About Koltsovo Intl. Airport
Koltsovo Airport was established in 1928 as a military base to serve the Red Army Air Force and was transformed into a civil airport in 1943. Koltsovo Airport was used for flights between the cities of the Soviet Union until 1993, then the airport was allowed to start international flights. In 1967, a new terminal building was built but for the airport to be able to keep up with the era, another new terminal building was established in 2005. This terminal building was for international passengers, to increase the capacity of the airport. Koltsovo Airport is the center hub of many Russian leading airlines and is the country's largest regional airport.
Getting to the City Center from Koltsovo Intl. Airport
Yekaterinburg, which is the most crowded city of Russia in terms of population density, is also the fourth largest city after Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. Yekaterinburg, which has a population of 1.5 million, is located 1677 km east of Moscow and in the middle of the Ural Mountains which is on the border of Europe and Asia. Being one of the most developed commercial regions of Russia, the city is an indispensable destination for tourists with its ethnic and cultural origin. While the city's transportation network is very wide and developed, there is a great diversity of public transportation vehicles. In general, the means of public transportation are bus, trolleybus, metro, tramway, train, marshrutka and taxi. Apart from these, the number of visitors benefitting from the car rental services is also high. You can get information from the Yekaterinburg tourism office in the city center about the map of the city transportation network. There are two big bus stations and a train station in the city. These three stations are open from 06:00 am to 12:00 at midnight. Just like in the other cities in Russia, which is famous for being a cold country, also in Yekaterinburg, public transportation services never stop even at -35 degrees. Because the public transportation network is highly developed. There is a single and common ticket system for tramway, metro, bus and trolleybus that meet the majority of the city's public transportation needs. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket vending machines or from the bus, metro or train stations, which you can see almost everywhere in the city. The price of these tickets is 24 rubles for single use and 350 rubles for 3 days. Thanks to the city buses it is very easy to travel to any part of Yekaterinburg without any transfer. Apart from the buses, there are also 19 different trolleybus routes. Including their operating hours and ticketing systems, buses and trolleybuses are connected to a single and common system. All buses and trolleybuses operate from 06:00 am to 10:00 pm. There is city bus route 1 running regularly between Koltsovo Airport and Yekaterinburg train station. It is possible to reach the train station, i.e. the city center, with this bus route 1 in about 40-50 minutes. Because the train station is very close to the city center. Apart from these buses which run every 15 minutes, it is possible to go to the city center comfortably by using the bus route 168, which operates every 30 minutes. One way ticket price is only 24 rubles. There are two main bus stations in Yekaterinburg and these stations are called as the north and south. At these bus stations there are ATM, a few markets and stores, eating and drinking places. In addition, there is also a smaller bus station compared to the north and south stations. This station is located just near the airport. The north bus station (+7 343 379 09 09) located on Vokzalnaya street is just near the Yekaterinburg train station and is about 2.5 kilometers of the city center. The south bus station (+7 343 257 12 60) is located on Marta street. Yekaterinburg train station is about 2.5 km north of the city center. It is very easy to reach Yekaterinburg by train. At the same time, from this station there are regular daily trains to other important and major cities of Russia. It is very comfortable to reach the important cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow with the trains departing from Yekaterinburg train station by paying 30-150 euros. If you arrive at the train station from Koltsovo Airport in some way, it is very practical to reach the city directly by using trolleybus from this station. There are two-way express trains that provide continuous transportation service between Koltsovo Airport and Yekaterinburg train station. The stops are; Koltsovo Airport, Koltsovo, Kompresorniy, Lechebniy, Chapaevskaya, Putevka, Shartosh, Pervemayskaya and Ekaterinburg-Passazhirskiy. By taking one of the express train routes 6040 and 6038, it is very budget-friendly and practical to travel from the airport to Yekaterinburg city center. The ticket price of this express train that you will take from the airport will vary from 22 to 50 rubles depending on the season. You can get your ticket from the person in charge in the train and arrive at the train station, which is 2.5 km of the city