I am in the planning stages of a quick trip to New Delhi to see the Taj Mahal. One of the less expensive flight options is an Aeroflot flight via SVO. This would involve a 7 hour 35 minute layover in Moscow. If I wanted to go see St Basils, barring any delays is this feasible? It would not be an in depth visit. Just hop in a cab, go to the Cathedral, get a photo, and head back to the airport. I could do this on a Saturday if that reduced my delay due to traffic. Not ever having traveled to Moscow I have no clue how long immigration, transportation time, and security take. I tried to look through the other posts but there is not enough info to piece it together.

Thanks

There are two things to consider - the visa and travel time.

In terms of travel time, you'd be fine. It's roughly an hour in a taxi from SVO to Red Square; the taxi can get you quite close so you'd be able to take a few pics, walk around, and get back to the airport. The taxi ride is about US 30 each way - but try to book ahead because they will try to charge you much more at the airport.

You will need to get a visa to do this, meaning you need an invitation letter from a Russian travel agency. There are companies online that can arrange it for you for a fee. My recent experience was that a friend was not allowed to leave the airport on a transit visa, so I think you'll need to get a tourist one. Cost is typically US $100-$300, depending on how quickly you need it.

So in short - it's do-able, but you'll need to make some arrangements ahead of time!

cheers,

schmare

(from Vladivostok)

Thank you for the reply schmare. Glad to know the trip is doable. I assumed I would need a visa butwas not sure of the price. Knowing the process helps

I recently was planning a trip through SVO for about 48 hours. (I had a friend who was flying through moscow and I would have been able to stay with him for free. I was also on my way home and a ow ticket routing through moscow was rediculously cheap.)
Problem is also that cab from airport to city is about $100USD and getting a visa, either tourist or transit is a pain in the you know what. Both cost the same amount and take the same length of time to process. Only difference is that transit is only valid for 3 days while tourist can be valid for much longer. What makes tourist visa different is that you do not need a letter from a travel agency (which also can cost over $50) rather a ticket and itenerary showing method and time of leaving russia is acceptable.

Based on the info provided looks like I will get the transit visa and take the gamble I am not delayed on arrival. If I can arrange a ride in advance we should be able to save up to $60. Next I will find out if Aeroflot in coach will be bareable for the long flight to India from JFK.

It is do-able, but:
(1) Consider immigration queue delay - it can be as bad as 2 hours to get into town.

(2) $30 dollars is unrealistically low. It is a jungle out there at SVO even if you speak Russian, and if you have a driver pre-booked, it is conditional upon him turning up, and last time I was there I could not find anyone charging $30 all the way into central Moscow, even with pre-booking.

If the drive does not turn up, you are looking at $80 one-way at least. And there is no meaningful public transport from SVO into town centre (in theory, there is a bus that takes you to the nearest metro station, but I would not rely on it in your case).

Thanks,

(1) By any chance will my Delta Gold Status get me on any shorter lines whether it is immigration on the way out or security on the way back? And am I less likely to face a delay on a weekend than a weekday?

(2) Point taken, As this will be seat of my pants trip I am sure I wiil have to take what I can get upon arrival. At least I know to now not fall for a $200 fare. Since I will be with 1 or 2 others we can split the costs. I see this excursion as mini excursion within my trip to India.

Some searches in the Skyteam forum are making me feel better about using Aeroflot so the excursion is much more likely.

No.



You must excuse me laughing but Delta Gold status is as relevant to the Immigration and Security as your dog's name or your mum's star sign. It is Russia and EVERYONE is treated with equal inefficiency and incompetence, ESPECIALLY at SVO.

Forget about Immigration - consider yourself lucky if Delta Gold gets you to go to lounge even if you are entitled to this...

The ONLY way to avoid the immigration queue is to be invited to the country as a full-fledged VIP (currently available to most Thirld World dictators and ageing Western pop stars such as Paul McCartney).

Err, I would not be so optimistic, but yes, Aeroflot is better than they used to be. You may find that the flight from/to JFK (where they carry "proper capitalist foreigners") is treated differently from a flight to India ("underdeveloped brown people").

I am yet to meet anyone who would say they LOVE Aeroflot the same way people speak about Cathay Pacific or Emirates or Swiss International. Mostly people say - "well it was not as bad as I thought".

[QUOTE=Andrius]No.



You must excuse me laughing but Delta Gold status is as relevant to the Immigration and Security as your dog's name or your mum's star sign. It is Russia and EVERYONE is treated with equal inefficiency and incompetence, ESPECIALLY at SVO. QUOTE]

I pretty much figured that would be the answer before I posted. And as I do not run any regimes and the closest I come to Paul McCartney is owning his albums I guess I will be going through with the masses.

[QUOTE=Andrius]It is do-able, but:


"(2) $30 dollars is unrealistically low. It is a jungle out there at SVO even if you speak Russian, and if you have a driver pre-booked, it is conditional upon him turning up, and last time I was there I could not find anyone charging $30 all the way into central Moscow, even with pre-booking. "



Prices definitely do vary, but I don't think $30 is unrealistic. I've always used www.gotoru.com, and they charge 900 RUB for a basic car from SVO to the city. I've used them on my last four trips to Russia, and the driver has always been waiting with the placard as expected.

Most transfer companies do offer VIP services for an additional cost, typically about $50. I used this once when I had an important meeting and I was worried about delays. I was met at the gate, escorted to a special immigration queue, and was in the car on the way to the city 15 minutes after landing (no checked bags). So if the OP is really worried about delays, this may be worth the extra expense.

I'll say! I would definitely need to try that - if this is indeed still in operation.

It must be me always travelling on business and my office usually sending a driver to get me - I always went to the queue with everybody else, the only VIP service I was aware of was when a black ZIL limo picks up as you exit the stairs...

I never experienced VIP services you describe - they sound like excellent value. So is it $50 for a quick transfer ON TOP of what you pay for the car into town?

I assume it is a neat semi-legal operation for which the airport administration gets its cut. This would mean that the immigration queues are NEVER going away: who would kill a golden egg-laying goose?

Errrrrr, excuse me, on the last 10 times or so I arrived at SVO - coming in from MXP, BKK or JFK - immigration never took more than 10-15 minutes. When have you last been here, Andrius?

Oh, and 900 roubles is about the going price for almost any taxi company if you book them over the phone and they have to come from Moscow to the airport to pick you up. (It's 1300 for the taxis which are already at SVO - pay at the booth in the arrivals area, past customs)

apoivre is right. things have improved at SVO. it is still not great, but much better than it used to be.

I was there last in May this year... Waited for 50 minutes - maybe just a coincidence.