Whether you’ve come to Moscow for cultural enrichment or for having fun in clubs and restaurants you surely want to know how to pay less without compromising on the quality. We’re here to give you 4 sneaky tips to save money in Moscow.
Welcome to Barley budget management on Moscow trip!
#1 VISIT MUSEUMS AND SAVE MONEY
ADMISSION FREE DAYS
A lot of Moscow museums and galleries are open for the public free of charge one day a month. This is the 3d Sunday of the month for the majority:
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Museum of Cosmonautics (VDNH metro station)
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Museum of Moscow (Park Kultury metro station)
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Moscow Museum of Modern Art (the main building near Pushkinskaya metro station and 4 exhibition venue)
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Bulgakov Museum (Mayakovskaya metro station)
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The Burganov House or Museum of Surrealism (Kropotkinskaya metro station)
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GULAG History State Museum (Novoslobodskaya metro station) to October 30, 2018, the Museum is closed for exhibit change
When you plan to visit the Tretyakov Gallery you should know there is no free admission to the main building. But every Wednesday you can visit the permanent exhibition “The Art of the Twentieth Century” in the New Tretyakov (Krymsky Val St., 10) not paying.
Almost all museums offer student discounts but sometimes a document verification is required. Tretyakov Gallery, for instance, gives no advantages to foreign students. Unfortunately, not many museums have a special promotion for holders of ISIC. We recommend you at least say that you’re a student (if you are).
MUSEUM DAY & NIGHT
Annually on the night of Saturday to Sunday in the 3d week of May Moscow celebrates the Museum Night when the public enjoys free entrance and the majority of cultural institutions organize different activities. Galleries and libraries reveal the secrets of their storages. Theatres open the backstage and demonstrate performances. Writers and poets read masterpieces of themselves and of their predecessors. Although this is literally “Night” the museums are waiting for the visitors since morning.
#2 HAVE A MEAL AND SAVE MONEY
To go sightseeing in an enormous Russian capital you need to keep your energy up, thus to eat well. There are few saving money tips to have a meal in Moscow without spending much.
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Many cafes and restaurants have special offers for lunch from 12 am to 4 pm for 250 – 600 Rubl (~ $4 – $10) and even for breakfasts till 12 pm and for supper from 16 pm;
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Almost all the bakeries sell at reduced prices in the evening. After 20 pm (in some places after 18 pm) you can buy sandwiches and cakes 20%-50% cheaper;
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Don’t forget about fast food. Don’t forget that nowadays it’s not only burgers and french fries. Teremok follows traditions of Russian cuisine and offers extremely hearty blinis, soups and porridges for reasonable prices. Wokker have a big assortment of wok noodles for ~ 300 Rubl (~ $5) that easily satisfy your hunger;
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If you want to get a bite but hate snacks, drop in Cofix while you’re walking down Arbat (Arbat St. 1) or on your way to the Kremlin (Manezhaya Square, 1 Bld. 2, food court in the mall Okhotniy Ryad). Small cafeterias with fixed prices offer salads, quiches, pies, sandwiches, coffee and lemonades for only 60 Rubl (~ $1). Besides, you can order a proper meal (proteins with garnish) for 100 Rubl (~ $1,6). The reason for such low prices is little portions, not the bad quality.
For more recommendations to rationalize your Moscow trip expenses check out the best places with local food in Moscow for cheap.
#3 GO ON EXCURSION AND SAVE MONEY
FREE TOUR
Guided tours, let alone private excursions, cost money. Of course, they worth it but if there are some cheaper ways to explore the city, why don’t you give it a try?
First of all, book your 2,5 hour Moscow Free Tour. Daily at 10.45 am super-charismatic guides with a solid knowledge of Russian history show all the major attractions of the heart of Moscow: the Red Square, the Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, GUM, the Bolshoi Theatre. Moreover, you will witness the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
You will hear stories that are not published in guidebooks because the guys from Moscow Free Tour make their every excursion with incredible love and passion and just for the tips.