center, on in about 40 minutes. The metro line called Line 1, which offers service between the central and industrial districts of Yekaterinburg, is actually the only metro line the city has. The Yekaterinburg metro is one of the most popular public transportation vehicles in the city. It is both fast and affordable. It is one of the transportation vehicles commonly preferred by the tourists visiting the city. There are 9 metro stations providing transportation service under Line 1. This line joins the north and south ends of the city. Ticket price for single use is 24 rubles. There are trains every 6 minutes, especially during the heavy traffic hours. ATMs and ticket machines are available at almost every metro stop. The most practical metro stops; Uralskaya (next to the northern bus station, 200 meters west of Yekaterinburg train station), Geologicheskaya (south of the city center, junction point between 8 Marta Ulitsa and Kuibysheva Ulitsa), and lastly Ploschad 1905 Goda metro stop (just in the middle of the city center, Ulitsa entrance). There are totally 30 different tramway routes serving in the city. Travelling to almost every part of the city by tramway is an easy and economical option. All tramway routes operate from 06:00 am to 11:00 pm. It is possible to buy tramway tickets from automatic ticket vending machines found at stations or stops. It is a great convenience that you can also use the ticket you buy for travelling by bus, trolleybus and metro. The fare you need to pay for travelling by tramway is 24 rubles. However, it can be more economical to use public transportation tickets that are valid for 3 days and 350 rubles. Tramway routes 21, 27 and 32 go to the city center from Hotel Sverdlovsk (on the square just across the train station), the most famous hotel in the city. Tramway route 3 provides transportation between the train station and Lenin Avenue, one of Yekaterinburg's busiest streets. Taxi is one of the most convenient and budget-friendly means of transportation in the city which has a heavy traffic. The average taxi fares are 25 rubles per kilometer and the running fare is 160 rubles. Of course, make sure the taxi driver turns on the taximeter and try to bargain about the price. It is possible to get to the city center comfortably and quickly in 25-30 minutes by taking one of the taxis waiting outside the arrivals terminal of Koltsovo Airport. The fare you need to pay for this travel is about 500 rubles. Just like taxis, yellow-colored minivan vehicles are waiting for passengers at the exit of the airport. They operate between 07:00 am and 10:00 pm. These vehicles go directly to the city center after picking up the passengers. They have the capacity of 7-14 passengers and the fare is only 18 rubles. Koltsovo Airport has an agreement with the official taxi company Taxi Avangard; so, you can call this company and make a reservation before your arrival. You can get in contact with the company by calling +7 343 222 0 222. There are more than one rental companies at Koltsovo Airport. You can comfortably arrive at the city center in about 20-30 minutes with the car you have chosen according to your needs and passenger number. Some of the car rental companies at the airport; Avis (+7 922 031 31 31), Europcar (+7 903 080 76 76), Naprokat (+7 911 738 85 12). Since the main offices of these companies are located in Yekaterinburg city center, it is possible to prevent possible loss of time by leaving your car at the airport before leaving the city. If you make your reservation in advance, it will be of great advantage for you to receive your car immediately after your arrival to Koltsovo Airport. If we assume that there is no traffic, it takes about 30-40 minutes to travel across the city. It is quite easy to get to the city center from Koltsovo Airport, which is directly linked to Yekaterinburg highway. You do not even need a navigation device, you just need to follow the signs to the city center.Bus and Trolleybus
Train
Metro
Tramway
Taxi
Car Rental
Getting to Koltsovo Intl. Airport from the City Center
Since the urban transportation and public transportation are very modern and highly developed, the need for taxis or car rental companies in the city significantly decreases. It is possible to travel to all parts of the city with many options such as metro, trolleybus, bus, express train, marshrutka or tramway which will take you wherever you want from the city center within the shortest time.
Arriving at the train station which is within a short distance to the city center or the metro station which is also close to the station enables a comfortable and quick travel to the airport without any transfer. Going to the airport without any transfer is possible thanks to these options.
Bus and Trolleybus
The buses, which connect the many regions of Yekaterinburg to each other, has 40 different routes on average. There are two major bus stations, as the north and south, located on the busiest streets of the city. The north bus station is a little busier than the other, and most of the buses going to the airport are departing from this station.
