By plane
Vladivostok International Airport IATA: VVO, ICAO: UHWW (http://vvo.aero/index.php...) is located near Artyom, some 50 km 31 mi off the city center, has two airfields with four paved runways, and is able to receive most major types of aircraft, except the very large ones such as Airbus 380. The main terminal domestic recently underwent a major renovation, making it the most modern airport building in the Russian Far East. The international terminal, which is located just next door to the domestic one in fact, they share the same parking, is very small and usually crowded, but as Vladivostok is slated to receive the APEC summit in 2012, the new terminal is beginning to get flights.
Currently, the main connection from the airport to the city is via local and shuttle buses running to the Vladivostok bus station but don't count on them if your flight arrives late in the day. If your flight arrives late, you could take your chance with a metered taxi, or negotiate with an informal "taxi" - starting price is a ridiculous 2500 Rubles - pay no more than 1000. The train station, finally connecting the airport to the rail network, is finally completed in the new terminal, and the link is operated under the Aeroexpress brand. One-way ticket to-and-from the airport costs 200 Rubles, and those wanting to splurge may dish out 700 R for a "business class" ride. Note that this train also doubles as a limited local train and thus includes several commuter cars with a typical commuter amenities and sharply reduced fare around 70 R, and makes a couple of additional stops along the way.
The airport's anchor airline is Vladivostok Air, recently merged into Aeroflot, that serves a majority of its available domestic and international routes. It's the largest airline in the Russian Far East; it operates relatively modern fleet which primarily includes Airbus A320 and Tupolev Tu 204-300 types of aircraft and offers something like European short-haul type of service on all flights. Due to merger its route map and schedule is subject to change, and while it keeps its brand for the time being, some shakeups to closer integrate it with the Russia's flagship carrier are expected.
The busiest destination is Moscow. On average, there are 3-5 flights per day. Flights are much more frequent in summertime June - September due to heavy passenger traffic. It is recommended to book an itinerary at least one month in advance during that season in order to get a reasonable fare. Principal carriers to operate this route are Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Transaero, and S7 Airlines.
Other destinations are mostly served daily, and often the service is even less frequent. Besides Moscow, domestic destinations include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and many others. International flights connect Vladivostok with Beijing and Harbin in China; Tokyo and Osaka in Japan previously popular Niigata and Toyama destinations are canceled until further notice; Busan and Incheon in South Korea; Bangkok in Thailand; Hanoi in Vietnam; and Air Koryo also offers a weekly flight to Pyongyang. Korean Air operates Incheon route 5 times a week in 2009 and offers flights from the continental U.S. via a connection in Seoul-Incheon. Completion of the new international terminal in Haneda airport and subsequent increase in its capacity may lead to the opening of a direct scheduled flight by ANA to Tokyo previously only served by Vladivostok Air charters and then scheduled flights to Narita. From 2 Nov, 2012, S7 Airlines opened direct flights to Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Unfortunately, due to scarcity of the airlines operating from the airport a lot of destinations are monopolized and tickets are offered at exorbitant fares. For example, realizing its almost monopolistic position to offer connections, Korean Air bargains a fare starting from US$800 for 1.5 hours plane ride to Seoul. Vladivostok Air asks similarly extortionate prices for tickets to its Japanese destinations for the same 1.5 hours ride. The only real competitive destination is Moscow where a lot of airlines compete with each other, and sometimes really hot deals can be found. There are some hopes that aforementioned openings of a ferry line and additional flights may lead to increased competition and falling prices, and indeed there is some progress, but it is rather slow and leaves much to see in the future.
As of July 2011, most of the 50+ kilometre road to the city is disrupted by roadworks - rather than repairing in sections, they have chosen to dig it all up at once. Expect delays - buses take 90-120 minutes, taxis at least 1 hour. By the August 2012, though, all major roadworks are finished, and the new, additional road with the scenic bridge over the Amur bay is finally completed, so the problem has largely disappeared.
By ship
Mixed-use ferries run the route between Japan and Vladivostok, carrying passengers and major commercial goods. The Far Eastern Shipping Company FESCO ferries connect with the Fushiki port in Takaoka. Fares are from ¥48,400 one-way and the trip takes two nights, meals included and alcohol on sale to pass the time. Don't count on many amenities, though; a ship might show a swimming pool on the deck plan, for example, but you'll find it drained to store motorcycles once you're aboard. Ferries both ways leave on Friday evening and arrive two days later on Sunday morning. You'll need to arrive at the port a few hours early for immigration procedures, as these are done en masse with loads of Russian tourists. Schedules, prices, and tickets are available from FESCO's official agent in Japan, Business Intour Service (http://www.bisintour.com/), who have offices in Tokyo and Vladivostok.
There is also a service connecting Vladivostok and Sokcho, South Korea. It costs about US$200 and takes two days. One ship leaves Sokcho each week, on Thursday, although they become more frequent in the summer months June-August.
Another line connects Vladivostok with the Korean city of Donghae and Japanese fishing port of Sakaiminato, with the cheapest one way fare of US$180 from Donghae and US$220 from Sakaiminato. From March to November the ferry Eastern Dream leave Sakaiminato on Saturdays, briefly stops in Donghae on Sundays and arrives in Vladivostok on Mondays. In the winter, the ferry lays over in Donghae until Monday and doesn't arrive in Vladivostok till Tuesday. Please note that Sakaiminato is a small and remote town, and access to major Japanese cities is limited closest one is Kyoto, which is about three hours by local train, there are also planes to Tokyo and Nagoya, but they are rather expensive (http://www.dbsferry.com/m...).
Due to the recent new law, anyone entering Russia on cruise ferries can do it without visa if the stay is no longer than 72 hours, and there are discussion to extend this practice to Russian nationals visiting Korea and Japan.
It is also possible to go anywhere in the world and come from anywhere as well by booking a berth on a cargo boat. Usual caveats of freighter travel apply, though it's definitely NOT for a casual tourist, and one need to keep in mind that Russian border and customs officials aren't used to people traveling this way. The ferry port is right next to the train station, so the two are interchangeable for purposes of orientation.
By bus
There are a number of local bus routes from most suburban locations and nearby towns as well. Most places around the region are linked to Vladivostok by bus. There are also several international routes, linking Vladivostok to cities in northeastern China such as Harbin, Mudanjiang and Suifenhe. The easiest way from north eastern China is to take the direct bus from Harbin, to where there are good train connections to/from Beijing.
It takes about five hours to get to the city from the Chinese border, and the road goes through one of the most picturesque areas of the Russian Far East.