How to get from Minsk to Moscow and back

Moscow is probably the first direction that comes to mind if your Schengen visa have run out, but you still have a great desire to travel and learn something new. There are a range of means that can be used to get to Moscow from Minsk, everything depends on the preferences of the traveler, time and budget which he is ready to spend on the journey. In this article we will talk about these means and try to compare them, so that it would be easier for the traveler to determine the most suitable for him. So, let´s start from the very beginning.

Route Minsk - Moscow on the map

The distance from Minsk to Moscow is 718 km. Thanks to the lack of border control between Belarus and Russia, border crossing usually does not take much time, which is undoubtedly an advantage.

Image 1 Photo is taken from the site avtodispetcher.ru

Train

This mean has an advantage over the plain in terms of price, and is also a great option for those who are afraid to fly.

Train timetable for Minsk-Moscow

Trains from Minsk depart to Moscow about 6-7 times a day daily (usually early in the morning and in the evening). The journey takes approximately 9 hours.

Train ticket prices

The prices of the tickets varies from the type of car a traveler chooses: second- class, couple, soft or luxury.

Average price per one seat is:

• second-class — 80 BYN;
• couple — 160 BYN;
• soft — 1200 BYN;
• luxury — 325 BYN.

Where the tickets can be purchased

Train tickets can be purchased at the booking offices of the Belarusian Railway, as well as online on the official website of the Belarusian Railway https://pass.rw.by/.

Bus

The undoubted advantage of traveling by bus is the lower price in comparison with the other means of transport. Another attractive bonus is that some carriers set up their own discount system, for example, for children and students.

Bus timetable for Minsk-Moscow

Unlike train, the choice of departure time of buses from Minsk to Moscow is quite limited: from 19 to 23 hours. Of course, such system is created for the convenience of travelers: since there is no obligatory procedures that are neccessary to be passed while crossing the border between Belarus and Russia, night crossing is an ideal solution. As for the length of the journey, bus is slightly inferior to train, the journey takes about 10-11 hours.

Bus ticket prices

The cost of the travel depends on the tariffs determined by the carriers themselves.

The most famous bus carrier is Ecolines (https://ecolines.by). Ecolines Minsk-Moscow bus ticket price is 52 BYN. If you are an active user of the services, provided by Ecolines, then we would like to draw your attention to their loyalty system. The advantage of this system is that passengers receive a discount from each  journey on their next journey (more details can be found at https://ecolines.by/by/ru/poezdka/sistema-loyalnosti).

However, I would like to highlight other carriers, that provide more favorable travel conditions:

• https://eurotrans.by. The full ticket price is 45 BYN, child tickets (for children up to 12 years old inclusive) - 25 BYN, preferential - 40 BYN. Under the category of "preferential" fall (upon presentation of supporting documents):

• students under 25 years old + student ID;
• persons over 60 years old;
• disabled people of I, II, III groups.

There is also a discount system for those, who are buying a round-trip ticket.

• https://minsk-moskva.by. The full ticket price is 40 BYN/1300 RUB. The carrier provides the following system of discount:

10% (upon presentation of supporting documents):

• persons under 26 years old;
• students;
• persons over 60 years old;
• disabled people of I and II groups.

50% for children from 0 to 12 years old.

There is also a discount system for those, who are buying a round-trip ticket.

• https://www.intercars-tickets.com. Depending on the time of the departure, the cost may be reduced up to 40 BYN.

Plain

Plane is the fastest way to get from Minsk to Moscow. Since there is only one airline in Belarus at the moment - Belavia - in this section we will focus our attention on the flight options provided by the company.

Plain timetable for Minsk-Moscow

Journey takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Unlike buses, where transfers are organized only at night, travelling by plain provides a great freedom in this regard. The first flight leaves at 6.45 in the morning, the last – at 22.45 in the evening.

Plain ticket prices

The price of a Minsk-Moscow plain ticket depends on whether a passenger chooses an economy or a business class. An average price of an economy class seat is 120 BYN, the price of a business class seat is 925 BYN.

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that, despite the popular opinion that airplanes are much more expensive than trains, it is not true (at least in this situation).

Where the tickets can be purchased

Plain tickets can be purchased at the booking offices (located on 18 Lenin St. and 14A Nemiga St.), as well as online on the official website of Belavia https://booking.belavia.by.

Carpooling

Carpooling is one of the cheapest ways to travel. Today, carpooling has become so popular, that special services are created to help drivers to find companions, and travelers to get to their destination cheaper.

There are the following services for carpooling:

• https://www.blablacar.ru;
• https://www.gocar.by;
• http://podvezi.by and some other.

It should also be noted that special groups are created in social networks where travelers can find fellow travelers.

Blablacar

In our list the service Blablacar (https://www.blablacar.ru) deserves to get a special attention. Blablacar is the world´s largest carpooling service. Today, more than 65 million people in 22 countries use the service.

Blablacar was created with the goal to satisfy needs of every customer. We would especially like to single out the function “only for women”. This function allows passengers and drivers-women to pick up female companions. This function is ideal for those who, for example, travel using this service for the first time, helping them to feel safe.

Hitch-hiking

Hitch-hiking is the most controversial mean to travel. Its essence is to stand onе the side of the road and to wait for someone to stop and to give you a lift. It is hardly possible to calculate both the approximate time of the journey and the price, since everything will depend on the driver/drivers (if you fail to find a driver, who will take you to the final destination at once and will have do the procedure once again). It is possible that the journey will cost you nothing, however, according to the rules of hitch-hiking etiquette, you are to thank the driver and to pay him, at least a symbolic sum.

P.S. There are many means to get from one place to another. Every person is able to choose anything suitable for him. The only thing that really matters is the desire to travel and explore the world.