What This App Actually Does
Tutu.ru’s app bundles Russian flight, train, and bus booking into one place, pulling from a large network of partners like Aeroflot, RZD, S7, and Pobeda to compare fares. It’s built primarily for people traveling within Russia or into it, whether that’s a long-distance train from Moscow to Kazan, a commuter suburban train, or a domestic flight. Given the millions of installs, it’s clearly the go-to option for a huge number of travelers who need Cyrillic-savvy ticketing without navigating separate carrier sites.
For English-speaking visitors, the pitch is convenience: one app instead of five, with fare comparison built in so you’re not stuck guessing which railway or budget carrier has the best price that day.
Where It Genuinely Delivers
The strongest praise from real users centers on how simple the core booking flow is once you’re in it. One reviewer said they always use tutu to travel anywhere in Russia and called the booking system very simple, going as far as recommending it to anyone. Another user specifically praised it as one of the best apps for finding flight, train, and bus tickets in Russia, which lines up with the app’s core promise of consolidating multiple transport types in a single search.
For straightforward point-to-point domestic bookings, especially longer-distance train and flight routes, users report the app doing what it says on the tin without drama.
The Rough Edges That Show Up Repeatedly
The complaints are specific and recurring. One user flagged the lack of a price calendar and called the design strange, adding that tapping ‘With luggage’ oddly routes you to Settings instead of showing luggage-inclusive prices, calling the overall experience amateurish. Another traveler tried to find suburban train times from Kievsky station to Aprelevka and got ‘No tickets available’ for both today and tomorrow, eventually giving up and buying a ticket from a station machine instead, calling the app a waste of time for that use case.
Other users reported the app failing to complete an order while connected to wifi, and full-page ads interrupting an otherwise functional ticket-buying flow. There’s also a serious refund complaint from a user with a COVID-era international flight that was partially cancelled, who said Tutu refused to refund them despite five phone calls, with staff repeatedly promising callbacks that never came.
Booking Extras and Property Details Need Work
One traveler booking a hostel through the app ran into a nasty surprise after the fact: the property (Qube) turned out to be restricted to Russian citizens or residency holders only, and the booking was cancelled after the fact due to nationality. That points to a gap in upfront listing details that non-Russian travelers specifically need to watch for.
Who Should Actually Download This
If you’re booking long-distance trains, flights, or buses within Russia and want fare comparison across many carriers in one app, this covers that job reasonably well based on user feedback. If you rely on suburban/commuter train schedules, expect refunds on cancelled international flights, or plan to book accommodations without double-checking eligibility restrictions, go in with lowered expectations and a backup plan.
