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Getting to and from Moscow

Travel to and from Moscow by Train

Moscow has rail links to most parts of Russia, most former Soviet states, numerous countries in Eastern and Western Europe, and China and Mongolia. Moscow has nine main train stations, all with metro stations on the spot

Moscow is the hub of the Russian railway system; the city's nine railway stations handle some 400 million passengers annually. There are several trains daily to St. Petersburg, and overnight service is available to Helsinki, Riga, and Tallinn. Please note that although there are phone numbers for each station, it is all but impossible to get through to them. For a visitor with limited time, it's best to ask your hotel service bureau or a travel agent for railway information and schedules.

Overnight trains are for some reason considered more dangerous than day trains, and if you are traveling alone, you should take added precautions. Paranoid travelers in Russia bring their own lock and buy out the entire compartment so as not to risk their luck with unknown compartment-mates. Most people risk it and survive -- so should you. You should, though, stow your luggage in the bin under the lower bunk, and you should sleep with your money, passport, and other important items.

Moscow Railway Fares and Schedules

For information on train arrival and departure schedules, and for booking and ticket delivery, call the information numbers listed below. You can purchase tickets at the railway stations or at the ticket offices. Bring your passport.

Arrival and Departure Information (PHONE: 095/266-9333; 095/926-4545 for booking and ticket delivery).

Main Ticket Offices (6 Griboyedova ul., Metro: Chistiye Prudy; 15/13 Petrovka ul., PHONE: 095/929-8757, Metro: Teatralnaya).

Belorussia Station (Belorussky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/251-6093, Metro: Belorusskaya). Long-distance trains to the Western and South-Western directions of Russia and abroad: Berlin, Berne, Brest, Brussels, Belostok, Warsaw, Vilnius, Vunsdorf, Gomel, Grodno, Geneva, Kaliningrad, Kaunas, Cologne, Copenhagen, Madrid, Malme, Minsk, Moguilyov.

Kazan Station (Kazansky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/264-6556, Metro: Komsomolskaya). Long-distance trains to the South, East, South-East of Russia, Kazakhstan and Middle Asia

Kiev Station (Kievsky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/240-1115, Metro: Kievskaya). Long distance trains to the West and South-West of Russia and abroad.

Kursk Station (Kursky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/916-2003, Metro: Kurskaya). Long-distance trains to the South-West and South of Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Leningrad Station (Leningradsky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/262-9143). Long distance trains to the North-West of Russia and abroad.

Pavelets Station (Paveletsky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/235-6807, Metro: Paveletskaya). Long-distnace trains to South-Western Europe and CIS nations.

Riga Station (Rizhsky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/971-1588, Metro: Rizhskaya). Long-distance trains to former northern European Soveit Republics : Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

Yaroslav Station (Yaroslavsky Vokzal, PHONE: 095/921-5914, Metro: Komsomolskaya). Long-distnace trains to Siberia and Russia 's Pacific Coast. The Trans-Siberian Express departs every other day at 4:27 PM.

 

Travel to and from Moscow by Boat

Moscow has two river ports: the Northern River Terminal (Severny Rechnoy Vokzal) and the Southern River Terminal (Yuzhny Rechnoy Vokzal). International cruise lines offering tours to Russia usually disembark in St. Petersburg and continue from there by land. It is possible, however, to book a two-way cruise from Moscow along the Moscow-Volga canal, which makes for a pleasant way to see the ancient cities of the Golden Ring. Some 129 km (80 mi) long, the canal links the Russian capital with the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, the White Sea, and the Azov Sea. The Moscow port for long-distance passengers is the Northern River Terminal on the Khimki reservoir.

Boat and Ferry Information

Northern River Terminal (51 Leningradskoye shosse, PHONE: 095/457-4050).

Southern River Terminal (11 Andropov prospekt, PHONE: 095/118-7955).