Moscow's rail backbone is the Moscow Metro: 17 lines and 309 stations over 541.9 km (Wikipedia, as of September 2026), the longest metro in Europe and the only one with three circle lines: the Koltsevaya (brown) line, the Moscow Central Circle (MCC, line 14, a 54 km surface ring opened in 2016) and the newer Bolshaya Koltsevaya line. Four Moscow Central Diameters (MCD-1 to MCD-4) run suburban trains straight through the city and are part of the same fare system; MCD-5 is still only planned. Buses, trams and the year-round electric river boats on the Moskva use the same Troika card and fares. Metro entrances open at about 05:25 and close at 01:00, transfer corridors included. Two airports have Aeroexpress trains (Sheremetyevo from Belorussky and Savyolovsky stations, Domodedovo from Paveletsky); Vnukovo lost its Aeroexpress in 2024 but has its own metro station, Aeroport Vnukovo, on the Solntsevskaya line. Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Russia, so visitors pay with cash-topped Troika cards rather than by tapping a bank card.
Paying: Troika (Тройка) card, plain plastic, for metro, MCC, MCD, buses, trams and river boats
How to buy
Get a Troika at any metro ticket office (kassa) or ticket machine for a refundable RUB 150 deposit; no passport is needed. Top it up with cash at the ticket office or machines and tap it on the turnstile or validator. A free virtual Troika also exists in the Metro Moskvy app and in banking apps such as Sberbank Online and VTB (RIA Novosti). Turnstiles also take bank cards and Face Pay (pay by face), but foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Russia (UK FCDO, Spanish MFA), and whether a foreign visitor can set up Face Pay was not verified. On the MCD outside the central zone you must tap in AND out, or the card can be blocked (RIA Novosti). The Troika also pays for the Moscow Zoo, Zaryadye Park tickets, the Moscow-City cable car, Velobike rental, Aeroexpress and some river cruises (RIA Novosti, Sept 2026).
Fares
Fares since 2 January 2026 (Moscow Transport Department via Kommersant; RIA Novosti table updated 8 Sept 2026): one ride on the Troika 'Koshelyok' (wallet) RUB 75 in the central zone (metro, MCC, MCD central zone, buses, trams); RUB 102 into the suburban zone of the MCD, plus RUB 39 into the far zone; '90 minutes' ticket RUB 112 (unlimited transfers for 90 minutes after the first entry); Face Pay RUB 71; Russian bank card tapped at the turnstile RUB 83 (RUB 110 suburban); 'Yediny' unlimited tickets: 1 day RUB 415, 3 days RUB 800, 30 days RUB 3,460, 90 days RUB 8,450, 365 days RUB 24,900. A single-ride 'Yediny' paper ticket costs RUB 90. Troika deposit RUB 150 (refunded at a ticket office if the card is undamaged); key fob RUB 450, bracelet RUB 750. River boats: routes 1 (Kievsky - Park Fili) and 4 (Luzhniki - Kievsky) cost RUB 400 on weekdays and RUB 700 at weekends on the Troika wallet from 15 July 2026 (bank card RUB 50 more, Face Pay RUB 300/600); routes 2 and 3 have a weekday 07:00-11:00 morning fare of RUB 165 on the Troika (1 Aug - 15 Oct 2026); 30/90/365-day Yediny tickets cover all river routes. Aeroexpress (separate fares, bought on aeroexpress.ru or the app): Standard RUB 700, round trip RUB 1,350, booked a day ahead RUB 650, Business RUB 1,700; express buses to Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo RUB 450 (round trip RUB 750). Children under 7 ride Aeroexpress free.
Lines and services
- MetroMoscow Metro (17 lines incl. the Koltsevaya circle and the Bolshaya Koltsevaya line)
309 stations, 541.9 km (Sept 2026). Lines are known by number and colour; the brown Koltsevaya circle (line 5, about 20 km) links the radial lines in the centre. Rush-hour trains can run every 90 seconds (80 seconds since February 2023 on some lines). Line 13 (the former monorail) was closed in 2025. Free Wi-Fi in the metro since 2014, but during 2026 internet restrictions only 'whitelisted' services worked on it (Meduza, March 2026). Pay with the Troika (RUB 75 a ride).
