Readme before you journey
The previous day marked our final moments in the captivating city of Saint Petersburg.
This morning, we bid farewell to Saint Petersburg and returned to Moscow. Our pre-booked Sapsan (Сапсан) high-speed train departed around 9:00 AM, allowing us to take our time. We arranged for our host to collect the keys around 8:00 AM. Our accommodation was conveniently located near the Novocherkasskaya (Новочерка́сская) metro station. A short metro ride brought us to Ploschad Vosstaniya (Плóщадь Восстáния) station, a few steps away from our destination, Moskovsky railway station.
Vosstaniya Square Station
Front of Moskovsky railway Station
Moscow Railway Station
Upon arrival and checking the train schedule, it became apparent that the train we were to board to Moscow had already arrived at the platform. Consequently, we proceeded to the platform, as the process of entering the station was quite cumbersome, requiring another round of baggage scanning, even though we had already been scanned once upon entering the train station. The security system was truly meticulous.
Our train has arrived at platform 11.
The journey to Moscow was similar to the outbound trip, a long ride with intermittent naps. Despite being a high-speed train, the journey took four hours due to the considerable distance. We are scheduled to arrive in Moscow around 1 pm.
The atmosphere on the Sapsan high-speed train
Earphone boxes are provided at every seat for those who wish to listen to the TV.
The view along the way is mostly like this.
Moscow Welcomes Us
And here we are, finally arriving at our destination. It's only fitting to say "Privet Moskva (Привет Москва)" or "Hello Moscow" officially, as we only briefly touched down before heading straight to St. Petersburg. We didn't even have the chance to say hello properly.
From today onwards, we'll be spending six days in Moscow before heading back home.
Leningradsky Station is crowded with people.
Front of the station
Kosomolskaya Metro Station
Upon arriving at our lunch time, we decided to grab some fast food at KFC to hold us over before heading to our accommodation on Tverskaya Street. This option was convenient and affordable, with our meal costing only 1403 RUB. We were pleasantly full after the meal.
Our journey to the accommodation began at the Kosomolskaya metro station (Комсомо́льская). Upon arrival, the first step was to purchase travel tickets.
Passage to Kosomolskaya metro station
The ticket we will purchase is called a Unified Ticket. The subway here charges per trip. The card to be purchased is a card that specifies the number of times to get on and off or the number of days. Since it is calculated per trip, one card can be used by multiple people. For example, after we pass through, we can hand it to the person behind us to use. We bought 20 trips, and we were wondering if we would use them all. Some of the attractions are so close that we could walk to them. In the end, we might not use them all, but this is the minimum, so we have to follow it. Buying one ticket for two people seems a bit troublesome and might cause tension. We decided to buy it at the counter because this is a big station with plenty of counters. There is no need to waste time trying to buy it ourselves. This ticket can be used for the subway, bus, trolley bus, and tram. You can see from the card. There are pictures clearly marked.
You can purchase tickets at any of the designated counters.
The card will have an image indicating what it can be used for.
With your ticket in hand, it's time to embark on your journey to your accommodation. However, be prepared for the Moscow metro's unique challenge: most station names are solely in Russian. To navigate this, it's advisable to note down the station names in English for comparison. Alternatively, follow my lead and download the Moscow Metro Map app alongside Yandex. This app provides station names in English, complementing Yandex's route search. Once you've planned your trip using Yandex, simply open the app at the station to view the station name in Russian, making reading much easier. These apps function offline, eliminating any hassle.
The availability of both Russian and English translations makes the process much more convenient.
From Kosomolskaya metro station (Комсомо́льская), our accommodation can be reached by two metro lines. If you don't want to change trains, you can take the brown line 5, which is the Circle Line, and get off at Belorusskaya station (Белору́сская). Alternatively, if you prefer a shorter walk, you can take the red line 1 and change to the green line 2 at Okhotny Ryad station (Охотный ряд) to reach Mayakovskaya station (Маяковская). Since we have luggage today, we prefer to take the option without changing trains.
Both Line 1 and Line 5 can take you there. We chose to take Circle Line 5.
To pass through the station, simply tap your card on the top of the green light, and the gate will open for you to walk through.
Enter the Kosomolskaya metro station, the most beautiful station
It only took 14 minutes to reach our destination station. Now, we'll continue walking to our booked accommodation. As before, we booked our stay through Airbnb. Before our arrival, the host provided me with the address and access code for the apartment. However, upon arrival, we were confused about the entrance and had to contact the host to meet us and take us to the apartment.
Danier is one of the two hosts who took care of us. He warmly welcomed us. Danier's apartment had everything we needed and was exactly as described in the listing.
He informed us that this location is quite convenient due to the close proximity of a supermarket, allowing for easy access to fresh ingredients for cooking. Upon learning that our departure flight was scheduled for around 11 pm, Danier graciously offered to let us check out at 6 pm, providing ample time to pack and find accommodation while waiting for our flight. This gesture was particularly appreciated as there were no subsequent bookings for the accommodation. Subsequently, he took our passports to handle the visa registration process as agreed upon, and arranged to return them the following morning at the earliest possible time.
Today was a long travel day, so we haven't ventured out to explore yet. We're taking a break to rest and unpack. We did, however, take a short walk to the nearby supermarket that Danier recommended to check out the available groceries. This will help us plan our meals for the duration of our stay in Moscow. By supplementing our meals with the dried food we brought, we should be able to save a significant amount of money.
Where will we go next tomorrow? Stay tuned for our continued exploration of Moscow.
For more information, or to greet Piyai and Noolek, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/TravelWithPiyaiAndNoolek/
Piyai&Noolek
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 6:27 PM
