The Metro is the easiest and the most reliable way get around Moscow. Its layout is quite simple. Radial lines, which cut across the city in most directions, are joined together by a circular line, which also joins together the city's largest railway stations. Each radial line has its own name, number and colour on the metro map, and you can get from practically any station to another one with a maximum of two transfers.

To pay for your ride, buy a magnetic card from a cashier in the metro and insert it from the side marked with an arrow into the slot of one of automatic gates. The number of remaining trips is printed on the backside of your card (two right digits). Then the card is returned to you through the upper slot and you should take it out of it, make sure the green light is on and then pass through the gate. No matter how long you ride or how many transfers you make, you pay no extra fee.

There is separate entrance and exit, marked with
"vhod"  and
"vihod"

To help you find your way, there are several multicoloured metro maps in every car, and a loud speaker that announces the name of the station at every stop. The doors open and close automatically.

To change from one line to another one has to go through a tunnel to the platform of the crossing line. Just look for the sign saying "Perehod"  which means crossing. An exception to this are Tretyakovskaya and Kitay-Gorod where the crossing lines meet at the same platform, so going back at the same line should be done from the other platform instead.

There are approximately two minutes intervals between the trains.

The Metro starts work at 6 a.m., but stations open at 5.30-5.40 a.m. At 1 a.m. the entrances close and passengers must complete their transfers. Last train leaves also at 1 a.m.

A metro ticket looks like: