Visiting Moscow:
an advice for international visitors
How to get to HSE:
The most convenient way to go from and to Moscow airports is by trains. They run from 6am till midnight to Moscow metro stations (nonstop): from Sheremet'evo (SVO) to metro Belorusskaya (Green and Circular line) from Domodedovo (DME) to metro Paveletskaya (Green and Circular line) from Vnukovo (VKO) to metro Kievskaya (Blue and Circular line). It costs 470 roubles. There are electronic
kiosks to buy tickets in the Aeroexpress area and there is
a much shorter line to buy a ticket at the kiosk than from
a person (but check that the kiosk has an English language
option). Getting through the turnstiles to reach the
Aeroexpress train requires some kind of bar code swipe
with the ticket.
The Guesthouse and Math Department are located at Vavilova st. 7a, 300 meters from South entrance to the metro station "Leninsky Prospekt". The Guesthouse share the entrance with the Moscow University Higher School of Economics and is located on 11th, 12th and 13th floors of the HSE. This is a 16-store building, the entrance is located at the northern facade, which is the closest to the metro. The guarded entrance to the Guesthouse is closed between 1:30am and 6:00am; if you arrive late in the night, please, communicate with the organizers, we'll definitely find the way out.
Hotel at HSE:
All rooms are equipped with shower, WC, TV, refrigerator, electric kettle, and the cable Internet. There is no facilities for breakfast at HSE; we thus recommend to buy food in advance.
Wi-fi network in Hotel is named "Vavilova", and password is written in reception desk; wi-fi network in Math Department is called "HSE-DM" and password is "vavilova7". Both networks works very well on 10th floor (not in Dinner room), and on 11st-14th floors as well.
There are phones in the hotel rooms. However, there are included in local HSE network so ask reception if you want use phones.
There is a plenty of small grocery stores near the Leninsky Prospekt metro station (cash only; prices reasonable).
In a short walk distance, on Leninsky Prospekt (one of the main Moscow streets), you'll find a choice of restaurants.
Cafeteria on a 10th floor (from 10 up to 20 o'clock).
Auschan megastore (across the street). A lot of Restaurants (Il'Patio, TGI Friday's) and fast food services so on.
One of the feature one is located across the third Transport Ring (underneath the boulevard, direction to the center) -- the "Taras Boulba Korchma" (Ukrainian and Russian food, dinner with vodka appr. 30 Euro).
Small restaurants along Leninskiy prospekt.
There are ironing boards available, and an iron, upon
request of the maid staff. The ironing boards are out in
the hallway and the maids should have the iron in their
room marked something like ``Maid Services'' (in English)
on each floor. Making a hand motion to the maids with
some clothes as if you're ironing will make it clear what
you're requesting. (Or give people a card with the word
``υΤΐΗ'' on it.) The maids may even do the ironing for you.
Visitors are expected to give the
security guard at HSE the room key when leaving the hotel
and then you get it back when you return. Visitors are
given some kind of document when they first
arrive at the hotel which they apparently are required to
provide the guard upon returning in order to get the room
key.
To walk around:
The Moscow center (Kremlin, Red Square) is marked by red star on Metro map. It is 30 minutes from HSE by metro. Look for "Biblioteka imeni Lenina" (red line), "Teatralnaya" (green line), "Okhotny Ryad" (red line).
Main museums are Pushkinskiy (antic art, a lot of exhibitions) and Tret'yakovskaya Gallery (classic Russian artists (XVIII-XIX century), Avangaurde artists (Malevich, Kandinsky)).
Web-site of Tret'yakovskaya Gallery, "Tretyakovskaya" metro station for classic Russian artists (XVIII-XIX century) and "Park Kultury" or "Oktyabrskayaa" for Avangaurde artists. Tret'yakovskaya Gallery is listed in top-50 most visited museums in a world.
Neskuchnuy sad (10 minutes walk from HSE) and Sparrow Hills (15 minutes walk) are part of Gorky Park. Green park with a lot of attractions along Moskva-river (from "Vorobyovy Gory" metro station to "Oktyabrskaya" metro station). Web-site of Gorky Park.
Some helpful tips
In all three airports (Domodedovo, Sherementievo, Vnukovo) you
can find cash machines once you pass the customs. Taking
roubles from cash machines
gives you better exchange rate comparing to any other
option. In Moscow you can find cash machines, for example,
at the entrance of majority of metro stations.τhe rough
exchange rate: 1 USD = 65 roubles, and 1 EUR = 75 roubles,
1 British pound = 95 roubles.
This is not exact but is a useful rule of thumb.
There are no litter bins in the metro. The police removed them so terrorists can't hide bombs there. So if you take wrapped food into the metro prepare to hold the wrapper until you leave. There won't be a good place to throw it away on the trains or in the stations.
In small shops, street-shops and so on, there might be no possibility to pay by card.
Cashiers seem to really have a thing for
consumers making it easier for the cashier to give back
change. We advice you to have some coins (1, 2, 5, 10 roubles) with you. Also it might be impossible to pay with 1000 and 5000 roubles in small shops.
Watch where you walk! Obstacles that are easy to trip
over may appear on a sidewalk or door passage without
warning. Construction projects do not necessarily have a
big fence separating the workers from where the public
passes by. Door entrances to stores may have unexpected
stairs or bars to step over. Note in particular the chain
across the path towards the entrance to HSE.
There are 1-day, 3-days, 7-days passes in Metro. However, we advice to buy 5- or 10-passes ticket.
Baumanskaya metro station is closed until February, 2016.
In the central corridor of Metro stations there is a red
and blue post marked ιξζο/INFO with a metro map on it.
Normally this is well-placed, but in at least one station
it was hidden near a wall.
Some helpful words to remember
list (in capital letters) of some words and phrases you may meet on signs and doors, with translations:
δα (Yes)
ξετ (No)
χθοδ (Entrance)
ξετ χθοδα (No Entrance)
χωθοδ (Exit; note it differs from Entrance in one letter, ω)
χωθοδ χ ηοςοδ (Exit to City, which is in many Metro stations).
πεςεθοδ (Transfer route, e.g., in Metro to switch lines)
ξετ πεςεθοδα (No transfer this way)
ξα σεβρ (Towards You = Pull)
οτ σεβρ (From You = Push)
οτλςωτο (open)
ϊαλςωτο (closed)
χξιναξιε! (Attention! Walk carefully if you notice this sign.)
ςασπισαξιε (schedule, e.g., in a store or at a train station)