There are three major airports in Moscow equally well connected to the center of Moscow by Aeroexpress trains. It is cheap, but easy and comfortable way to get to Moscow. Trains run to one of railway stations in the city center. Travel time is about 35–40 minutes, 43–48 minutes, and 53 minutes from Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Sheremetyevo airports, correspondingly. The interval between train departures is 30 minutes (1 hour from Vnukovo airport). Tickets cost 500 Russian rubles (~ € 7) and can be purchased at ticket windows, ticket machines or at turnstiles. If you buy a ticket at the company’s website (printed or saved at a smartphone ticket with QR code is required) or with the mobile app, the cost is 450 Russian rubles (~ € 6). The working hours are from 06:00 till midnight.
HSE Study Center “Voronovo” is situated in a remote place, about 70 km to the south from Moscow. The transportation by the public transport is complicated and time-consuming. There will be buses provided for transportation from Moscow to the School site and back at arrival and departure days. The School buses will depart from the Leninsky Prospekt Metro station (south exit) on March, 3 at 09:30 and will return to the same place by 17:00 on the departure day.
Transportation by Taxi
There is a possibility to reach the school site from the Moscow airports by taxi. The approximate fares are 1 500 Russian rubles, 2 000 Russian rubles, and 2 500 Russian rubles from Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Sheremetyevo airports, respectively. It is highly recommended to use Yandex, UberRussia (which is a part of Yandex) or Gett services with convenient online application or use special desks at the airport buildings. Yandex is the most popular taxi service in Russia. Please beware that most of taxi drivers do not speak English. We advise to book the ride at the taxi desk at the airport. Personnel there does speak English.
We strongly recommend not to use non-official taxi carriers. There are lots of drivers offering their services, please do realize that taking them on you can end paying much more than expected.
Please print this page and show it to the driver or at the taxi desk if you go to the School site (Voronovo).
Transportation in Moscow
The Metro is the easiest and the most reliable way get around Moscow. Its layout is quite simple. Radial lines, which cut across the city in most directions, are joined together by a circular line, which also joins together the city’s largest railway stations. Transport system also includes monorail and Moscow Central Circle (MCC). Each radial line has its own name, number, and color on the Metro map, and you can get from practically any station to another one with a maximum of three transfers.
To pay for your ride, buy a smart-card (“Ediniy” or “Troika”) from a cashier or ticket vending machines in the Metro (MCC) station vestibule.
Recline the smart-card to a yellow circle on the automatic gates, when green light is on or displays the number of remaining trips or the amount of money left on the card — pass through the gate. No matter how long you ride is or how many transfers you make, you pay no extra fee.
To help you find your way, there are several multicolored Metro maps in every car, and a loud speaker that announces the name of the station at every stop. The doors open and close automatically. There is a first-aid station and police post at every station. For information you can turn to any Metro employee — they wear blue uniforms and red hats.
Mobile communication (GSM) works at stations of the Moscow underground. Free Wi-Fi (“MT_Free”) available in trains.
The Metro starts work at 06:00, but stations open at 05:30–05:40. At 01:00 the entrances close and passengers must complete their transfers. Last train leaves also at 01:00.
Moscow Central Circle (MCC, Line 14) works from 05:45 to 00:30 every day. Transfer from Metro to MCC (and back) is free for 90 minutes from the first enter.
Fares information could be found at Metro site.
Tips and Tricks
- You can pay using your credit card both for Aeroexpress and Metro tickets, however at least small amount of Russian rubles in cash is desirable.
- Taxi will require to pay in cash in Russian rubles.
- Foreign currency exchange offices at the airport have extortionate exchange rates compared to the offices in the city. It is better to get cash from ATMs (however you have to pay a commission, charged by your bank).
- We highly recommend to have offline maps of Moscow and Moscow region downloaded to your smartphone (for example maps.me service). This will drastically simplify your orientation in Russia.