Exploring Moscow for the First Time? A Personal Guide is What You Need!

Johnny and Victor Veir-Voronov at Moscow Kremlin
«Ancient Architecture and Modern Technology Collide!» - See photo in album Picture of a Day

If you are coming to Moscow on business and need help with local transportation or translation during your stay, if you’ve got a couple of days to spare to do some sightseeing after you are done with all the important stuff, or if you go to Russia to check out all the tourist attractions in the first place, I can offer you the top-level personal driver and guide services for your entire trip’s duration. Since the meeting in Moscow Airport and until the moment you board the plane back home I’ll be your driver, guide and translator all-in-one, helping you find your way around the city and ensuring you’ll get the most out of your stay.

If you want to truly experience Moscow and get to know its rich historical and cultural heritage, take loads of pictures and just have a great time in a new and unfamiliar city, a personal guide is the way to go. It’s great if you have a friend showing you around or if you’re on an organized tour – but not all hidden tourist gems find their way into the generic program, you know. The tour schedule might not suit you, the attractions list might not have all the sights you had in mind, rolling together with a large group of people in a predetermined path might not be your way of spending time – there are plenty of reasons why people choose personal guides. If you are on a business trip, sightseeing might not be a top priority on your list of to-do things. But if there’s some free time left and you are in the mood to spend it discovering the various Moscow’s attractions, feel free to contact me and I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.

Only with a guide you’ll be able to survive the maze of Moscow’s streets

Moscow isn’t exactly the easiest city to find one’s way around if you are a foreign tourist or a businessman. Luckily, you’ve already had your stay planned beforehand by yourself or by other people responsible for that, with all the transportation and guide services arranged for. But what if you’d like to veer off the beaten path a little bit and check out something that’s not on your tour program? If you came by yourself and have no one to take care of meet and greet service in a Moscow airport, you might find yourself a little bit confused and overwhelmed. The language barrier can make things even more complicated if you don’t have someone who can translate with you – not so many people can speak English here, let alone other foreign languages. Feeling stranded in the airport in Moscow and being absolutely confused by the transportation system of the city is definitely not the best way to start your trip, so give a thought to the meet & greet service I can provide you straight from any Moscow international airportcustoms and passport control.

There are five airports in Moscow. Domodedovo airport and Sheremetyevo airport are the two international airports that most foreign visitors will arrive at. These two handle most of the international traffic, so they’re going to be your gateway to the city and the country. The customs procedures and passport control are nothing special; everything’s pretty much as you would expect them to be in any major airport around the globe. First you go through passport control. After you’ve got the stamps, you are free to pick up your luggage. Then it’s time for the customs proceedings. Just be sure to declare all your valuable possessions or large amounts of cash and hold to those papers until the day of departure, as you’ll need them when you depart. The time it takes to pass all the controls may vary depending on how many flights have arrived around that time; generally it takes anything from half an hour to an hour or more if it’s a particularly busy time.

Even locals get lost in Moscow sometimes, being a foreigner doesn’t help the situation

After you are done with all the paperwork, you walk out into the arrivals hall and are basically free to go about your business. If you’re not a first time visitor, can speak Russian or just feel confident exploring and finding your own way around Moscow, you can call a taxi, catch a train or a bus straight out of the airport and get to the city proper. After that, there’s a variety of ways to get where you want – but I’ve got to warn you that sometimes navigating Moscow can be hard even for a local. The public transportation system is fairly complex, the traffic is intense, and, as I said before, the language barrier can really get in your way when you need to find the simplest and quickest route around the city.

In most cases you’ll be much better off with someone who’ll take care of all that stuff for you, leaving your hands and mind free to enjoy the trip. We can arrange the meeting in airport if you provide me your contact and arrival data. Usually, I’d be holding a card with your name in the Moscow airport arrivals hall, standing near an easy-to-spot landmark right close to where you’ll be coming from. Of course, I can also provide you with photos of me so that you’d have an easier time finding me in the crowd. In case of an emergency you can also contact me via the cell phone number I will provide you with. I will wait for you to go through all the paperwork and customs control. Don’t worry if it takes a while, or if your plane is delayed – I’ll still be there to pick you up right after you’re done. It would be great if we could work out a preliminary schedule for your stay in Moscow, but there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from changing anything mid-course. I’m completely open to your suggestions any time during your stay in Moscow – just tell me what you need, and I’ll use all my knowledge and experience to guarantee you’ll have an unforgettably pleasant visit to Moscow.

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About Me in Short

Guide, Driver and Photographer Arthur Lookyanov

My name's Arthur Lookyanov, I'm a private tour guide, personal driver and photographer in Moscow, Russia. I work in my business and run my website Moscow-Driver.com from 2002. Read more about me and my services, check out testimonials of my former business and travel clients from all over the World, hit me up on Twitter or other social websites. I hope that you will like my photos as well.

See you in Moscow!

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