Getting Around Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is one of Russia's largest cities and a major transport hub, so visitors have plenty of options for moving around. The city centre is compact enough to explore on foot, while a metro line, an extensive tram network, buses and suburban trains fill in the gaps. For a quick orientation, you can pick up a free detailed street map from the Ekaterinburg Tourist Information Service on 8 Marta Street in the city centre, or buy a map from newsstands and shops in the train stations.
By Metro
The metro is a fast, inexpensive way to cross the city, and locals rely on it for exactly that reason. It consists of a single underground line that links the city centre with Uralmash, a large industrial and residential district to the north, and also serves the main railway station. Stations are open from 06:00 to 00:00. Trains run every few minutes during weekday rush hour and less frequently at other times and on weekends.
Several stations are convenient for sightseeing and transport connections:
- Ploshchad 1905 Goda — right downtown, handy for Ulitsa Vaynera and the Theatre Estrady.
- Geologicheskaya — serves the Circus and the Arboretum.
- Dinamo — a short walk from the city pond promenade, the Theatre for Youth, the Church on the Blood and the Literary Quarter.
- Uralskaya — connects to the Central Railway Station and the Northern Bus Station.
- Chkalovskaya — the stop for the Southern Bus Station.
The stations themselves are worth a look: they are decorated with native Ural stones, granite and marble. Tickets are cheap and bought per journey.
Trams, Buses and Suburban Rail
Yekaterinburg has the densest tram network in Russia, making trams a practical way to reach parts of the city the single metro line does not cover. You can pay on board by contactless bank card or in cash to the conductor. For route planning, the Yandex and 2GIS apps are the tools locals use.
Buses and marshrutkas (shared minibuses) round out the surface network, and the city also has an extensive network of local trains serving Sverdlovsk Oblast. One of these lines, the city electric train line, crosses the city from the north-west through the centre and on to the south, with stops including Pervomayskaya, Shartash, Ploschadka VIZ, Yekaterinburg-Sortirovochnyy, Lesotekhnicheskaya, Botanicheskaya, Uktus and Vtorchermet. Some of these stops connect with trams and buses, so they can be useful for reaching outer districts.
For longer journeys, the Central Railway Station (Yekaterinburg-Passazhirsky) on Vokzalnaya Street is where all Trans-Siberian trains stop; it sits next to the Northern Bus Station and above the Uralskaya metro stop. The Southern Bus Station, on 8 Marta Street, is served by the Chkalovskaya metro station.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are widely available and a straightforward option, particularly for trips with luggage or late at night. A ride between the airport and the city centre is a typical example of the kind of journey a taxi handles well. Ride-hailing apps are also in common use, and the same Yandex and 2GIS apps that locals use for public transport routes are the natural place to start when arranging a car.
Walking
The central area is walkable, and several of the main sights cluster together. From the Dinamo metro station, for instance, it is about a ten-minute walk to the city pond promenade, the Theatre for Youth, the Church on the Blood and the Literary Quarter. The downtown stretch around Ploshchad 1905 Goda and Ulitsa Vaynera is likewise easy to cover on foot. For anything beyond the centre, though, the metro, trams and buses will save you a lot of time.
Getting In from Koltsovo Airport
Koltsovo International Airport (SVX) lies southeast of downtown and is the base of Ural Airlines, with direct flights to most major Russian cities and international services to destinations including Minsk, Rome, Sofia, Frankfurt, Munich, Prague, Barcelona, Vienna, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Tashkent, Bishkek, Osh and Helsinki. You have three main ways into the city:
- Bus #65 — runs frequently (roughly every 15 minutes) and takes about 50 minutes to the centre.
- Taxi — a ride to or from the centre takes around 25 minutes.
- Koltsovo Express train — an express rail service to and from the airport that runs twice per day, stopping at the Aeroport Koltsovo halt.
Whichever you choose, the airport is well connected to the rest of the city's transport network once you arrive.