All major Moscow shops, transport, museum and theater box offices are equipped with cashless terminals that accept international VISA and MasterCard cards. JCB, UnionPay and AmEx cards are not accepted in all places.

When buying souvenirs in small shops or in the market, use rubles, as the foreign exchange rate fluctuates, and sellers can round off the amounts in their favor.

Try not to pay in large bills that require a large amount of change — use your bank card.

Buy furs, jewelry, caviar, antiques, branded items only in trusted stores that have the appropriate license.

Do not buy expensive things from hand or in doubtful shops — the probability of fake in such places tends to 100%.

Immediately after arriving in Moscow, buy a SIM card from any local mobile service provider.

Guest rates for all major Russian mobile operators include user feature package with 1 to 3 GB of Internet traffic and a few minutes for calls.

Calls to emergency numbers are free.

In public transport in Moscow, including the subway, there is a free Wi-Fi network MT_FREE. There are also mobile communications at stations and subway tunnels.

Most restaurants and cafes usually have free Wi-Fi, and in a cafe no one will mind if you sit at a table with a laptop.

If you plan to use a taxi, we recommend installing the Yandex.Taxi application. In the application, you will always see in advance how much the trip costs, you can order a luxury car or a minivan with a large trunk, if you have a lot of things. It is not recommended to connect a bank card to the application — for settlements with the driver it is better to have cash with you.

Moscow ground transportation is very convenient for self-relocation, and the Moscow Metro is not only the fastest way to get anywhere in the city, but also an outstanding monument of history and architecture of the 20th century.

If you plan to use public transport for several days, pay attention to unlimited tickets valid for 1 to 5 days.

If you have any questions, for example, you need an ATM, you want to find out where the nearest jewelry store is, call a taxi or book an excursion, do not hesitate to contact the reception manager or hotel concierge — they will always be happy to help you.

If you have any problems with the hotel, contact your travel agent immediately.

What we recommend to buy in Moscow: furs, red and / or black caviar, amber jewelry, products of folk craftsmen, traditional textiles (scarves, linen, wool, leather).

Warning! Do not buy pseudo-folk souvenirs in popular tourist places — they are produced in China in mil-lions of copies and they are absolutely not worth the money asked for them. If you doubt the legality of the goods — never buy. This is especially true of fur, antiques and jewelry.

Be sure to bring comfortable shoes with you. Moscow is a city of large spaces and major traffic jams, so you will have to walk a lot.

Plan your visit to performances, museums and exhibitions in advance — there may not be tickets in season. You can get all information about visiting historical and cultural monuments from your travel agent.

In tourist programs lasting more than three days, one day is usually provided without excursions. Plan all major purchases for this day.

Do not hesitate to ask the travel agent for the work schedule of the shops and objects you are interested in.

Even if you travel to Moscow in the summer, be sure to put at least one warm thing, an umbrella and, preferably, a raincoat in your suitcase — Moscow weather is reputed to present some unpleasant surprises.

If you are traveling in winter, do not forget a warm jacket or down jacket, hat and mittens — a deceptive thaw may yield to crackling frost at any moment.