Roads

    Moscow has a more comprehensive network of roads than the rest of the country, but as the roads get further from the centre the surface gets worse. Suggested tourist routs are provided in Latin script, and motorways are prefixed with an M and major routs with an A.

    It would be a good idea to plan everything before you leave, an itinerary, accommodation, and visa's for the countries you will be travelling through.  Traffic drives on the right, the max speed limit is 110km/h and the speed limit for built up areas is 60km/h. Driving under the influance of any alcohol is illegal, as well as drugs, however more and more people are driving while under the influence, so care should be taken, especially at night. Seat belts, a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher and an emergency triangle or red light are required. It is wise to carry spare petrol as filling stations can be far apart.

    At is necessary to have an international driving permit with a translation. Visitors bringing their own cars also require the following;  passport and visa; itinerary card bearing visitor's name and citizenship; car registration number; full details of itinerary (presented upon entry to the country); form provided by Customs on arrival guaranteeing that the car will be taken out of the Russian Federation on departure; petrol vouchers purchased at the border; and insurance documents. Road tax is payable upon entry to the country.

you should arrange insurance for travel within the Russian Federation before departure, or at offices of Ingosstrakh, he Russian Federation foreign insurance agency, upon entry into the country. your nearest Russian embassy can provide further details. One reputable automobile association in Moscow is Avtomobilnyy klub Rossii, Yaroslavskaya ulitsa 4 (tel: (095) 286 8562), which can provide information and a 24-hour breakdown line (tel: (095) 785 1010).

Emergency breakdown service: GAI (095) 923 5373

Routes to the city: The Moskovskaya Koltsevaya Avtomobilnaya Doroga (Moscow Ring Road) is an orbital motorway surrounding the city linking roads arriving from Minsk (M1), Kiev (M2), Nizhny Novgorod (M7), Riga (M9) and St Petersburg (M10).

Driving times to Moscow: From Nizhny Novgorod - 7 hours 15 minutes; St Petersburg - 12 hours 30 minutes; and Kiev - 14 hours 15 minutes.

Coach services: The Central Bus Station is located at Shchelkovskoe Shosse 75 in the eastern suburbs of the city. There are, however, no middle- or long-distance coaches available of a quality acceptable to most Western travellers.