- TrainMoscow Central Circle (MCC, line 14)
54 km orbital surface railway around historic Moscow, opened 10 September 2016 on the old Little Ring railway, with transfers to most metro lines. Useful stops for visitors include Luzhniki, Ploshchad Gagarina, Moskva-City, Shelepikha and Krymskaya. Same RUB 75 fare as the metro.
- TrainMoscow Central Diameters MCD-1 to MCD-4 (suburban through-trains)
MCD-1 Odintsovo - Lobnya (Belorussky - Savyolovsky, opened Nov 2019, 52 km); MCD-2 Nakhabino - Podolsk (Kursk - Riga, Nov 2019, 80 km); MCD-3 Zelenograd - Ippodrom (Leningrad - Kazan, Aug 2023, 85 km); MCD-4 Aprelevka - Zheleznodorozhnaya (Kaluga - Nizhny Novgorod, Sept 2023, 86 km, 36 stations). MCD-5 (Pushkino - Domodedovo) is only planned. Inside the central zone a ride costs the same RUB 75 as the metro; beyond it RUB 102 and more. Validate on entry AND exit. Some Aeroexpress trains to Sheremetyevo run along MCD-1 and stop at Okruzhnaya, Savyolovsky, Belorussky, Begovaya, Moskva-City, Slavyansky Bulvar and Kuntsevskaya.
- BusCity buses and trams (Mosgortrans)
Buses and trams take the same Troika fares (RUB 75 a ride, or the 90-minute ticket for changes). Useful lines for visitors: tram 11, 17 and 25 and buses 76, 311, 561, M58 and S585 from VDNKh metro to the Ostankino TV tower; bus M2 runs from VDNKh via Lubyanka and Biblioteka imeni Lenina; express bus 1195 (Aeroexpress/Mosgortrans) from Khovrino metro to Sheremetyevo.
- FerryRegular river electric boats (four year-round routes)
The first year-round electric boats in the world, run as city transport since 20 June 2023: route 1 Kievsky - Park Fili (via Trekhgorny, Moskva-City piers, Krasnopresnensky Park, Kutuzovsky, Serdtse Stolitsy, Beregovoy), route 2 ZIL - Pechatniki (11 km, 9 piers), route 3 Novospassky - ZIL (5 km, 6 piers), route 4 Luzhniki - Kievsky (links the Sparrow Hills nature reserve and Luzhniki). Pay when boarding at the pier with the Troika, a bank card, SBP or biometrics. Summer fares are valid until 15 October; winter fares for 2026-27 were not yet published when checked.
- FunicularMoscow cable car (Luzhniki - Sparrow Hills)
720 m gondola line opened in November 2018 between Luzhniki (near the Grand Sports Arena, ticket office in the station) and the Sparrow Hills viewpoint, with a middle stop on Vorobyovskaya naberezhnaya. 8-seat gondolas, plus 4-seat chairs on one section in winter. Fares and hours not verified.
- TrainAeroexpress airport trains
Sheremetyevo: from Belorussky station about 46 minutes (stops at Savyolovsky and Okruzhnaya), from Savyolovsky about 41 minutes; from the airport to Moscow about 35 minutes. Trains call at both the North (B, C) and South (D, E, F) terminal complexes. Domodedovo: from Paveletsky station about 45 minutes, calling at Verkhnie Kotly (MCC). Vnukovo trains were withdrawn in July 2024. Aeroexpress warned of changed schedules on the Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo routes from 23 September to 31 October 2026, with some trains cancelled.
- TaxiTaxi apps (Yandex Go and others)
Muscovites order taxis by app; Afisha Daily (2026) names Yandex Taxi (Yandex Go), Uber and Gett, plus licensed airport services. UK FCDO: taxis that look official can be unlicensed; use a taxi app or ask the hotel, agree the fare first, and do not flag down or share a taxi with strangers. Apps need mobile internet: the German Foreign Office warns that foreign SIM cards are often blocked for mobile data for 24 hours after arrival, so arrange an airport pickup with your hotel in advance. Whether app payment works with a foreign card was not verified; ask the driver or app about cash before the ride.
