Travel Information

General

Novosibirsk is not Moscow or St. Petersburg. You cannot find amenities such as cash machines here, nor can you expect to be able to use your credit card very often. The Intourist hotel (Sibir) accepts Visa and Mastercard for room payments. Both TransAero and Lufthansa accept payment with Visa, Mastercard and American Express for tickets. Cash advances can be made with an American express card at Credobank, and a Visa card at Siberian Bank, Siberian Trade Bank, Novosibirskvneshtorgbank, Mosbusiness Bank, and Credobank. For all other restaurants, stores and transactions, rubles must be used. You can exchange money at any bank, and new and unblemished bills are recommended. Money can be wired to the Western Union office at the Siberian Bank.

The area code in Novosibirsk is 3832. Local calls can be made at any pay phone and from the hotel phones. Pay phones work on a special 15 kopeck piece that can be purchased at Metro stations for 100-200 rubles. To dial out, first dial 8 and wait for a dial tone. Then dial 1, the country code and the full number (including area code). For example, to dial the Washington area, dial 8 (wait) 1-01-202...

Transportation

Airlines: Novosibirsk is serviced by Aeroflot, Aviation company "Sibir," Lufthansa, and TransAero.

Aeroflot: 29-19-99 (general)
Aviation company "Sibir": phone 66-90-78, fax 22-75-72
Lufthansa: phones 69-63-77 (reservations), 22-71-51 (general), fax 22-71-51
TransAero: phone 23-19-17 (general), fax 23-03-21
Airport(Tolmachevo): 29-89-41 (general)

Bus & Metro: Rides cost 500 to 900 Rubles and can cover most of the city and surrounding environs. Maps are available in local bookstores and at Metro stations.

Taxi: Taxis can be hailed simply by waving your hand at oncoming traffic. Many "taxis" are, in fact, private citizens who make extra money ferrying people along. Be prepared to pay from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles for a trip within the city and from 20,000 to 30,000 rubles for a trip between the city and Akademgorodok.

Trains: Tickets can be purchased only in person at the Main train station or at travel kiosks. Rubles are the only acceptable form of payment. The Main train station is located two blocks north of the Hotel Sibir on Ulitsa Lenina (it is big and bright green-you can't miss it). Passengers can travel to regional cities (Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Tomsk...) as well as to Moscow daily, to Western Russia via the Vladivostok-Moscow Express, to Mongolia and China via the Trans-Siberian Express, and to other foreign cities such as Almaty, Bishkek, and Tashkent.

The Trans-Siberian or Moscow-Beijing Express (numbered #3 going West and #4 going East) arrives from the East at 13:20 each Saturday, departs at 13:35 the same day, and arrives Moscow 50 hours later. The train arrives from the West at 23:36 every Thursday, departs at 23:51, and arrives Beijing 60 hours later. Stops in between Moscow and Beijing are: Yaroslavl, Kirov, Perm, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, and Ulan- Bator.

The Sibiryak or Novosibirsk-Moscow Express, numbered #25 going West and #26 going East, departs for Moscow at 09:15 each morning and arrives Moscow 51 hours later. Stops in between Moscow and Novosibirsk are: Yaroslavl, Kirov, Perm, Tyumen, and Omsk.

The Vladivostok-Moscow Express, numbered #1 going West and #2 going East, arrives from the East at 07:00 on odd numbered days, departs at 07:15 the same day, and arrives Moscow 52 hours later. The train arrives from the West at 19:40 on odd numbered days, departs at 19:55 the same day, and arrives Vladivostok 105 hours later. Stops in between Moscow and Vladivostok are: Yaroslavl, Kirov, Perm, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kransnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Khabarovsk, and Usurissk.

For group bookings call: 24-21-85.
For general information call: 20-77-11, 29-20-11.
For international purchases call: 29-35-30
Prices vary for train rides depending on duration, accommodations..

Restaurants

Druzhba - Russian cuisine                (22-72-44)
Hotel Novosibirsk - Russian cuisine      (20-17-22)
Hotel Sibir - Russian cuisine            (23-08-76)
Hunt Club - Russian cuisine              (20-37-52)
Okean - Russian cuisine                  (25-17-38)
Pisces - Russian cuisine                 (no phone)
Sobek - Korean  cuisine                  (20-58-67)
Syrian Restaurant - Syrian cuisine       (76-76-18)
(take out only at this time)



Hotels


Novosibirsk 
Ulitsa Lenina, 68
Phone-292376; 292375

Novosibirsk Airport Hotel 
Phone-281430, 283930

Sibir 
Ulitsa Lenina, 23
Phone-231215

Tsentralnaya 
Krasny Prospect, 25
Phone-220313, 227660




Culture and Art


"Chaldony" Song and Dance Company 
Zabaluyeva, 47
Phone-418889
Hours of Operation:  varies according to show

Chamber Chorus of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society 
Spartaka, 11
Phone-230856
Hours of Operation:  varies according to show

Circus 
Sovetskaya, 11
Phone-237584
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season

"Globe" Drama Theater 
Ulitsa Kamenskaya, 1 (Near Lenin square)
Phone-236684(adm); 238841
Hours of Operation:  Wed-Sun 6:30 p.m.

"Krasnyi Fakel"(Drama) 
Ulitsa Lenina,19 (Near Hotel "Sibir")
Phone-980401(adm)
Hours of Operation:  Tu-Sun 6 p.m.

Mayakovskaya Theater 
Krasny Prospect, 15
Phone-22-07-91
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season

"Molodyozhny" Novosibirsk Drama Theater 
Ulitsa Lenina, 24
Phone-980812
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season

Novosibirsk Regional Picture Gallery 
Krasnyi prospekt, 5 (Near Regional Administration Building)
Phone-222267; 233516; 233520
Hours of Operation:  Wed-Mon 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Novosibirsk State Academic Theater of Opera & Ballet 
Krasnyi prospekt, 36 (Near Lenin square)
Phone-223866(adm); 298394
Hours of Operation: Tu-Fr 6 p.m.  Sat-Sun 5 p.m.

Novosibirsk Theater of Musical Comedy 
Ulitsa Michurina, 8 (Near Central park)
Phone-246481(adm); 245459
Hours of Operation:  Wed-Sat 6 p.m.

Puppet Theater 
Revolyutsii, 6
Phone-221202
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season

Regional Center of Russian Folklore and Ethnography 
Krasny Prospect, 18
Phone-211929; 239951; 233323
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season

Regional Museum of Local Lore, History and Economy 
Kransny Prospect, 23
Phone-218630
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season

Siberian Dixieland (State Jazz band) 
Kirova, 3
Phone-235642; 255719
Hours of Operation:  varies according to show

Siberian Russian Folk Chorus 
Krasnoyarskaya, 117
Phone-202269
Hours of Operation:  varies according to show

"Staryi Dom" Drama Theatre
Ulitsa Bolshevistskaya, 45 (Near Rechnoi Train station)
Phone-662608(adm); 669450
Hours of Operation:  Wed-Sun 6 p.m.

Symphony & Chamber Orchestras Halls 
Ulitsa Spartaka, 11
Phone-224880
Hours of Operation:  varies according to season
Courtesy American Business Center, Novosibirsk.