Domodedovo is not bad. Its big, clean and has many check in desks. The food is expensive and can of beer will cost you about 250 rubles. A basic salad will be over ten pounds. The the down side is it takes ages to get to and to leave the airport by taxi. The police hang about outside the airport and will not allow cars to park there, so being collected by taxi will be hard since they often can't park. You will also be hassled by countless men offering you a taxi, be careful you could be given a city tour and charged 1000's of Rubles. The airport in summer was hot this year and the air con was not working so it was hotter inside than outside. Perhaps the air con units were never installed or were stolen? nothing would surprise me here. Watch out for pickpockets and hold onto your things, most of the police look uninterested in their jobs and mostly sit about smoking and I have even seen some buying beer from the airport shop.
Generally its a good airport but allow at least two to three hours to get there if travelling from the centre of Moscow.
Good points:
1 Many check-in desks
2 Free baggage trollys
3 Modern
4 Clean
Bad points:
1 Chaotic baggage claim and slow baggage delivery
2 Expensive shops
3 Slow passport controls and security checks
4 Taxi driver hassle when you arrive
5 Bad drop off and pick up points outside the arrivals
Posts
actually, this sounds pretty hilarious.
ReplyDeleteit's like one of those letters home from a kid at summer camp, where everything is terrible.
the more i read it, the funnier it is.
I am pleased you can see my irony. Thanks. But seriously it aint so bad and the planes really do fly!!
ReplyDeleteLooks fascinating
ReplyDeleteTerry, airports are not really facinating!!!
ReplyDeleteJust be happy you don't have to go through Shermetova, it's not as nice as Domodedovo although it did improve considerably in the four years that I lived there. But on the subject of Domodedovo, take the train from Pavaletskaya, it will take you about an hour all told, far more convenient and civilized than taxi (official or unofficial)!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBut we go from that airpot as they fly to Austria do all Moscow airports fly from Moscow to France and Austria as well as Flyniki and Austrian airlines??? I'll def try the train if its direct and hassle free? Thanks
ReplyDeleteAs Muscovite, I do support the idea of not taking taxis to the airport, unless you carry big luggage or travel before or after the busy hours.
ReplyDeleteSince 2008 all airports of the city are connected by train service.
Train to Domodedovo departs from Paveletskaya (green line, exit into the railway station, take a left turn right at the end of the escalator, then follow "Aeroexpress" signs downstairs, and you'll get in. Trains depart every 30 minutes during the day, travel time is 47 minutes, very accurate.
Train to Sheremetyevo Terminals D,E,F departs from Belorusskaya (green line, exit to the railway station), depart every 30 minutes in peak and 1 hour off-peak, travel time is 35 minutes.
Vnukovo is connected by trains from Kievsky railway station, but I have personally never used it and it is unlikely that you'll ever have to use this airport.
I've actually used Sheremetyevo a lot as of recently, as I travel in and out of Moscow at least one or twice a month (girlfriend lives there...). As I generally use either Air France or Aeroflot, which fly direct to Paris (that's where I live....), I really can't complain about the quality of the recently opened terminals D and E - they're pretty empty, as a matter of fact, and both passport and security control take a matter of minutes. Even luggage deliveries are quick and efficient - which sort of puzzles me.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, thanks for your blog. I truly appreciate the advise, as I have been experiencing some of your misery myself (dievychka lives in one of those ugly high-rise buildings in Golobinski Raion but insists it is quite nice by local standards). I've even had the opportunity to visit local hospitals when my GF's sister gave birth to her offspring, so I can truly relate to your article on the subject. I've even been to Cyzdal twice.... I get to come back to Western Europe in between my short visits, though, sad to be leaving her behind yet always somehow relieved to go back to "civilisation". She thinks I should spend more time in Moscow, however, but I'm a bit concerned about the idea - though I don't mind the expat experience at all, quite the contrary (I actually spent some years abroad before, but that was in London and New York....).
Good luck with the upcoming winter. I was there early this week and literally froze my ass when I walked to the nearby market on Monday, and it wasn't nearly the coldest day of the week from what I've heard. Take care Mate :)