To get to the southern bus station take bus routes 20, 030 or 57 from 8 Marta bus stop (on the corner of Prospekt Lenina) or trams 1, 5, 15 or 27 from metro Geologicheskaya. Electric trolleybuses are very practical and fast as long as the traffic is not too much. Trolleybus routes 1, 23, 31 and 71 go from the train station to the city center.
Bus routes 1 and 9 also follow the same route. You can use whichever comes first. As the bus and trolleybus routes operate quite often, your waiting time does not exceed 10 minutes. The trolleybus route 11 frequently operates between the train station and the southern bus station.
Train
You can even get to the train station by walking since it is only 2.5 kilometers of the city center, and you can reach Kosovo Airport in about 40 minutes by getting on one of the express train routes 6037 or 6039. Be sure to get your ticket (22-50 ruble) from the ticket vending machine in the station before boarding this express train going to the airport from the train station.
Metro
The Yekaterinburg metro, which was put into service in 1991, is the most economical and fastest way of providing transportation between the city center and the train station or the north bus station. There are 9 different stations of this metro, which has only one line called Line 1, which is 12.7 km long in total.
These metro stops are Botanicheskaya, Chkolovskaya, Bazhovskaya, Geologicheskaya, Ploschad 1905 Goda, Dinamo, Uralskaya, Mashinostroiteley, Uralmash and Prospekt Kosmonavtov. Yekaterinburg metro, which is the 13th and last metro put into service in Russia, is a metro considered to be the shortest metro in the world and was mentioned in the Guinness book.
Geologicheskaya, which is the south of the city center, is the part of the city where many hotels are located and Ploschad 1905 Goda, which is the north of the city center, is the heart of the city and busiest streets are on this region. The public transportation that offers the fastest and most comfortable transportation option between these two regions is metro.
Tramway
Tramway can be preferred as a public transportation vehicle as they will be much faster than buses during heavy traffic. Between the stops of each tramway route there is a region close to the city center. Ticket prices are the same as bus, trolleybus and metro ticket prices; 24 rubles. You can probably get your ticket from the driver. It is quite easy to get to the city center or the train station in a very short time if you take one of the tramway routes 1, 5, 15 or 27 from the 8 Marta bus stop (on the corner of Prospekt Lenina).
Taxi
The fact that the city's transportation network is highly developed greatly reduces the use of taxis in the city. However, those who are trying to get to a place in time can choose to take a taxi in the city. If you want to go to the airport from the city center by taxi, you have to pay about 500 rubles. The taxi companies providing service actively in the city; Taxi Plus (343 381 45 45), Ekaterinburg Taxi (343 334 08 78) and Taxi Gorod (343 373 33 73). Taxi Deluxe (343 336 33 33) is one of the most affordable taxi companies.
Car Rental
Local car rental services are mostly among the last alternatives just like taxis. Because the city traffic and highly developed public transportation network put a damper on car rental services. But if you plan to see other Russian cities in addition to Yekaterinburg, renting a car can be a more economical option for you. In Yekaterinburg, there are the central offices of the car rental companies like Hertz, Avis and Europcar.
The prices start from 75 Euro per day. Local car rental companies are much cheaper than the international companies; daily car rental prices start from about 45 Euro. If you rent your car from the city center; make sure that the office of the same company is also located in Koltsovo Airport. In this way, it becomes possible to leave your car directly at the airport before your flight.
Airport Information
Koltsovo Airport is one of the busiest and biggest airports after Moscow and Petersburg airports in Russia. Koltsovo Airport, which is about 18 km southeast of Yekaterinburg city center, started offering service as a civil airport on July 10, 1943.
There are direct flights from Istanbul Ataturk Airport and Antalya (in some seasons) to Koltsovo Airport, which offer service to about 4.3 million passengers each year. At the same time, this airport arranges flights to more than 50 different destinations. At Koltsovo Airport, which is open to service every day and hour of the week, there are two main terminals as A and B and also a private terminal as Business VIP. There are many services at the airport such as comfortable waiting rooms, free internet access (WIFI), post office, ATM, ticket offices for public transportation and information desks, cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops.
Terminal A is for domestic flights and Terminal B is for international flights. The Business VIP terminal is used for VIP flights and there are private areas like meeting and conference rooms in this terminal.
