Picking the stations might get complicated for two reasons. One, transliteration is weird. Two, there might be several train stations in one city, and which one is to choose?

Here’s a list of central railway stations, for the cities that host the World Cup. You’ll need to type the names that I listed in capitals:

Moscow — MOSKVA. You’ll need different stations depending on your destination. Just type ‘MOSKVA’, the system will choose for you.

— MOSKVA. You’ll need different stations depending on your destination. Just type ‘MOSKVA’, the system will choose for you. St. Petersburg — SANKT-PETERBURG GLAVNY (station on the map)

— SANKT-PETERBURG GLAVNY (station on the map) Kaliningrad — KALININGRAD-PASSAJIRSK (map)

— KALININGRAD-PASSAJIRSK (map) Kazan — KAZAN, GOR’KOVSKAYA (map)

— KAZAN, GOR’KOVSKAYA (map) Nizhny Novgorod — NIJNII NOVGOROD MOSKOV (map)

— NIJNII NOVGOROD MOSKOV (map) Rostov-on-Don — ROSTOV (map). There are two Rostov cities in Russia: Rostov-on-Don, and Rostov Veliky in Yaroslavl region. Make sure you chose Rostov-on-Don.

— ROSTOV (map). There are two Rostov cities in Russia: Rostov-on-Don, and Rostov Veliky in Yaroslavl region. Make sure you chose Rostov-on-Don. Samara — SAMARA (map)

— SAMARA (map) Saransk — SARANSK (map) (check out the station name on the map btw😄)

— SARANSK (map) (check out the station name on the map btw😄) Sochi — SOCHI (map)

— SOCHI (map) Volgograd — VOLGOGRAD 1 (map)

— VOLGOGRAD 1 (map) Yekaterinburg — EKATERINBURG-PASSAJIRS (map)

Step 3: picking the train

In the search results, you’ll see the available trains. Travel time varies depending on the train type: express or regular. Regular trains make lots of stops and usually take twice the time of express ones. I recommend express trains when possible.

In express trains sitting cars are usually the most comfortable

Usually, there are 3 seating types: sleeping compartment, open sleeping compartment, and sitting. The numbers like ‘1-cl’ mean ‘class’, but it varies from train to train. Usually #1 is the newest and most comfortable car, #2 is less, and so on.

Sleeping compartment is a room for 4 people, with a table and a lockable door. The exact look depends on the train, this is the newer one.

The best choice for overnight trips.

Open sleeping compartments look like this. There are 4-bed sections (on the left) and 2-bed sections on the side.

I recommend to avoid that type because people snore… and other stuff. Just don’t :)

Sitting cars in express trains look like this. Older trains might be less comfortable.

I recommend this type when traveling by express trains.

To select the train, click on the seating type. A menu will expand, showing the cars. Pick a car to proceed.

The number in the left is the car number

When you pick the car, you’ll see the available seats. But you can’t pick a seat yet. Instead, click ‘Go to passenger data entry and seat selection’.

Available seats are marked in blue

Step 4: enter passengers data

Fill the required fields. Pay attention, that the surname comes first. And make sure that spelling matches your documents.

If you’re not Russian, pick the ‘Foreign document’ type

Next you can buy insurance, but it’s optional. First option is accident insurance (in case of an emergency accident you’ll receive a specific sum). Second one is medical insurance (covers medical expences, if the reason causing them happened within specified dates). If you have a general traveler’s insurance, these might be unnecessary.

Remove the selection if you don’t want to buy additional insurance

On the same page you can add other passengers. And after that, you can pick your seats.

Pay attention to the ‘@’ sign on this step (top right corner). If it’s present, it means the train accepts electronic (e.g. iOS Wallet) or self-printed tickets. Otherwise, you’ll need to print the ticket in a terminal at the train station. In any case, you’ll need your ID at hand to board the train.

Step 5: payment

Double check the data and proceed to the payment. At this step, the tickets are reserved for you and you have 12 minutes to pay. Look at the timer in the top right corner.

This screen means your tickets are reserved and you may purchase them

Please note that you’ll need a FAN ID to attend the games. The good side is: you don’t need to get Russian visa if you have a FAN ID. You can learn more about it in the official guide.

Returning the tickets

You can return tickets on the website too. Click on your account name in the top right corner, and go to ‘My Orders’. There you’ll see tickets you’ve bought.

After you’ve pressed ‘Return tickets’ the state will change to Refunded

The ‘Return’ option is hidden by default. To see it click on the link called ‘Обновить статус заказа’ (look at the bottom of the screenshot above). A menu will expand, look for the words ‘Refund’ or ‘Оформить возврат’ and click it. You’ll see a popup window saying how much money you’ll get back. The more time until departue is left, the more it will be. Confirm the action, and the refund will be issued.

You’ll get your money back on the card you paid from in 7–30 days.

Final tips

In 2018 most likely there will be English-speaking attendants at the train stations, and maybe in the city centers too. But you can always ask for help from the locals, especially the young adults and teenagers. Basic English is quite widespread.

There might be some changes in the website interface in the future. If you notice that, please let me know in the comments, and I’ll update the article asap. And make sure that you read the website instructions carefully, because I only covered the basics.

I hope this article will be useful to you. And have a nice journey :)

Natu.