Let me lead you through the streets of Moscow

by Anni Pelmeni

It is questionable which metro is more difficult to get around Moscow or Paris, but I'm sure Tokyo metro system beats both of those easily.

The most difficult in Moscow Metro is to read the sign, as all of them are in Cyrillic. Nothing is subdued into English. It might be not a bad idea to learn how to read Cyrilic before you visit Russia, it will save you lots of troubles.

The lack of any English signs is a Soviet legacy. Metro built during the period of isolation of Russia when there was no need to accommodate the needs of tourists. Those few tourists who visited Moscow before the break of Iron Curtain were always with a guide (most surely a KGB agent).

Since the beak of Soviet block Moscow became a tourist attraction but despite increasing flow of visitors over the last 10 years city bosses have not provided that many things to accommodate the needs of foreign tourists. Metro is still Russian-only zone. Little hint here: in each wagon there is a Metro scheme and on those all the stations are subdued in Latin letters.

While we wait that the city administration spend some money to modernize logistics of Metro, here are several advices how to find your way in Metro:
1. There is a Ring. The Ring runs in two direction: clockwise and anti-clockwise. There are also 11 lines that cross each other and the Ring.

2. Each line has its unique colour. This colour is used to identify stations on each line.

3. On the platform you can see the signs which list all the stations that the train will stop at. {Of course only in Russian}.

4. The exit sign is "Выход". Usually there are 2 exists from opposite sides of the stations.

5. Trains usually run each 40-90 seconds (excepts very early mornings and very late night).

It is definitely an achievement when you can find your way in Moscow Metro completely on your own. Congratulations, your survival level has increased by 100 points. Now try to enjoy some of the artistic aspects of Metro.

Lots of useful unto on the official web-site www.mosmetro.ru

Stumbe it!