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Hours: daily, at 10.45 am
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Meeting point: Kirill and Mephodius monument (Kitay Gorod metro station)
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Contacts: +7 (925) 060 28 66 (9 am – 8 pm)
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Price: FREE
TRAVEL APP
In case you try to avoid crowds and find some privacy to explore the city on your own, check out an application izi.TRAVEL (iOS/Android/Windows). It’s pretty easy to use. After you downloaded the app, you put on your earphones, turn on device location and open the izi.TRAVEL. You can choose any object close to you and listen to a brief historical overview in English about buildings, streets, boulevards, bridges, sculptures, metro station, etc.
With izi.TRAVEL you don’t have to keep your eyes on a guidebook instead of admiring the beauty around you
Also, you can save money on a guided tour in Kremlin, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (the Main Building and Gallery of the 19th and 20th century European), New Tretyakov, State Darwin Museum, and Orlov Paleontological museum (just if you’re in love with dinosaurs). But when you’re tired of exhibits feel free to go for a walk in Tsaritsyno or Kolomenskoye accompanied by izi.TRAVEL that will reveal some secrets of the epoch of Russian Tsars.
#4 MOVE AROUND THE CITY AND SAVE MONEY
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Walking down Moscow streets on foot is a pretty low-budget variant but when your legs are dead after 5 hours stroll you will probably want to take a ride. Let’s see how to save money in Moscow using the public transport.
As you know Russia is famous for its gorgeous and magnificent subterraneous palace, Moscow Metropolitan. Going down to the subway you mix business with pleasure since it’s a fast and impressive mean of transport. You should know that the metro, buses, trolleys, and trams are integrated into one system, therefore, there are plenty of ticket types. We will tell you about the most advantageous according to your personal needs.
When you plan using both, ground and underground transport buy the universal card Troika and top it up. Then one ride on a bus/trolley/tram or on a metro will cost you 36 Rubl (~ $0,6). When you manage to combine metro and bus/trolley/tram in 90 minutes it will cost altogether 56 Rubl (~ $0,9). The card itself is valid for 5 years and free but you must leave 50 Rubl (~ $0,8) as a deposit that you can get back by returning Troika. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to receive your money back if you haven’t used up all your credit. The procedure is complicated because the bank details are required.
Without Troika one ride costs 55 Rubl (~ $0,9)
When you all of a sudden dream of hopping on and off in the subway and on the buses taking more than 6 rides a day, you might need the Ediniy ticket. One day with unlimited rides costs 218 Rubl (~ $3,5), 3 days ticket – 415 Rubl (~ $6,6) and 7 days tickets – 830 Rubl (~ $13).
BIKE & KICK SCOOTER RENTAL
If you want to explore Moscow parks and embankments on two wheels, feel free to rent a bike for 150 Rubl a day (~ $2,4). For the further information check out our post about it or official site.
What can be lighter, easier and funnier than a bike? Right, kick scooter! Summer 2018 Moscow pleased the citizens and tourists by launching kick scooter rental services. For now, there are 25 stations of Samocat Sharing: at Luzhniki Embankment and in the city center. They are foldable so you can take the scooter with you in the subway or just carry it in your arms if it’s too crowded around. The app Samocat Sharing (iOS/Android) will quickly find the nearest rental station and demonstrate a video instruction on how to use it. One minute costs 2 Rubl (less than half a dollar), one hour 90 Rubl (~ $1,5), one day 500/600 Rubl (~ $8/10) depends on an area. Credit card needed. Also, there is a 1000 Rubl (~ $16) refundable deposit.
BEAR IN MIND
One hour at Luzhniki Embankment costs 60 Rubl but every next hour goes for 90 Rubl
If you love a fast ride rent an electric kick scooter Delisamokat. There are also 25 stations from 7 am to 11 pm at your disposal. Apps in English are also available (iOS/Android). The prices are 250 Rubl for an hour (~ $4), 999 Rubl for a day (~ $16), 3000 Rubl for a week (~ $48) when you want to have your own transport at home.
BEAR IN MIND
You are allowed to return the kick scooter at any point
![Free walking guide in Moscow [Boulevard Ring]](https://bearlyinmoscow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/P1010192-2-360x220.jpg)
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