Getting Around Samara
Samara is a large city spread along the Volga, and its layout reflects its history as a river port and industrial centre. For a visitor, the practical question is how to link the downtown and riverfront with the wider city, and how to reach it from the airport. The city has a metro, a tram and bus network, and taxis, and much of the centre is manageable on foot.
By Metro
The Samara Metro is a convenient way of zipping across the city, though it remains underdeveloped: it comprises a single line that runs east to west. That makes it useful for crossing the city in that direction, but it will not get you everywhere, so plan on combining it with other transport.
- Fares are paid per trip, and there is a discount if you use a transport e-card rather than buying a single ticket.
- Stations along the line include Alabinskaya, Rossiyskaya, Moskovskaya, Gagarinskaya, Sportivnaya, Sovetskaya, Pobeda, Bezymyanka, Kirovskaya and Yungorodok.
- Yungorodok is the only above-ground station, so expect the rest of the line to be underground.
- At least one station, Rossiyskaya, is open from 06:00 to 24:00, which gives a rough sense of the metro's operating day.
Trams, Buses and Other Public Transport
Beyond the metro, surface public transport fills in the gaps in the network. Buses and marshrutka (shared minibus) routes are the main way of reaching places the single metro line does not serve, and they are also the link between the airport and the city. As with the metro, a transport e-card is the convenient way to pay across the system rather than buying individual tickets.
- Bus 78 connects Kurumoch International Airport with Barboshinoy (Барбошиной поляны).
- Marshrutka routes 392 and 406 also serve the airport.
- For longer journeys into or out of Samara, the Central Bus Station (Центральный автовокзал) is on Ulitsy Avrory, at the corner with Moskovskogo shosse, and overnight buses run from nearby cities such as Nizhny Novgorod, Perm and Moscow.
By Train
Samara's main railway station, Samara-Passazhirskaya, sits on Komsomolskaya Square at the intersection of Ulitsa L'va Tolstogo and Ulitsa Sportivnoy. Almost all trains connecting with Siberia and the Russian Far East call here, and there are frequent departures from Moscow as well as daily trains from Saint Petersburg and overnight trains from Yekaterinburg. Journey times from Moscow vary considerably depending on which train you take. If you are arriving by rail, the station is your gateway to the rest of the city's transport.
By Boat
The life of the city has always been linked to the Volga, and the river remains part of how people move around and enjoy Samara. The Port of Samara (Речном вокзал) is on Ulitsa Maksima Gor'kogo in the downtown, and the riverfront is one of the main recreation sites for both locals and visitors.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
For everyday trips around Samara, taxis and ride-hailing apps are a practical fallback when the metro and bus routes do not line up with your plans, particularly late in the evening or when carrying luggage.
Walking
Walking is a realistic way to explore the central area. The downtown and the Volga riverfront are close enough to combine on foot, and the riverfront in particular is one of the main recreation sites in the city. The city is long and stretched out along the river, however, so for longer cross-town journeys you will want to use the metro, buses or a taxi rather than relying on foot alone.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Kurumoch International Airport (KUF) is the main gateway for air travellers, with domestic flights from Moscow and other Russian cities as well as international connections. To reach the city from the airport you have three main options:
- Taxi, which is the most direct option.
- Bus 78 to Barboshinoy (Барбошиной поляны).
- Marshrutka routes 392 and 406.
Once you are in the city, the metro, buses and marshrutkas, and taxis together cover the ground the single metro line cannot reach on its own.