Moscow1station

Broadly speaking the heart of Moscow’s road system is at the Kremlin. From there roads radiate and are intersected by a number of road “rings”.

Moscow has five commercial airports (three international), nine railroad terminals and the second busiest metro system in the world after Tokyo. You can get around by taxi and these can come in different forms. In Moscow, pretty much anyone can operate as an unofficial or gypsy cab and you will frequently see private cars cruising around the city looking for a fare. If you are interested then stick your arm out. Otherwise official cabs are recognisable by the chequerboard logo on the side of the car and small green light in the windscreen.

"Drivers infrequently use the meters that they have and apparently few will admit having change. Be careful when hailing cabs outside nightclubs and tourist hotels. This is particularly true if you are a woman alone. You can of course book a taxi through your hotel which may save you trouble if you do not speak Russian."

Public Transport
If you are travelling outside of Moscow taking a bus is a good alternative. Fares are broadly comparable with second class trains. That being said, buses tend not to be as reliable or comfortable as the train equivalent and so are normally more appropriate if you destination has poor rail links. For domestic tickets book at the Shchyolkovsky bus station which is 8km east of the city centre. To avoid queues consider booking ahead especially if you are travelling at the weekend. As metro stations are relatively far apart in Moscow in comparison with many cities, the bus service within the city is a very important way for people to travel around. All major roads will have at least one bus route and some are augmented by trolleybuses.

Car & motorcycle You can rent cars and motorcycles but there is much to find frustrating about the Russian road experience for the British visitor including poor roads, poor signposting, poor quality petrol and overly zealous traffic police. If you do want to rent a car for heading out of the city, be advised that many firms will not let you leave the city in their car. Alternatively you can but it includes a driver. This can avoid some of the frustrations of dealing with driving in Russia and is often not much more expensive. Best bet is to reserve the car before you arrive as this can drop the price by 50%.

The major rental firms will drop off and pick up the car from your hotel. Other options include the Moscow metro which operates 12 lines across 177 stations and some of the deepest in Europe (Park Pobedy is 84 metres underground.) There is a short monorail which opened in 2004 which runs from Timiryasevskaya metro station to the tram depot at Sergeya Eyzenshteyna.