Common trips
Sheremetyevo AirportBelorussky station (Tverskaya Zastava)35 min
Aeroexpress train (RUB 700)
- Express bus 1195 to Khovrino, then metro line 2 to Belorusskaya
- Taxi by app (about RUB 1,000-2,000 by day)
Domodedovo AirportPaveletsky station (Zamoskvorechye)45 min
Aeroexpress train (RUB 700)
- Express bus 1185 to Domodedovskaya metro
Vnukovo AirportKievsky station / Arbat45 min
Metro: Solntsevskaya line from Aeroport Vnukovo to Park Pobedy (12 stops), then Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line 1 stop to Kievskaya or 3 stops to Arbatskaya
- Taxi by app
Red Square (Okhotny Ryad)Sparrow Hills (Vorobyovy Gory)15 min
Red Sokolnicheskaya line from Okhotny Ryad 6 stops to Vorobyovy Gory (via Biblioteka imeni Lenina, Kropotkinskaya, Park Kultury, Frunzenskaya, Sportivnaya); the station sits on the Luzhniki Metro Bridge over the Moskva
Kremlin (Teatralnaya)Kolomenskoye (Kolomenskaya)15 min
Green Zamoskvoretskaya line from Teatralnaya 5 stops to Kolomenskaya (via Novokuznetskaya, Paveletskaya, Avtozavodskaya, Tekhnopark)
Kremlin (Teatralnaya)Tsaritsyno22 min
Green Zamoskvoretskaya line from Teatralnaya 8 stops to Tsaritsyno (after Kolomenskaya: Kashirskaya, Kantemirovskaya, Tsaritsyno)
Kitay-gorodVDNKh15 min
Orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya line from Kitay-gorod 6 stops to VDNKh (Turgenevskaya, Sukharevskaya, Prospekt Mira, Rizhskaya, Alekseyevskaya, VDNKh)
VDNKhOstankino TV tower15 min
Tram 17 or 25 from VDNKh metro to the 'Ostankino' stop, or bus S585/561 to 'Ekskursionny korpus telebashni'; the main entrance is on Novomoskovskaya ulitsa
- Bus 76, 311 or M58 to 'Ulitsa Akademika Korolyova'
Kitay-gorodTretyakov Gallery (Tretyakovskaya)5 min
Orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya line 1 stop south from Kitay-gorod to Tretyakovskaya
- Walk across the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky bridge from Red Square
Komsomolskaya (three stations square)Red Square (Okhotny Ryad)10 min
Red Sokolnicheskaya line 4 stops: Krasnye Vorota, Chistye Prudy, Lubyanka, Okhotny Ryad
KurskayaIzmailovo (Partizanskaya, Vernisazh market)12 min
Dark blue Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line 4 stops: Baumanskaya, Elektrozavodskaya, Semyonovskaya, Partizanskaya
Moscow City (Vystavochnaya)Arbat (Arbatskaya)10 min
Light blue Filyovskaya line via Kiyevskaya and Smolenskaya to Arbatskaya (3 stops)
- River boat route 1 from the Moskva-City piers to Kievsky pier, then the metro
Kievsky pier (Berezhkovskaya naberezhnaya)Park Fili
River electric boat route 1 (Troika RUB 400 weekdays, RUB 700 weekends in summer 2026) via the Moskva-City piers
- Filyovskaya line to Filyovsky Park, then 16 minutes on foot
Kievsky pierLuzhniki (Sparrow Hills)
River electric boat route 4 Kievsky - Luzhniki, opened 2026
- Sokolnicheskaya line to Vorobyovy Gory
Okhotny RyadSokolniki Park15 min
Red Sokolnicheskaya line 6 stops north-east to Sokolniki (Lubyanka, Chistye Prudy, Krasnye Vorota, Komsomolskaya, Krasnoselskaya, Sokolniki)
Kazansky stationZhukovsky Airport50 min
'Sputnik' express to Otdykh (37 minutes, weekdays), then bus or taxi
- Bus 441 from Kotelniki metro (about 64 minutes)
To and from the airport
SVO
- Train · 35 minAeroexpress Standard RUB 700 (RUB 650 if bought at least a day ahead, round trip RUB 1,350, Business RUB 1,700); on aeroexpress.ru or in the app
Sheremetyevo (North complex B/C or South complex D/E/F) - Okruzhnaya - Savyolovsky - Belorussky, continuing along MCD-1 to Moskva-City and Kuntsevskaya. Belorussky to the airport takes about 46 minutes. Afisha Daily warns that the two terminal complexes have different timetables and the last train leaves one of them much earlier: ask staff which platform to use.
