The easiest way to catch an official taxi

Dear readers,

Taxi travel is affordable in Moscow, but be aware, there are many illegal taxis, who can rip you off. But now there is an easy way to be sure that your taxi is an official one.

Simply download the app “Yandex Taxi” in Google Play or Apples app store.

Within the app you can easily select your pic up point as well as your destination. Further on the app will show you directly the estimated price ( In general, the app is constructed like UBER but has a much bigger coverage in Moscow and usually within 5mins you will be picked up). But you can also pre-order the taxi for a specific time and date.

Further on, fares from inside the MKAD ( Moscow circle road ) to Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airport and vise-versa are fix priced at 1000 RUR.

Cheap way from Domodedovo airport to the centre

Dear readers,

if you want to go from Domodedovo airport to the centre of Moscow, there are many variants. The easiest might be the Aeroexpress train, but that costs 420 RUR if you book online and 470 RUR if you buy your ticket at a ticket desk or machine.

If you are on a budget and want to save some money, I recommend you to catch a bus or Mashrutka to Domodedovskaya metro station, from where you can reach the centre within 20mins.

The best of the bus is, that there are many departures every hour and you only need to pay 100 RUR directly to the driver.

Here you find the latest Moscow Metro map and also news about eventual closures of stations:

http://news.metro.ru/sc_lat.html

 

 

Theatre tip in Moscow: Kremlin Palace

Dear readers,

when you are in Moscow, a visit to the ballet of Kremlin palace is a must. Usually you can choose from a wide range of different ballets and concerts, which can be bought directly on the website of Kremlin Palace (kremlinpalace.org).

The theatre is located inside Kremlin, so you are allowed to enter the territory only with a valid ticket ( also possible if you want to visit the museum).

The ticket prices are very affordable and for 1000 RUR you can get already a nice seat.

But keep in mind that ordering on the Russian version of the website will offer you a wider range of tickets and also cheaper fares, so in worst case use google translator or simply contact me and I will help you!

New direct flights from Frankfurt to Kazan

Dear readers,

Aeroflot just announced new direct bi-weekly flights between Frankfurt and Kazan.

The flights are already bookable.

Schedule as follow:

SU2704 KZN0945 – 1305FRA 320 15
SU2705 FRA1420 – 1920KZN 320 15

(from airlineroute.net)

Day trips from Moscow Part I: Sergiev Possad

Hello dear readers,

Today I want to tell you something about the small city of Sergiev Possad.

Sergiev Possad is a smaller city with around 110.000 habitants north east of Moscow. It is the home of one of the biggest monasteries in Russia. The monastery, Trinity Lavra, was established in the 15th century by St. Sergius of Radonezh. In 1993 the monastery became part of the UNESCO world heritage sites. Today about 70 monks live there.

In my opinion the monastery is well worth a visit, especially if you are interested in Russian history and religious sites.

How to get there?

The easiest way to get to Sergiev Possad is to catch a train from Moscow’s Yaroslavskaya railway station. There are departures every hour, but keep in mind that most journeys are operated by slow trains who stop in every smaller city and village on the way.

But there are also Express trains, which are marked with an “X” after the train number, and those only need 1h instead of 1h30. The price is with 260 RUR also very affordable.

There are also busses, although their schedules are much more flexible and highly depending on the traffic, therefore I recommend to catch a train.

From the railway station in Sergiev Possad, you simply need to walk down the street on the right, when you exit the station and follow it until you see the big monastery.

Inside the monastery, you can take a look at the churches, but there is also a small park, a shop and a tasty bakery, where they still bake natural bread from the original recipes.

Stay tuned for the next part of this series! Then we will take you on a journey to Istra!

 

New flights from Paderborn in Germany to Moscow

Hello dear readers,

Rusline will open new flights from Paderborn in Germany to Moscow starting 3rd of June, three times a week.

Schedule as follow:

eff 03JUN16 Moscow Domodedovo – Paderborn 3 weekly
7R5505 DME1000 – 1215PAD CRJ 135
7R5506 PAD1315 – 1730DME CRJ 135

(from airlineroute.net)

GUM – One of the most luxurious department stores in the world

Hello dear readers,

Today let me tell you something about the department store GUM (in Russian: Торговый Дом ГУМ). You will find GUM right in the centre of Moscow, directly next to the Red Square and Kitaj Gorod, which will be covered in another post.

GUM was constructed between 1890 and 1893 and uses a lot of elements of the european neoclassical architecture.

Today GUM hosts the world most famous designer brands, DIOR, CHANEL, you name it.

My personal favourite store though is Gastronom, a store for goods and with a great choice of fresh food. Prices are on the high side, but if you are looking for something special, like a cake or typical Russian articles, like caviar. But even to simply take a leisurely walk through the shop is well worth it.

Another insider tip is to buy some ice-cream in GUM. In my opinion one of the most tasty ones in Moscow and with 50 Rubles an absolute bargain!

Trip Report:St. Petersburg & Helsinki – The stars of the north

Welcome dear readers to the first trip report of Russia in a nutshell!

This time we will take you on a trip to the stars of the north: St. Petersburg and Helsinki.

Welcome to my blog

Hello dear readers and welcome to my new blog.

I started this blog, because for many people traveling to Russia is about the same like travelling to moon.

Many of you might have never stepped a foot into Russia, but believe me it is completely worth it. From cultural sights to culinary treats, you won’t be disappointed.

Let me take you on a trip to a country, which I am sure you will soon also be wanting to travel to!

In my blog you will find reports about travel around Russia, insider tips and frequent articles about Moscow and general travel news, like new flights to Russia, new hotels worth mentioning or new visa regulations.

In case you need some help with preparing your travel to Russia, I am glad to help you!

So for now that should be it, all I can say: Enjoy your journey with Russia in a nutshell!

Johannes

Moscow: St. Basil’s Cathedral