Saratov, like most provincial Russian towns, is served by a network of trams, buses and marshrutkas (set-route minibuses). The main terminus for most forms of transport is the area around the Kritiy Rynok (market) at the top of Prospekt Kirova. There are also taxis, both official and non-official. As with all non-official taxis in Russia, agree a price with the driver before setting off.
Getting around Saratov generally requires cash since credit cards are not widely accepted in many non-hotel or non-retail shopping endeavors including travel. It is important to have rubles or an ATM card with which to get rubles because US dollars are not widely accepted and banks, even with proper identification, typically only convert one hundred dollars at a time and even then only accept certain series of US bills. During the Christmas period banks have a very limited schedule of hours. Be aware that after January 1, 2008, Western Union transfers are very difficult if they are made to a foreigner since new rules require not just a passport but that the passport be notarized by a Russian notary. There is a translation service on Bolshaia Kazakshia near the junction with Astrakhan street on the right when facing back towards the town centre.
Saravia tickets require cash and can be purchased at DME, the Saratov airport, and the Saratov train station, near the Technical University on Bolshaia Sadovaia and at the Saravia offices near the main open mearket. There is a small booking charge at most places in Saratov. It is anticipated that in the not too distant future Saravia will follow Russian air carriers like S-7 in utilizing online booking. Since Saravia does not have international partners, if you miss a Saravia flight because of a late flight to DME wou will not receive a refund or ticket on another flight.
Since overweight baggage incurs charges which may approach the cost of the ticket, be careful about baggage weight. Because overweight charges are paid at a different counter in DME, allow yourself extra time for the check-in process in case it turns out you are overweight. British Airways gives a baggage allowance of 25 kg but Saravia's limit is 20 kg. If you can possibly manage it, arrive in Moscow at Domodedovo airport. Sheremetyevo (SVO) is a 2500 ruble taxi fare away, more by gypsy cab. Delays are long at SVO and on the orbital motorway connecting the two (an hour and a half journey). You can easily miss a connection.
While there are money exchanges at both the Saratov airport and train station, the hours of operation are limited. Usually there are men in the train station who will exchange US dollars but at bad rates and with the risk of getting counterfeited rubles. Euros are probably easier to work with in Saratov. ATM's give good rates but the payouts are limited. NEVER take travellers cheques. Only Sberbank and only the main branch will deal with themm and it takes 6-8 h to go through the process.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Saratov
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Saratov - updated May 2024
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Saratov Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
