends and holidays the establishments work by the shortened schedule. The majority of museums are open from 10.30 to 18.00 without interruption. Day off - Monday.

Public transport

Public transport is pretty cheap in Moscow, and you can get around by metro (subway), bus, tram, taxi. The most popular and convenient method of travel is metro. You can buy tickets for various number of trips - from 1 to 60. Once you have purchased your ticket you go through the turnstiles and then down to the platform. Metro trains arrive around every 2 minutes during peak times and the time gap between trains extends to about 5-10 minutes late at night. Some of the best known metro stations are works of art themselves. Among them are Komsomolskaya - with its chandeliers, Kievskaya, with its beautiful artwork, and Mayakovskaya, with its marble decor and mosaics on the ceiling.
Moscow Metro working hours: 05:30 AM – 01:00 PM
Other transport means include trams and buses. You can normally buy tickets in advance, at metro stations and kiosks (ticket price approximately 0,60 Euro). Some metro stations do not sell them however and it is best to try kiosks adjacent to bus stops and ask for “avtoboos bilyet”. Besides, these tickets can be bought from the driver for a couple of rubles more.
Finally, a popular and easy way to travel around Moscow is to get a taxi. There are plenty of companies providing taxi services in the city, and you can always order a car by telephone or to catch it in the street when necessary. Uber and Gett are also popular and have a big amount of free cars.

Moscow metro map & hotel locations

Download the map

How to get to Moscow

BY AIR

There are 3 main airports in Moscow – Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo.

AIR TICKETS

Booking and issuing of air tickets for Russian or any foreign airlines could be provided by request.

BY TRAIN

Moscow has 8 major train stations. All of them have a connecting subway stop and can be easily reached by public transportation.

HOW TO GET AROUND MOSCOW

Public transport

Public transport is pretty cheap in Moscow, and you can get around by metro (subway), bus, tram, taxi...The most popular and convenient method of travel is metro. You can buy tickets for various number of trips - from 1 to 60 trips. Once you have purchased your ticket you go through the turnstiles and then down to the platform. The metro trains arrive around every 2 minutes during peak times and the time gap between trains extends to about 5-10 minutes late at night. While being a convenient method of travel, the metro does get very crowded, especially at rush hour, and you'll often find yourself packed in like sardines! That said, the metro is very efficient and many of the stations are works of art by themselves. Some of the best known ones include Komsomolskaya - with its chandeliers, Kievskaya, with its beautiful artwork, and Mayakovskaya, with its marble decor and mosaics on the ceiling. Moscow Metro working hours: 05:30 AM 01:00 PM

Other methods of transport include trams and buses. You can normally buy tickets in advance, at metro stations and kiosks (ticket price approximately 0,6 Euro). Some metro stations do not sell them however and it is best to try kiosks adjacent to bus stops and ask for 'avtoboos bilyet’ and they can be bought from the driver for a couple of Rubles more. Another option is to get a taxi. There are many taxi companies in Moscow which you may wish to use when going a longer distance (e.g. from the city centre to the airport) but to go a shorter distance it's common to hail an ordinary car in the street. While in Moscow this is a common way of getting around, caution should still be exercised - avoid hitch hiking alone or at night. It's best to agree a fare in advance, but you can usually go a short distance quite cheaply. Please mind that normally drivers are not English-speaking.