Travel and transport agencies Moscow (Москва)

ExploRussia is a travel agency created by two young women from Siberia and the Russian Far East. They have created an agency whose aim is to discover Russia from the inside, its people and local ways of life rather than from the landscape. ExploRussia offers guided tours, off the beaten track where anecdote, experience and good humour rub shoulders with academic knowledge. Because of its particular concept, the agency favours small groups to enhance the quality of the experience.

IdeaGuide tourist agency offers tours in French, English and Spanish. It operates throughout Russia and specializes in tailor-made tours for small groups, families and groups of friends. The company's mission is to show the different facets of Moscow outside of its clichéd and touristy routes. There is a large choice of thematic tours (more than 50 in Moscow) pre-programmed, to give you ideas for your trip or to follow the guide! The French-speaking team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The premises of Tsar Voyages in Moscow are very central and very pleasant. In this friendly little beehive, whatever your request, you will find a French-speaking, competent and available interlocutor. You can organize an à la carte tour with your advisor, register for a group excursion, buy your train tickets or book your tickets for shows. Note that the Tsar Voyages team is also the one that proposes the excursions on the website www.tsarvisit.com

The metro is the king of transportation in the capital. Stations are identified by red "M" signs on the street. Tourists can easily get lost in the network: directions are indicated at each platform in English and Cyrillic, line changes are indicated by signs showing a blue man descending the steps. The metro fare is reasonable (think of the Troika card) and the metro is free for children under 7 years old. Moreover, since the Olympic Games, most of the signs are in English.

Russia's capital, Moscow, is served by Lufthansa. Domodedovo International Airport is the city's main airport. Lufthansa currently offers two direct low-cost flights from Moscow to Frankfurt and Munich in Germany.

The French-speaking travel agency Artel Troïka is based in Moscow and prepares customised and off-road stays at reasonable prices. The native team has been formed in France; it bases itself on constant tracking to find new tours and improve its knowledge of French culture. Founded in 2009 by Anton Solovev and Nadejda Baranova, it offers to each traveller a know-how and a very personalised support through its human-size structure: weekend at a charming hotel in Moscow and Saint Petersburg; getaway in nature in Karelia, on Solovki Islands, at Lake Baikal or; adventure on the Trans-Siberian Railway... Each of the 35 travelling ideas on the website of the agency can be modified according to your preferences. There is a wide range of suggested emotions to get inspired: private visits, tastings, night at the dacha... It is possible to make a customised quote enquiry on the website for two or a small group of friends. You will receive a very detailed quote for each service within 2 working days. All the communications with the travellers are made in French.

The Moscow International Airport (АЭРОПОРТ ШЕРЕМЕТЬЕВО) is located 30 km northwest of the city. Built for the 1980 Olympic Games, it now bears the name of Alexander Pushkin and is served in particular by Aéroflot at Airfrance. When you leave the plane, you will have to fill in a form indicating your place of residence in Moscow. Customs are meticulous and the various checkpoints are so disorganized that unlikely human traffic jams often occur. The Aeroexspress takes you to the Belarusskaya metro station.

Domodedovo International Airport is Moscow's oldest airport, located in the Domodedovo raion, 42 km south-southeast of the city center. It was renovated and modernized in 2003 and 2004 to accommodate new wide-body aircraft. It is Russia's second-largest airport in terms of passengers and freight, after Sheremetyevo International Airport. In 2008, it welcomed 20,430,000 passengers. To get to the airport from central Moscow, you can take the Aeroexpress express train, which connects the terminal to Paveliets station in 40 minutes. The airport has two parallel concrete runways and is managed by the East Line Group. Expansion work is planned to double the terminal's surface area. Domodedovo airport was the scene of a terrorist attack in 2011.

Moscow finally has its public bicycle rental system Velib'! There are stations all over the street and more and more bicycle lanes are being built for this purpose on the city's pavements and roads. Even if the use of these bicycles is still a bit difficult for foreigners (all instructions on the site and in the rental points are in Russian), this is a very important and positive change for the capital, which is slowly making its way to its international users

Wheely was originally a carpooling service offered by a London-based company that now offers luxury car rental with driver (closer to a VTC than a limousine, we assure you). Established in Moscow since 2012, it is very successful thanks to its easy-to-use mobile application available on Apple Store and Google Play. You can also use it in St Petersburg, Perm, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Sochi and Krasnodar. It offers a more premium service than its competitors Yandex or Gett.

Founded in 2011 Yandex.GO is the essential app for your travel in Moscow and most provincial cities. Owned by Yandex, the publisher of the "Russian Google", it is one of the best rated, exceeded only by GETT. Its competitiveness is based on a very large number of partners, allowing immediate availability of the ordered taxi and innovations such as speed tracking. The application allows you to see the route to the chosen destination in real time and offers the possibility to pay directly via the application.

This small bicycle rental company, originally located in Gorky Park, has recently opened additional offices. Its service is excellent, offering a wide range of bike choices and rental types (hourly, daily) for a modest price. Their website has a comprehensive English version. The staff are very helpful. They offer very pleasant tourist routes. All in all, it's our clever idea to pedal in the Moscow capital!