This year’s UEFA Champions League final on May 21st is an all ‘English’ affair. It is expected that 40,000 fans from Chelsea and Manchester United will travel to Moscow.

With direct flights from London to Moscow being limited and around the £1,000 mark for those dates, football fans are scrabbling to book flight and travel itineraries. And flights through central Europe are filling up fast.

Let’s look at a few different options where you can currently get from London to Moscow for under £400. Note you will find cheaper flights leaving Moscow on the 23rd, as everyone seems to want to leave on the 22nd:

Fly with Ryanair up to Riga in Latvia which depending on dates will currently cost from £130 return. You could take the gruelling 18 hour train journey to Moscow which will cost around £100 return. Or get a round-trip with Aeroflot from Riga to Moscow for £219 (departs 20^th, returns 23^rd) for a total price from £349.

Another alternative is to fly via Istanbul on 2 separate return tickets. You could fly London to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines for £163 (out 19^th, back 24^th) and book a separate return ticket Istanbul – Moscow on Aeroflot for £204 (out 20^th, back 23^rd) for a total cost £367.

Fly from London Luton to Budapest for £87 with Wizz Air (out 19^th, back 24^th) and then get a return with Aeroflot to Moscow for £215 (out 20^th, back 23^rd), total price £302.

Another route is to fly down to Barcelona (can be done via Girona from £25 on Ryanair) and use Spanish budget Clickair to fly to Moscow for 130 euros which lands at 6am on the 21^st. Note budget airlines can have delays so this could be risky! Total one-way cost approximately £130. There is a very reasonable one-way flight back to London from Moscow on SAS (via Stockholm) for £136 on the 23^rd. Total price will be around £266.

Alternatively you could hire a private jet from an air charter operator or through a broker. For a listing of top UK companies see UK Charter Guide.

Don’t forget to do your homework concerning visa requirements.