Friday, February 20, 2009

Arrival at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport

Upon arrival at Sheremetyevo, you’ll go through immigration, pick up your baggage, then pass through customs. There is an area for people to meet you upon exiting customs. If you order a taxi in advance, this is where you will find the driver.

There are two places to change money in the airport, as well as an ATM machine. The first is just to the right of customs, beyond a door that says Crew Check in. The other is all the way down the hall to the right, just past the bright yellow Evrosite telephone kiosk. The exchange rate is reasonable, currently 34 point something to the dollar, compared to 35 point something you’ll get in the city.

You can buy a local SIM card for your cell phone, or purchase a phone at the bright yellow Evrosite booth. The staff will ask where you plan to call and recommend the cheapest option.

There is a café and several newsstands in the airport.

To get to the city, you can:
1. Take the train.
2. If your luggage is light, you can take a marshrutka (mini-van bus) to Planernaya or Rechnoi Vokzal Metro stations. This the cheapest option. Go out to where the taxis are. Just beyond the taxis, in the third lane from the exit door, the marshrutkas wait.
3. Call a taxi ahead of time, or from the airport, to come meet you. It’s significantly cheaper to do this than to use the airport taxis. One reliable company is 232 (Telephone: 7 495 232 1111).
4. Take a licensed airport taxi. Be prepared to pay a lot.

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