The Moscow Metro opened in 1935, and is the fifth-longest in the world. It carries up to 9 million people every day! While it serves a practical purpose for daily commuters, it is also one thing you absolutely must do on a trip to Moscow. You can get on and off at as many stations as you like, and as long as you don’t exit the Metro, you won’t need to buy another ticket! Some of the Metro stations are incredibly beautiful, with intricate, ornate designs, fancy lighting, and historical monuments. Here are 10 stations you must visit on the Moscow Metro!

1) Ploschad Revolutzii (Площадь Революции)

One of the most famous of all the stations of the Moscow Metro is Ploschad Revolutzij (“Revolution Square”). This station is full of life-sized bronze sculptures, meant to symbolize different aspects of the revolution. If you want good luck on exams, touching the guard dog’s nose is supposedly what you should do. This station is on the dark blue line (#3).

2) Komsomolskaya (Комсомольская)

My favorite Metro station is by far Komsomolskaya. The limestone pillars lead up to a spectacularly ornate yellow ceiling, emblazoned with bronze mosaics of communist symbols, and decorated with white embellishments. If you only go to one Metro station, it should be this one! Komsomolskaya is on the red (#1) and brown (#5) lines.

3) Kievskaya (Киевская)

Another one of my favorite stations of the Moscow Metro, Kievskaya has ornate decorations both in the central hall, and on the platforms. The station has a large white marble hall, beautiful arches, and big mosaics depicting Ukrainian life. It’s on the brown (#5), dark blue (#3), and light blue (#4) lines. 

4) Arbatskaya (Арбатская)

The ceiling of this beautiful station’s main hall is arched, with a braid pattern emphasizing the arches. The station was rebuilt after World War II (it was damaged by a bomb in 1941), and is 250 meters long, one of the longest stations. This station is on the dark blue (#3) and the light blue (#4) lines.

5) Park Pobedy (Парк Победы)

Park Pobedy, or Victory Park (in English), is the closest station to the Great Patriotic War Museum. This station might not be the most beautiful, but you should visit for one simple reason: it is one of the 5eepest Metro stations in the world. And being such, it also has one of the longest Metro escalators in the world! There are lots of war/victory murals that make a visit quite interesting. It’s located on the dark blue line (#3).

6) Novoslobodskaya (Новослободская)

The most unique facet of Novoslobodskaya station is the stained-glass window panels all down the central hall. There are 32 stained-glass panels in total, which are done in the art nouveau style. It’s on the brown line (#5).

7) Belorusskaya (Белорусская)

This station has a beautiful white paneled ceiling, interspersed with ceiling mosaics celebrating life in Belarus and Belarussian culture. It’s on the brown (#5) and green (#2) lines.

8) Mayakovskaya (Маяковская)

The winner of the grand prize at the 1938 World’s Fair in New York, Mayakovskaya is also one of the deepest stations of the Moscow Metro at 33 meters deep! The station was used as an air-raid shelter during WWII. The central hall is built in an art deco style with steel columns and more ceiling mosaics. Mayakovskaya is on the green line (#2).

9) Prospekt Mira (Проспект Мира)

Prospekt Mira station has beautiful chandeliers and white porcelain panels based on the theme of the harvest in the main hall. There are also large sculptures on the platform sides, including some with the hammer and sickle on a background of wheat, surrounded by plentiful foods on either side. The station is on the brown (#5) and orange (#6) lines.

10) Sportivnaya (Спортивная)

While not necessarily as eye-catching as the other stations, Sportivnaya has white marble pylons with green accents, with a pretty white ceiling. I’m also fairly certain that it’s where you’ll find the stunning mosaic mural (below) of the different republics of the Soviet Union, growing on a single tree. It’s on the red line (#1), the main station for Luzhniki sports stadium.

Suggested Itinerary:

• Start at Komsomolskaya station (both red line and brown line).
• Follow the brown line west to Prospekt Mira, Novoslobodskaya, and Belorusskaya.
• At Belorusskaya, switch to the green line and take it one stop, to Mayakovskaya.
• Follow the green line to Teatralnaya, where you’ll switch to the dark blue line for Ploschad Revolutzii.
• Take the dark blue line west, stopping at Arbatskaya, Kievskaya, and Park Pobeduy.

It’s easy to visit Sportivnaya if you’re visiting the Novodevichy Convent or Novodevichy Cemetery, or if you’re heading to MGU and Sparrow Hills. If you want to tack Sportivnaya onto this Metro itinerary:

• Take the dark blue line from Park Pobeduy to Kievskaya and switch to the brown line.
• Take the brown line one stop to Park Kultury, and then switch to the red line.
• Follow the red line two stops to Sportivnaya.

Using the Moscow Metro

The Metro is easy to use, although not knowing the Cyrillic alphabet may make it a bit tricky. There are signs in the central hall indicating which platform you’ll want (it lists the next stations on the line), but these will be in Cyrillic. There are announcements in English on most trains. The trains also come very quickly in the center—the longest I waited was 3 minutes. In rush hour, the trains came every 40 seconds!

The Moscow Metro costs 55 rubles (~£0.70 // $0.92) per ride. You can buy tickets from automated machines, or from the ticket desk—you’ll get a red card to tap on the reader before the gates. The best part is that you can ride the Metro as long as you want—you can visit every station for just the price of one ticket, as long as you don’t exit the Metro! You’ll have to walk through security scanners, to enter the Metro, and you’ll probably see lots of security and police. Don’t worry, it’s just the way things are.

If you’re planning your own trip to Russia, make sure you organize your visa in advance. I always find the best deals on flights booking through Skyscanner. If you want to book hostels for your trip, I recommend booking through Hostelworld! You can also book hotels through Booking.com, and sign up to and search accommodation on Airbnb here. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. You can read my mishaps on my first trip to Russia here!

Looking for a tour of the Moscow Metro? Check these tours out!

These are just 10 of the amazing Metro stations in Moscow. You can’t miss a trip on the Metro when visiting the Russian capital!

Have you ever been to a cool Metro station? Share your favorites in the world in the comments below!

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