jetapilot

I heard that cabs will rip you off.. is it important to book a car service? My hotel offered a Mercedes sedan for one person to their hotel for something like $150 ?? Is there a better option? I will have travelled for two days essentially getting there from the States so dont' want to do bus to walking etc.. but would like to at least take a cab.. heard bad things.. .anyone have suggestions?

danon

Which airport?

danon

ps...there is a very good train connection to town from all airports,
you can purchase a train ticket online and print it.
The train station connect with metro or you can take taxi - have to " negotiate "
the fare before getting in.
I was too tired to take the train from Domodedovo ;
taxis stand " official " asked me for a hundred dollars ( in rubles )
I said "too much" so the next offer was about 80 .
I speak some Russian (but even if you don't they show you the sheet with prices,
when I rejected the first price, they showed me a second sheet with a lower price.
It was my second visit to Russia so I was prepared. PITA.

danon

My hotel was in the very center ...a few minutes to Kremlin.

jetapilot

I am staying at the Hyatt near the Bolshoi. I do not speak Russian however have learned a few key phrases on the app.. but they are more along the line of Can I have some vodka?
I am flying into SVO? Sheremetyevo On KLM

i will try and check out the train/metro lines but I heard that also is difficult if you don't speak Russian. I plan on taking the metro tour but sadly only will be in Moscow two days.

danon

SVO is closer to. Moscow than other airports.
The train to metro takes about 25 minutes ( I flew from SVO )
There is a metro from the train station (dark green line) to Bolshoi
,,, it is called Teatralnaya.
The metro signs are in Cirilic only.
Your hotel is in a perfect location.for walking to the Kremlin , Bolshoi and
numerous restaurants.
Moscow is very impresive, 800 years old , and more and more - touristy .
The churced inside the Kremlin walls are beautiful. You can buy a ticket on line
to enter Kremlin .

Russian passport control entering ( and exiting! ) the country can take a LONG time

Vodka is well understood in any language!
All you have to learn is " how much "..,for taxis ( they can write the amount)
In upscale shops and many restorants English is fine.

danon

ps..yes, some metro stations ( not all) are something to see, but
with the time you have, I wouldn't bother.

jetapilot

wow, you are making me excited to go now... I will use that metro info if I am not just shot from the trip. Seems like every time I mention going to Russia, I get strange faces from Americans. Leave next Saturday!! Thanks for the help

danon

I understand some people are puzzled - probably have in mind the Soviet Russia.

Central Moscow is much more
sophisticated and beautiful than many realize .
Have a good time.

napoxoguk

One other thing - over the past five years or so, gypsy cabs and more official taxi drivers aggressively soliciting at airports and train stations have pretty much become a thing of the past. I mean, they may still be there, but nobody uses their services any more - Uber-like services and other technologically advanced companies offer much better rates and, more importantly, accountability (there is always a paper trail, with driver name and the car's license plate), so any "bad things" you might have heard are nothing to worry about, really.
Well, except traffic - it does suck big time.

fourfortravel

I can recommend Lingo Taxi, https://lingotaxi.com. We used them on our visit to Moscow about 18 months ago from the airport to our hotel in Central Moscow, and for our return to SVO. Their service is excellent; and the drivers are at least bi-lingual (Russian and English). My Russian is rather rusty, so it was nice to sit back and relax in the horrific traffic upon arrival without having to navigate the Metro or otherwise.

jetapilot

Thanks for all the info.. I land at 4pm on Sunday. I guess there will be no "rush hour". Since it will be a very long two days, to get to the center the fastest.. would traffic be heavy then? Would it be faster on the aeroexpress? I assume at the train station there is also a taxi stand that has standard prices without me having to negotiate in Russian which is non existent....
your replies have helped so much.. thanks for taking the time.. i am very excited!!

danon

Ther are taxis at train stations, but from my experience,
they are even less regulated than at the airport.
( I took a taxi after arriving by train from St. Petersburg).

You might right down ( copy from somewhere..." How much to....hotel..."
in Russian . They can write the amount for you.
Some driver do know a few words of English.

It might be best to get a ride from SVO .. , Sunday traffic
should be ok.

...

Odin

I would take the Aeroexpress, simply because the traffic can be bad on a Sunday due to people coming back from their dachas at the end of the weekend.

The train takes 37 mins from SVO to Belorussky station. Then it is 2 stops on the metro to Okhotny Ryad metro station and a short walk to the Park Hyatt. Or you can take a taxi outside Belorussky station to the hotel.

AlexSPB

Why do not you take Uber or Gett (the same as Uber)? Fix price about $17. In airports there is free wifi zone - you can order taxi. $150 - its a crazy price!

If you prefer meeting and private transfer - for example http://transferdesk.ru/en/sheremetyevo-airport-taxi

the price for standart car about 24 euro

But I repeat, do not be afraid to use Uber - in Russia it is absolutely safe.

Alexey_M

definitely UBER with fixed price is the best opportunity for transfer from the airport to the hotel.