globalste

Hadnt planned this out, stopping with some friends in Moscow, but forgot about getting from the airport to the city.

Train is an hour, which seems ridiculously long. How much is a taxi going to rob myself and mrs globalste? Any recommended companies to book through?

ThatT1Feeling

Hmmm... I used to do this quite regularly. Have taken both the train and cabs which loiter outside the terminal. From memory I never paid more than US$70 / EUR 50 to get into the city centre. Although you say that the train takes an hour, a taxi or any other car can take just as long if not more depending on when you decide to travel.

The absolute golden rule is to agree the fare up front if taking a taxi and take no BS whatsoever from the driver when you reach your destination. I remember once the driver tried to ask me to pay more as he was driving an Audi. I waved my own Audi car keys at him and he shut up.. !

However I haven't done this for 5 years so things may have changed. Am sure one of the regulars will chip in soon...

polar_b

Where in Moscow are you going?

If going to a hotel, check if the hotel offers a car service. It will be overpriced but so will a taxi from DME anyway. At least you will not have any hassle, they should come and meet you by the exit from customs and can then take you all the way to the hotel.

The train can take an hour and then if you are going on the metro from there that might take another hour. Going anywhere in Moscow just takes a long time!

If taking a taxi, at least go over to the taxi booths in the terminal. Expect rude service and no one speaking English so have the address you are going to printed out or written in cyrillic script.

The train is good and modern, and will take you into the centre of Moscow (of sorts). It also does not cost that much. Going on from there you will have to find a taxi (not always easy) or take the metro - for which you will need to read cyrillic and preferably speak a little bit of Russian.

Enjoy the sushi at any branch of Yakitoriya, the chocolate cake at Shokoladnitsa and the cheap lunches at Moo-Moo!

bcmatt

DME is a long way from the city centre if you look at a map, so yes the train takes a while. I would not count on a car being quicker - traffic in Moscow (and driving in or out) can be a nightmare. When I was still working there, we were advised to allow 90 minutes to drive to DME (it did not always take that long, but it could). Obviously it depends on what time of day it is and where exactly you are heading in Moscow. If you head over to the FT Russian forum this sort of question has been asked many, many times and there are people who have travelled more recently than me who have often posted their own recommendations for pick up service.

Smirnoff

Do not taxi a taxi from DME into town unless unless (i) you have loads of time on your hands (can take >2 hours) and (ii) you really can't face taking the train.

The train goes from left hand end of the terminal into Paveletskiy Station in 40-45 minutes and costs RUR 250 (just over Ł5). Timetable is here.

DME is a long way out of town and you can easily be stuck in traffic for hours in the evening rush hour. The normal fare is RUR 1500 (Ł33) from SVO, so I guess you will be paying aound RUR 2000 from DME (Ł44).

Here are some official taxi firms operating from DME.

My suggestion is definitely take the train, it's quick and easy. Have your friends meet you at Paveletskiy Station, or take a taxi from the station, or if you are adventurous take the metro from the station.

If you need it, the metro map is here. Paveletskaya metro station is where the brown circle line (5) meets the dark green line (2) to the SE of the centre. The metro is quick and easy to use, you can buy 10 ride smartcards for just RUR 240 (Ł5.20) at the ticket windows. Full ticket prices here.

Night Flyer

I've used MV Motors recently, one of the "official" taxi companies at DME. It was 2000 rubles to the city center, and 1200 rubles from the city center to DME (cheaper outbound because of the extra competition), with room for up to 4 people and 4 suitcases in a little boxy Fiat. There's a desk right near the sliding doors that lead outside from the arrivals hall. I thought the ladies handling the desk were quite nice, as Russians would define it, although I agree you won't find many English speakers at Moscow taxi companies - including those that advertise "English-speaking operators" - so some Russian ability is most helpful.

Be aware that there will be some guys wandering around the arrivals hall with yellow "official taxi company" signs hanging around their necks. These guys are not affiliated with the "official" taxi companies, which operate from desk stations, but most of them speak pretty good English and if you arrive on a BA flight they'll probably intercept you before you reach the official desks, not to mention the dozens of private drivers hanging out immediately past the exit from customs/immigration. I believe some of these guys are fine, others are the source of the stories you read of peolpe getting jabked up for additional money on the way into town.

