Let me lead you through the streets of Moscow

by Anni Pelmeni

Come back to my favority topic - Moscow underground.

Metro in Moscow is a gateway to the whole city. Up to 9 million passengers per day. If you want to contribute to this statistics, be sure to learn about Metro system in advance.

Working time:
The stations open at 5:30 am and the first trains start running at 5:40. You can enter the stations till 1:00 am. Trains usually run every 1-2 minutes during a day, every 5-10 minutes early in the morning or late at night. No timetable whatsoever. If you travel very early in the morning (before 7:00 am) account for a longer wait.

Rush hours:
As in any huge city rush hours can be really troublesome. On weekdays from 7 till 11h and from 17 till 21h the Metro is overcrowd. You might would want to avoid this unique experience.
On Saturday Metro is much rather empty, while Sundays could be crowded again, as people tend to spend their days-off in the downtown instead of sleeping suburbs.

Price:
Since September 1, 2007 the price for 1 trip is 17 rubles. You need to purchase a magnetic card which will allow you to pass through automatic tourniquet. After you’ve managed to pass through, there is no other type of ticket control.
You can purchase a magnetic card for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 60, 70 trips. Card for 2 trips are valid for 5 days from the day of first trip. Other cards are valid for 30 days.

There are 2 types of cards:
1. Cards that you simply need to press against the monitor on the tourniquet. You can check the validity of these cards on the special automats that can be found in the Metro stations.
2. Cards that you need to be stamped with the date and time of a trip. Once it is stamped the tourniquet will be opened and you can pass through.
Cards are sold ONLY in the kiosks at each Metro Station [if you are offered Metro Card somewhere else, most likely it is forgery. Do not buy it].

Stumbe it!