- Bus · 20 minExpress bus RUB 450, round trip RUB 750 (Aeroexpress fares)
Aeroexpress express bus 1195 between Terminals B/C (every 10 minutes) and Khovrino metro station (green Zamoskvoretskaya line, exit 2) on the M-11 toll road; 1195D serves Terminals D, E and F every 15 minutes. About 20 minutes to B/C. Its timetable changed on 1 October 2026.
- Bus · 50 minCity fare (about RUB 100 or less, Afisha Daily 2026)
City bus 851 and minibus 949 from Rechnoy Vokzal metro, or bus 817 and minibus 948 from Planernaya metro, every 15-20 minutes; 40-60 minutes depending on traffic.
- Taxi · 60 minAbout RUB 1,000-2,000 from the centre by day, RUB 2,500-3,000 at rush hour (Afisha Daily, 2026)
Order through an app and ignore drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall. Afisha Daily: 40 minutes in good traffic, up to 2-2.5 hours on a bad day on Leningradskoye shosse.
DME
- Train · 45 minAeroexpress Standard RUB 700 (RUB 650 a day ahead)
Aeroexpress terminal by exit 2 of Terminal 1 - Verkhnie Kotly (change to MCC) - Paveletsky station (Paveletskaya metro). Some trains also stop at Domodedovo town.
- Bus · 45 minExpress bus RUB 450, round trip RUB 750
Aeroexpress bus 1185 every 15 minutes from Terminal 1 (next to exit 2), stopping at Terminal 2 (international), to Domodedovskaya metro (green line, exit 10).
VKO
- Metro · 40 minMetro fare RUB 75 on the Troika
Aeroport Vnukovo station, terminus of the Solntsevskaya line under the airport car parks, opened in September 2023: the first Moscow airport with a direct metro link. Ride to Park Pobedy (12 stops) and change to the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line for Kievskaya, Arbatskaya and Ploshchad Revolyutsii; the line also continues to Delovoy Tsentr (Moscow City). Journey time is an estimate from the number of stops.
- TrainNot verified
The Aeroexpress Kievsky - Vnukovo service ended on 31 July 2024; since 1 August 2024 the railway line is served only by ordinary suburban trains of the Central Suburban Passenger Company (timetable not verified).
ZIA
- Train · 37 minNot verified
Zhukovsky has no direct rail link. 'Sputnik' express trains run from Kazansky station to Otdykh station (37 minutes, weekdays only per Wikipedia), then a short bus or taxi to the terminal. Bus 441 runs from Kotelniki metro to the airport (about 64 minutes). Small airport: about 1.4 million passengers a year.
Good to know
- Buy a plain Troika card for RUB 150 deposit at the first metro ticket office and top it up with cash: with foreign Visa and Mastercard cards not working in Russia, it is the simplest way to ride everything at the RUB 75 single fare.
- On a busy day the 1-day 'Yediny' ticket (RUB 415) pays off after six rides; the 90-minute ticket (RUB 112) covers bus-plus-metro journeys with changes.
- On the MCD outside the central zone, tap the Troika both when entering and when leaving, or the card can be blocked.
- Plan for airport disruption: drone attacks closed all four Moscow airports for hours on 9 October 2026 and again overnight on 13-14 October 2026, with more than 500 flights delayed or cancelled. Leave buffer time before an onward connection and check the airline before going to the airport.
- At Sheremetyevo the Aeroexpress leaves from two terminal complexes with different timetables; confirm the platform with staff rather than following signs (Afisha Daily).
- Do not take taxis offered in the arrivals hall; book in an app or through your hotel (UK FCDO).
- Have offline maps and screenshots of addresses: Muscovites did the same during the March 2026 mobile internet shutdowns, when even taxi and banking apps on the 'whitelist' sometimes failed.
Useful apps
- Metro Moskvy (official Moscow Metro app: virtual Troika and Troika registration, per RIA Novosti)
- Yandex Go (taxi; Afisha Daily names it with Uber and Gett as the airport taxi apps)
- Aeroexpress app (airport train and express bus tickets)
- Download offline maps before arrival: during mobile internet shutdowns map apps and taxi apps may not work (Moscow Times, March 2026)