This article and video will have some good tips for readers traveling to Russia so allow for a little background. Our friends from Ufa, Sergei and Sergei, were invited recently to travel to Moscow to be interviewed by Russia Today television at the RT Moscow studios.
The two have taken their YouTube show viral with an acceptance by Western audiences that the two likely never dreamed. So, in this episode we find them outside the Ufa airport. Readers who will travel there will be surprised at how modern the airport and the Aeroflot plane that will be taking them to Moscow.
Upon landing in Moscow you can see them exit the plane and enter Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) where they purchase a SIM card for their phones. Smart idea if you have a Quad band phone; just buy a phone with a local number as it will far less expensive that making international calls on your cell phone from your home country.
Next our two heroes purchase tickets on the AeroExpress train from the airport to the Belorussky Rail Terminal in the center of Moscow. Belorussky is one of nine major rail stations in Moscow and very close to the Belorusskaya Metro station. At Belorussky train station they walk the short distance to the Belorusskaya Metro subway where they buy Metro tickets.
A common question is about the price of Metro tickets and how long they last. As of 1 February Metro tickets are “universal” and can be used in the Metro, bus, electric trolleybus, electric trams and select Monorail routes.
Cards which were previously good up to 45 days depending on the number purchased are now good for up to 90 days when you buy a “smart card” ticket which beginning in April will have an electronic reload feature, similar to a phone where you can reload minutes. In this case you can use an ATM card via Internet to reload your Metro smart card at any time which automatically adds another 90 days to the card. A 365 day Smart card is also available. The current rate for a single ride on the Metro is 28 rubles, about a dollar.
Next we see Sergei using his GPS to find the apartment of his friend. In a large city where many of the apartment blocks look almost the same for miles and miles, that is probably a good idea.