The Russian capital launched its first tourist pass on Wednesday January 23, when the Moscow Pass went on sale according to information published on the portal WowMoscow. The pass is expected to make Moscow, a city that currently has a reputation of being difficult for visitors, a more tourist-friendly destination.
The excessive bureaucracy, lack of signs in English, scarcity of English speaking people and rude behavior are the chief causes for Moscow's poor reputation with tourists and visitors. The difficulties and costs involved in obtaining even short duration visas only make things worse.
The Moscow Pass makes life easier for tourists by giving them easy access to many places of interest such as, museums, sightseeing tours and restaurants across the city. Currently, the following places and tours are included and more are likely to be added soon:
- Saint Basil's Cathedral.
- Museum of History of Corporal Punishment.
- State Historical Museum.
- The State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia.
- Multimedia Art Museum Moscow.
- Museum of Russian Icons.
- Museum of Patriotic War of 1812.
- Radisson Royal Moscow river cruise.
- Moscow Free Tour.
- Moscow City Sightseeing Tour.
With the Moscow Pass, the holders can skip the queues at the participating places. They only need to present the pass to the representative or the cashier desk where the sign is displayed. The card also allows holders to save up to 25% on entry fees according to the portal.
The card also provides other benefits like discounts at restaurants and some other outlets. It is possible to get up to 50% discount on some city tours and cruises. The brochure provided with the card gives the details of all benefits plus maps and information about useful attractions, excursions and travel tips.
The card can be currently purchased online and it will be delivered to any Moscow address. In future it will be available at railway stations, airports, souvenir shops and restaurants. The current price of the card is 2400 rubles, which is about $80.
The Moscow Pass hopefully will make the life of tourists and visitors to the city easier, especially the people who are not familiar with the local language.