Moscow is Russia's capital and largest city. It is also the largest city in Europe, with its metropolitan area being among the biggest in the world. As such, Moscow is the country's political, economic, religious, financial, educational and transportation centre. Home to the world famous Kremlin, Lenin's mausoleum, St Basil's Cathedral and many more stunning sights. It's a city that you will want to visit time and again.

Getting There
By Air:
As Russia's capital, Moscow is well served by several airports:

• Sheremetyevo International Airport (495 232 65 65; www.sheremetyevo-airport.ru) has two terminals - Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights.
• Domodedovo Airport (495 933 66 66, 495 720 66 66; www.domodedovo.ru).
• Vnukovo Airport (495 436 28 13; www.vnukovo.ru) serve both international and domestic flights.

Visitors can take a taxi or shuttle bus into Moscow, but, be warned, the traffic from the airports is notoriously bad and, what should take 25 minutes, can take over an hour. If you do want to take a taxi, it's recommended that you ask your hotel concierge to book one in advance so someone is there to meet you.

Alternatively, you can take a train. It's faster, more convenient, and it takes you straight to the centre of the city in around 30 minutes. The Domodedovo train arrives at Paveletskaya metro station. The Sheremetyevo train arrives at the Savelovskaya metro station and the Vnukovo arrives at the Kievskaya metro station.

By Rail
The Railway system is highly developed with 9 major railway stations welcoming both international and domestic trains (www.moscowout.ru/transport/trainstation).

The main information desk for Moscow train stations: 495 266 93 33
For the Belorusskiy Station: 495 266 03 00
The Kazanskiy Station: 495 266 23 00
The Kievskiy Station: 499 240 70 71
The Kyrskiy Station: 495 266 53 10
The Leningradskiy Station: 495 262 91 43
The Paveletskiy Station: 495 950 37 00
The Rizhskiy Station: 495 266 85 00
The Savelovskiy Station: 495 266 81 00
The Yaroslavskiy Station: 495 266 63 00

Weather
Moscow has highly changeable weather. Warm weather can quickly replace cold, and hot weather can rapidly give way to rain and wind. The warmest month is July (+ 30^oC), while the coldest months are January and February (- 20^oC).

Important Numbers

Transportation/Getting Around

Note: the local currency is Russian Rouble (RUB). US$1 = 24 RUB

Local Language
Learn more about local language from below.

Business and Finance
Since the turn of the century, rising oil prices, increased foreign investment, higher domestic consumption and greater political stability have bolstered economic growth in Russia. By the end of 2007, the country had experienced its ninth straight year of growth, averaging 7% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. The same year, Russia's GDP was $2.076 trillion, the seventh largest in the world, with GDP growing 8.1% from the previous year. Growth was primarily driven by non-traded services and goods for the domestic market, as opposed to oil or mineral extraction and exports. Over the last five years, fixed capital investments have averaged real gains greater than 10% per year and personal incomes have achieved real gains of more than 12% per year. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis. A principal factor in Russia's success has been the combination of strong growth in productivity, real wages, and consumption.

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