Kaliningrad has a special position on the tourist map of not only Russia, but also the world. Tourist interest in this city is growing every year, and the city authorities are doing everything possible to stay in it was convenient and comfortable. The last few years, transport communications have improved significantly, so the question of how to get to the city of Kaliningrad from the airport does not arise.
A brief history of the city
Kaliningrad was founded by the crusaders in 1255 on the territory of the Prussian pagans and from the very beginning was conceived as a fortress. She was given the name Koenigsberg, which means "Mountain of the Kings".
Kaliningrad is the westernmost city in Russia, and it is not surprising that European art had a strong influence on the architecture of the city. Polish, Russian, German myths and legends are reflected in small streets and magnificent cathedrals.
Kaliningrad has a sad history. During the Great Patriotic War, the city was destroyed almost to the point of continuous bombing of fascist aircraft. The destruction of the city was completed by brutal vandals who perceived the city as German.
How to get to Kaliningrad?
It is convenient to get to the westernmost city of Russia from Moscow or from St. Petersburg. In addition to air routes, legendary trains run from Moscow. Daytime train "Amber" and night - "Dunes". If you have chosen the land transportation method, then you should know that the trains pass through Belarus and Lithuania.
From St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad can be reached by boat. This unusual type of transport for Russia will take you to Kaliningrad in a few hours. The only difficulty is getting to the port of Ust-Luga, located 150 kilometers from St. Petersburg. A motor ship arrives at the port of Baltiysk. From it to Kaliningrad 45 kilometers. This is about how to get to the city of Kaliningrad from the airport twice.
Khrabrovo Airport
Kaliningrad International Airport is called Khrabrovo. It is a large transport hub and accepts both domestic Russian flights and international flights. Especially in the summer season, when flights to the popular European resorts depart from this air harbor.
Bravely, in addition to the functions of civil aviation, is another important one. It is the base for aviation of the Ministry of Emergencies, the FSB and the Ministry of Defense.
The airport is divided into two parts: the arrival zone and the departure zone. For those who meet and expect, all conditions for a comfortable stay are created. There are cafes, shops, luggage storage, free internet. The airport is located about twenty kilometers from the city, and the question of how to get from Khrabrovo Airport to Kaliningrad can be solved in several ways. Depending on your needs, you can choose a more suitable one.
Municipal transport
The easiest and most popular option to date, how to get from Kaliningrad airport to the city center is public transport. Comfortable city buses number 244E and 144 will be the most convenient and economical way for those who travel light.
A bus stop is located near the main entrance to the airport building. If you arrived in Kaliningrad in the summer, you can wait for a bus on the street. In winter, it is better to check the bus schedule in advance and after arrival, stay in the airport building, wait for transport to be warm.
The bus runs only during the day with an interval of 45 minutes. The first flight starts at 8.20 in the morning. The journey takes about forty minutes, so you can safely sit down and enjoy the city, as the route passes through the central part of the city to the South Bus Station. Stops are announced by the conductor or driver. The fare is about a hundred rubles. The last bus leaves the airport at 22.00 local time. At night, there are no opportunities at all to get to the city of Kaliningrad from the airport. Be carefull.
Taxi services
For those who save time and nerves, the question of how to get from the airport of Kaliningrad Khrabrovo to the city does not pose a significant problem. They use taxi services.
There are several large taxi services in Kaliningrad, and each has a number of advantages. For example, Yandex or Lucky values time and picks up the car closest to the customer.
Taxi services such as Koenigsberg and Kaliningrad have the option of pre-booking a car at the airport. It is enough to indicate the time of arrival, and the car will be waiting for you at the main entrance.
The average check for a taxi ride is 500 rubles. The cost depends on the class of the car. Rush hour and weather conditions should also be considered. This will affect travel time.
An important condition is payment in cash. Not all taxi services accept card payments. Therefore, take care of cash in advance. If an advance payment is required to order a machine, you must call the dispatch service and clarify all the details.
Car rent
Upon arrival in an unfamiliar city, it is not always possible to deal with transportation options and arrange a transfer. The question of how to get from Kaliningrad airport will be resolved quickly if you have a driver’s license. The way out is to rent a car for a day, which will be cheaper than a taxi. In addition, it is possible to get permanent transport for the entire stay in the city. One of the most popular companies is Koenig-rent.
Some car rental services have their own check-in desk right at the airport. You come, register, pay the daily fee and get the keys to the car, which is already in the airport parking lot. Pay and go.
You can order a car before arrival, from home via the Internet. In this case, the car will be delivered by the company employee directly by the time you arrive.
The cost of renting a car varies from 1,500 to 5,000 rubles. It depends on the brand of the chosen machine.
If you are traveling with small children, be sure to inform that you need a child seat when ordering a car. If the company cannot provide you with a child seat, the decision on how to get to the city of Kaliningrad from the airport should be reviewed for your safety.
Free options
Adventure seekers traveling light, or just budget tourists, can take advantage of the free worldwide method of hitchhiking.
To catch a car, just go to the side of the road towards the city. Just note that this method can be quite time-consuming, since not every driver will agree to pick up a stranger on the road. To make it immediately clear that you are not a gangster from a big road, but only a tourist, prepare in advance a sheet of paper with the inscription where you are going. Even if the end point of the route of the drivers and yours do not match, some may give you a couple of tens of kilometers. It is important to clarify that this method is unsafe, and it is better not to practice it at night.
All the options that we introduced you to in this article also work in the opposite direction. How to get to Khrabrovo Airport, in what ways, is up to you.
Transport in the city
The transport system of the westernmost city of Russia is one of the most convenient. A well-developed bus network with more than thirty routes will take you anywhere in the city. Of particular note is the Kaliningrad tram system, the oldest throughout Russia.
Rail transport in Kaliningrad dates back to 1895. An amazing feature of the tram tracks is that the rails are located a meter apart. Rails of this kind in Russia remained only in Kaliningrad and Pyatigorsk.
At the moment, tram tracks have undergone many changes. In connection with the reconstruction, the city authorities left only three tram routes.