Bus from Moscow to Yaroslavl: Schedule and Tickets
Yaroslavl, the regional capital on the Volga, sits 270 kilometres north-east of Moscow at the far end of the M8 "Kholmogory" highway. The interregional coach run takes five to six hours depending on the season and on traffic out of the capital. Founded by Yaroslav the Wise in 1010, the city is the historic heart of the Golden Ring and its centre has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2005. Typical one-way fares run between 900 and 1600 roubles, with summer weekend departures at the top end and weekday off-peak coaches at the bottom.
What to expect on board
Yaroslavl is a long enough run that operators put their better fleet on it: reclining seats, individual air vents, USB outlets, free Wi-Fi on the newer services and a working toilet on most coaches over five hours. Two short stops en route are normal — one near Sergiev Posad and one near Pereslavl-Zalessky — for stretching legs and a coffee. There is no on-board catering; the stops have cafeterias and kiosks. Announcements are in Russian only; the driver will help if you show a screenshot of your destination.
Where to board in Moscow
Most Yaroslavl coaches depart from the modern Severniye Vorota (Northern Gates) terminal in the Khimki business park, attached to Khovrino metro station on the green line. Some services still operate from Shchyolkovsky bus terminal on the dark-blue metro line. Northern Gates is the more comfortable terminal — heated waiting halls, food court, paid showers — and has a wider choice of departures. Allow 30 minutes from central Moscow on the metro to either terminal.
Where you arrive in Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl Main Bus Station (Yaroslavl-Glavny avtovokzal) is on Moskovsky Prospekt, about three kilometres south of the historic centre. From the platforms a 10-minute ride on trolleybus 5 or 9 — or a 200-rouble taxi — brings you to the Strelka (the spit where the Kotorosl meets the Volga) and the 17th-century churches of central Yaroslavl. The Yaroslavl-Glavny railway station sits directly across the avenue, which makes onward connections to Vologda, Arkhangelsk or back to Moscow easy.
Best time of day to travel
For a daytime arrival, take an early morning coach (06:00-08:00) or an early afternoon service that drops you in Yaroslavl by 18:00 with time for an evening walk along the Volga embankment. Avoid Friday evening northbound and Sunday evening southbound — both regularly add an hour to the Moscow-side timing. Several overnight services depart from Northern Gates around 23:00 and arrive in Yaroslavl at first light, a good budget alternative to a hotel night.
Booking tips
Yaroslavl is popular enough that Friday evening and summer weekend services regularly sell out two or three days ahead. Book online through a Russian aggregator — payment with Mir cards, SBP transfers and Russian-issued Visa/Mastercard issued before 2022 works. Foreign-issued cards generally fail on Russian payment processors. The driver scans the QR code from your phone at boarding; there is no need to print a paper ticket.
Top things to do in Yaroslavl
- The Strelka and the Volga embankment — the spit at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl, with fountains, a 1000th-anniversary obelisk and the best riverside walk in the Golden Ring.
- Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery — the 12th-century walled monastery where the only surviving copy of the medieval epic "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" was discovered in the 1790s.
- Church of Elijah the Prophet (Tserkov Ilyi Proroka) — a 17th-century merchant church on the central square with extraordinary frescoes covering every interior wall.
- Yaroslavl Art Museum — Russia's largest collection of icons outside the Tretyakov and the Russian Museum.
- Volkov Theatre — Russia's first permanent professional theatre (1750), still active, with cheap evening tickets to classical Russian repertoire.
Full Russian-language pricing and schedule: https://bus-zolotoe-koltso.ru/buses/moskva/yaroslavl/. Onward: Yaroslavl to Kostroma, Yaroslavl to Uglich. Stations: Moscow terminals, Yaroslavl bus station.