Facts about Moscow – City Factsheet

Moscow has developed in circles around the original historical center. Today, Muscovites divide their city into four road rings. The first one, Bulvarnoye Koltso (Boulevard Ring), contains the very center of the city, the Kremlin, as well as the Red Square and some other tourist attractions. The second ring road draws a circle with a diameter of around five kilometers around the Kremlin and covers what is considered the city center. The area is referred to as Sadovoye koltso, the Garden Ring. The Third Transport Ring (TTK) is a high-speed freeway. The fourth ring is enclosed by the Moscow Automobile Ring Road (MKAD). The MKAD is the official city boundary, although there are huge areas outside the ring that are also officially part of the city area.

Winter in Moscow usually goes by with lack of sunshine and the long dark nights. The first snow usually appears in the middle of November, but the most snowy months are January and February.

Mains are Europlug (two-pole), voltage is 220V and frequency is 50Hz.
Total bills for building maintenance, electricity, gas, water and telephone services are around 6000 rubles (€81.50) per month. All bills can be paid via internet.

In Moscow, the main forms of public transport are metro, bus and trolleybus. The Metro stations are renowned for their elegant and grand decor, and the Metro services are frequent and efficient, but during the daytime stations and trains are usually overcrowded. Choose first or last coaches since they are often less crowded. Passes for one or two trips can be purchased via ticket machines (cash and coins only). Tickets cost about 55 rubles (€0.75) for one journey. Tickets are valid at the Metro, bus, trolleybus, tram and monorail. It is better to purchase multi-ride pass, using it is more profitable.

-> Read our main articles about surface public transport and Moscow Metro

Uber is available in Moscow as it’s local competitors: Gett, Yandex.Taxi (local leader) or Wheely (use a promo code “WEHEARTMOSCOW” to get 1000 rubles (€13.58) discount at your first Wheely ride). All of them provide iOS and Android apps allowing to order a cab using an online map of Moscow.

-> Read our main article about taxi in Moscow

There are four major mobile-network providers in Moscow: Beeline, MTS, MegaFon and TELE2, offering similar services and coverage. 15Gb 3G/LTE data plan costs about 600 rubles (€8.15) per month. Prepaid or contract micro-SIM and nano-SIM cards are available in almost every provider store.

Major TV-providers in Moscow are Rostelecom (default in-flat provider), Beeline (Microsoft Mediaroom platform), NTV Plus (official broadcaster of Russian Football Championship) and MGTS. All of them offer wide range of different language channels including BBC World News, CNN International, France 24, Deutsche Welle, Russia Today and others. Some sport events are available for watching online at Match TV site (HD available).

Jazz: Radio Jazz (89.1 FM)
Pop: Europa Plus (106.2 FM), Love Radio (106.6 FM), Chocolate (98.0 FM)
Rock: Maximum (103.7 FM), ROCK FM (95.2 FM)
Electronic: Megapolis FM (89.5 FM)
English-language: Capital FM (105.3 FM)

Most stations are streaming online at MOSKVA.FM.

Major internet providers in Moscow are Rostelecom (Ethernet), MGTS (PON) and Beeline (Ethernet or LTE). Average price for fast 60 Mbps internet is 400 rubles (€5.43) per month.

ATMs are available in almost every street. Most provide 24 hour access. Largest banks are Sberbank, Alfa-Bank and Raiffeisen Bank. Also, Tinkoff bank has grew up in recent years.