City bikes in action: 3 of this summer’s best routes

For all those who have not yet had time to use bikesharing in the capital, we tell you: from April 27 in Moscow, anyone can register in the rental system and purchase a convenient subscription. The tariffs are different: starting from 150 rubles per day for those who came on vacation or want to test the system, ending with a serious decision to buy a season ticket for the whole season until October for 1300 rubles.

What beginners need to know: 150 rubles or 1300 is the amount you pay for the subscription. It allows you to use the bike absolutely free for 30 minutes. Then you can park your bike at the nearest bike station and take it again or choose another one from those in the parking lot. If you brave a long trip or are running late, you don’t have to park your bike every 30 minutes, but it’s worth remembering that you’ll have to pay an extra 50 rubles for every half hour over the stated time.

Together with the editorial staff, we went on a fascinating trip to the most visited places in the capital and compiled several popular routes this summer.

Route No. 1. Cultural and tourist: discovering the city in a new way

We start from Arbat (opposite the Prague Hotel or near it, there are four accessible stations in this area) – go down Znamenka Street (towards the Cathedral of Christ the Savior) – cross the road towards the Kremlin and get on the bridge, which offers a stunning view of the Moskva River and Red Square – turn around and cross the road towards Red Square – visit Red Square and GUM, take the most tourist-important selfies – from GUM we go down the main alley and get to the “Central Children’s World”, where you can visit the observation deck on the roof of the building practically at any time of day and in any weather absolutely free of charge. See more station locations.

Who will suit: the route turned out to be easy and very touristy. In one place, we’ve gathered all the most visited places around the center. So think about it, maybe you have a friend visiting you for the vacations or you have a reason to get to know your favorite city better yourself?

In terms of time: the whole route took a little over 30 minutes. If you spend less time on selfies and broadcasts, you can do it in half an hour.

Where to park yourbike at the end: in order to park your bike right near the “Central Children’s World”, you will need to go to it through the underpass, other parking lots in the area are near the metro station “Lubyanka”.

Lifehack: if you chose Arbat as your starting point and there is no free bike at the coveted parking lot, don’t get upset! There are at least three more similar ones within walking distance of each bicycle station in the neighborhood. The only inconvenience will be the need to overcome the underpass on a bicycle.

Route #2. Active: training with pleasure

We took the bicycle in the area of “Red October” – returned to the bridge (go in the direction of the Kremlin) – turned left at the exit from the bridge – got on a wide pedestrian sidewalk – rode to Museon – ended up in Gorky Park – then rode to the metro station “Oktyabrskaya” and left the bicycles at the station near MISIS on Leninsky Prospekt.

Who is suitable for: the whole route is like an intensive workout, because there are a lot of places where you have to ride uphill or downhill. For those who like extreme climbs, we suggest to change your route a bit and instead of the road to the subway choose the ascent to Neskuchny Sad. In this case you can park your bike near the metro station “Leninsky Prospekt”.

Time: 45 minutes.

Where to park your bike at the end: from Gorky Park you go to the metro station “Oktyabrskaya” (ring) or “Park Kultury”, there are bicycle parking lots very close by.

Lifehack: the trip took a lot of energy? Don’t hurry to quench your thirst with a sweet soda! Surprisingly, the perfect drink to replenish carbohydrates is… non-alcoholic beer. It will help to quench thirst and refresh during a difficult ascent or a difficult descent. By the way, you should not worry about your figure! For example, one can of Baltika 0 non-alcoholic beer (0.45 ml) contains only 158 kilocalories. And you still have to take your bike to the parking lot, remember? It means that you will get the maximum on this trip… this is about fun and impressions, not about extra kilograms!

Itinerary #3. Friday: bar mode

We take a bicycle in the area of Patriarch’s Ponds (bicycle parking is on the fenced territory near the pond. The landmark – opposite the store “Gorod-Sad”) – and leave on the most desperate trip of this weekend – first we will make a lap of honor around the ponds themselves and stop by any of the bars, which we meet on the way – then we move towards the metro station “Mayakovskaya” – we look on the way into cozy courtyards (in one of which you can find the very bad apartment from Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita”) – we get to the metro station “Mayakovskaya” – park the bike for a while – ride on the swings in the very center of the capital – turn right and ride along Tverskaya towards the center – on the way we look in all the bars and cafes, park a little bit before reaching Telegraf and stay dancing all night long in “Mumiy Troll Music Bar” or cafe “To Da Seo” (oriented by signs).

Important! The editorial staff in no way advocates drunken cycling. Remember that a bike is also transportation and, getting behind the wheel, you put on yourself a great responsibility.

Who is suitable for: those who feel confident driving a bike, know Moscow well and like to spend their weekends actively.

Time: the whole trip took us about 120 minutes, we didn’t change our bikes, so we had to pay 150 rubles extra for this pleasure. But, to be fair, there were bicycle stations along the way, where you can easily re-park your bike.

Where to park your bike at the end: choose any parking lot you come across on your way to Tverskaya. Remember that on Friday night, the nearest and most desirable one may be busy, so check in advance for busy stations via the velobike app on your phone.

Life hack: use a special mount to attach your bike on the street, and enter your pin code again to lock your bike. Now you can have fun and not worry about your two-wheeled friend!