The train is more reliable for time although if you've got bags navigating the Moscow metro with luggage is no picnic. Most metro stations near the city center are very busy well past "rush" hours, including midday; you're supposed to buy a separate ticket for your bags and you'll probably need some familiarity with Russian to do that. Although I suppose if you just point to your bags the usually-quite-morose-and-disinterested ladies behind the glass windows will figure out what you need.

We won the world cup

Mrs WWTWC and myself went to Moscow for the weekend last July and travelled to our hotel, the Sheraton, by the bus to the Domodevskaya metro station and then the metro almost directly to the hotel. Neither of us speak a word of russian but I can, at least, read the cyrillic script which you need on the metro as there are no signs in latin script. There is both a normal bus and a minibus service which are very easy to find when leaving DME but quite a challenge on the way back. The journey was ridiculously cheap and much quicker than it can sometimes take in a taxi. No problems with luggage as we only had cabin baggage. We enjoyed the experience and would do it again.

globalste

Many thanks for the tips guys, Mrs Globalste was adamant about getting a taxi but sounds like the train is the way to go! ^

Friends live on Smolenskaya Str. where ever the hell that is, think its just on the west side of the city, so probably a better idea to get the train than fight across the city.

Cheers for the links Smirnoff!

luitje

By the sound of it, should be around Smolenskaya Square, where the tower of the Russian Foreign Service is. If you don't detest mass transit systems and won't carry a lot of luggage, take Aeroexpress train to Paveletskaya, change to the Circular Line and go to Kievskaya. Should be 10-15 minutes walk from there.

Smirnoff

It's right here (ул. смоленская). @:-)

Just zoom in, and you will see the apartment building numbers 1-10.

It starts at Smolenskaya Square (Смоленская площадь) and ends at the Borodinskiy Bridge (Бородинский мост) over the Moscow River.

So it's an easy trip on the Aeroexpress train to Paveletskiy Station (Павелецкий Вокзал), then exit the platforms (remember you need your train ticket to exit the ticket barriers), turn left through the station to the metro, ticket booths are on your left. Take the Circle Line (Кольцевая линия), clockwise, to Kievskaya (Киевская), then it's a 5 minute walk out to the main road, with the Kiev Station behind you and the Radisson Hotel to your right, turn right onto the main road, across the bridge and you are there.

pazza2000

Have the changed the train in recent years? I took it a few times back in '06 and it was certainly not modern, it was a train from the 60's -or so the interiors indicated.

Smirnoff

The train is the same. I believe they have removed the curtain and carpets and spruced up the interiors a little.

It's certainly modern by Russian standards and is perfectly comfortable for a 40 minute ride. Seats are 2-3 across, there's plenty of room for luggage, and a lady still comes through with a broken supermarket trolley selling drinks and snacks.

DutchMember

In June, I will be arriving at DME around 9.30 am and depart around 9.30 pm to LHR. Will there be enough time to go and see some of the sights in the city center? Is there a place at the airport to store a carry-on bag? Or, would it be better to leave on the earlier flight (around 5.30 pm I believe) and spend some time in the lounge ?

carat22

Personally and having done this route a 100x, i would take the evening flight and spend the afternoon seeing the sights. The lounge is significantly better than it was a few years ago, and you can store luggage, but it is in the middle of nowhere and once you are there, you can't easily get back into town. The traffic (which is a complete nightmare) is often much better when you get the late flight, giving you time to do what you want to do.

luitje

Not sure which airline you are taking but normally you are able to check your luggage in 24 hours before the flight. So, I would suggest dropping your bags for the next flight at the check-in counter and taking train to downtown Moscow. Travel time is around 40 minutes and it leaves from the left wing of the terminal.
Schedules and tickets are available from this web-site.
In case they won't be able to check-in your luggage for your flight, storage is located in the underground floor. More info available here.