A handful of apps make travelling in Russia far easier — and because many Western services work poorly or not at all, the local ones matter. Download these before you arrive, while you still have a reliable connection, and set up offline data where you can.
Maps and navigation
- Yandex Maps — the most accurate maps in Russia, with live traffic and detailed public-transport routing.
- 2GIS — excellent offline city maps and a business directory; works without a connection once a city is downloaded.
- Google Maps works for basic navigation but is weaker on Russian transit and business details.
Getting around: taxis and transit
- Yandex Go — the local Uber, the cheapest and safest way to get a taxi. See our Yandex Go guide for setup as a foreigner.
- Moscow Metro and Yandex Metro — line maps, route planning and journey times for the metro.
Translation
- Yandex Translate — strong Russian translation with an offline language pack and camera (OCR) translation for signs and menus.
- Google Translate — download the Russian pack for offline use as a backup.
Staying connected
Buy a local Russian SIM or an eSIM for data and navigation; EU roaming is unreliable. You'll usually need your passport to register a physical SIM, so a reputable eSIM bought before arrival is often the simplest option.
Payments
This is the big one: foreign Visa and Mastercard do not work in Russia, so most Western payment and banking apps are useless on the ground. Carry cash in rubles, or use a Russian MIR card if you have one — see our guide to paying in Moscow as a tourist.
Do Western apps work in Russia?
Partly. Maps and messaging mostly work, but anything tied to a foreign bank card — ride-hailing payment, food delivery, hotel bookings — often fails. The Yandex ecosystem covers most day-to-day needs, which is why it's worth setting up before your trip.
What is the most important app for Russia?
Yandex Go for taxis and Yandex Maps (or 2GIS) for navigation. Between them they handle getting around almost anywhere, in English, and Yandex Go lets you pay the driver in cash.
