Muscovites widely prefer metros to other modes of transport. The idea was to create palaces for the general public. Hence, the name “people’s palace”. Marble, mosaics, bronze statues and other arts spruce up the metro stations. Touring the metro stations is just as popular as visiting the Kremlin among tourists. Several companies are offering guided tours of the stations. Or embark on a self-guided Moscow metro tour.

Moscow is an expensive city and this is one attraction that can be visited for cheap. So, compared to guided tours, a self-guided tour is a cheaper option. All you need is a single entry ticket, costing 60 Rubles. The best thing is that you can ride the metro and change lines several times. But don’t exit the station until the end of the tour.

I’m sure many of you have read that the Moscow metro system is confusing. I know firsthand that it can be confusing in the beginning. However, after riding the metro a few times it’s very easy.

After touring the Kremlin and the Red Square I was ready to glimpse at the architectural masterpieces, the people’s palaces, the metro stations. I commenced my self-guided tour from the metro station nearest to Red Square.

*TIP: The metro stations are is marked with an “M” in red colour.

WHICH TICKETS TO BUY?

Moscow metros have a variety of ticket options. Depending on your frequency of travelling by metros you can opt for tickets that suit you.

Multiple entries tickets are cheaper than a single entry ticket.

The “TROIKA (Tроика)“ card can be used for not just metros but also other public transport such as trams, buses and trolleys. It is a blue colour reusable plastic card. You can add any amount you want to the card plus a 50 rubles deposit fee. You can top it up anytime.

But if you are in Moscow for a day or 2 then the “Ediny (ЕДИНЫЙ)” a red paper card is the better option. A single ticket for 1 ride, costs 57 rubles, and 2 rides cost 114 rubles.

Tickets and cards are available either at the ticket counter (КАССА) or the automatic vending machines.

Another option is to pay directly at the turnstiles using contactless systems such as Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay and MIR bank cards, Samsung pay, Google pay and Apple Pay. Each ride costs 44 rubles.

*NOTE: Luggage weighing over 50 kg and over 180 cm requires a separate luggage ticket; 60 rubles.

The first station of my self-guided tour is the “Ploshchad Revolyutsii (ПЛОЩАДЬ РЕВОЛЮЦИИ) metro station. This station is near Red Square and a good place to start the tour.

Kremlin is visited by almost every tourist and traveller and it made sense to start the tour from here.

PLOSHCHAD REVOLYUTSII

This metro station is bedecked in red and yellow marble arches that rest on pylons decorated with black Armenian marble. This station is simple compared to other extravagant ones. The ceiling is a plain white colour with low hanging lamps.

The main feature of this station that attracts tourists here is the 76 bronze statues in a socialist realism style. The statues are placed in a certain order. This portrays the evolution of the people from the pre-revolutionary past, through the revolution and the modern era.

Muscovites believe rubbing these statues brings good luck and fortune. Different beliefs for different statues. For example, the patrolman’s dog brings good luck; the school girl’s shoes bring luck in love and marriage and the pistol is for financial success.

This belief started in the 1930s when students rubbed their report cards on the statues in hopes of changing their marks. Since then this belief spread all over the country.

However prolonged rubbing has resulted in distorting the features of the statues.

After rubbing a few statues for good luck and some photos I rode the metro to Kievskaya (КИЕВСКАЯ) metro station on the dark blue line 3.

KIEVSKAYA

This is the second station from Ploshchad Revolyutsii on the dark blue line 3. Here you can change lines to the light blue line 4 and maroon line 5.

Interestingly, the design of the winner of a competition held in Ukraine was chosen for this station.

The main feature of this station is the mosaics on the columns that portray Russia and Ukraine’s unity. The columns are set on low square white marble pylons. The ceiling is plain white with hanging lamp chandeliers.

This station is a cultural heritage site. This station celebrates the 300th anniversary of Russia and Ukraine’s reunification.

The golden coloured borders running along the edges of the mosaics and the arches enhance the beauty of this station.

After admiring the mosaics to my heart’s content I was on my way to the next station on my self-guided Moscow metro tour list. The next station is Park Pobedy (ПАРК ПОБЕДЫ) on the dark blue line 3.

PARK POBEDY

This is the first station from Kievskaya. This station has a dual colour theme. Red marble bedecks the outbound platform and the grey marble faces the inbound platform. Mosaics depicting the 1812 French Invasion of Russia and World War II adorn both the inbound and outbound platforms respectively.

However, this is not what makes this station so popular among tourists. Park Pobedy metro station is the deepest station in Moscow at 73 metres. It also has one of the longest escalators in Europe and is almost a 3-minute ride.

When you are standing at the platform it is difficult to grasp just how deep underground you are standing. Riding down this long escalator I felt like I was on my way to some secret underground hideout.

After a quick tour of the station, I took the metro on the dark blue Line 3 to Kurskaya (КУРСКАЯ)metro station. Here I changed lines from dark blue to maroon line 5 and then took the metro to Komsomolskaya (КОМСОМОЛСЬКАЯ) metro station.

KOMSOMOLSKAYA

This is the first station from Kurskaya metro station and is the busiest station because of its proximity to the railway terminals. It is one of the extravagant metro stations in Moscow.

Komsomolskaya is a beautiful station designed by Alexey Shchusev. He designed the station to illustrate Joseph Stalin’s historical speech to inspire the soldiers during World War II by remembering the past great military leaders. This is the first and last metro station Alexey Shchusev designed.

The station has 8 beautiful mosaics. They portray Russia’s struggle for freedom and independence. The station is Baroque style with a yellow ceiling and white friezes. Huge chandeliers hang from the roof. The octagonal columns are white marble with baroque pilasters.

Also, this station has been declared a cultural heritage site.

While walking around this station it is easy to forget that you are in a metro station and not visiting one of the palaces in Russia.

After spending a while taking in this architectural masterpiece it was time to move onto the next station.

I then took the metro on the maroon line 5 to Prospekt Mira (ПРОСРЕКТ МИРА).

PROSPEKT MIRA

This station is the first stop from Komsomolskaya metro station. The station is located near the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University and so formerly named Botanichesky Sad.

This elegant station has white marble columns and bas-relief frieze with floral designs and the medallion bas reliefs portray the evolution of Russia’s agricultural sector. The roof is plain white with casts and cylindrical chandeliers. This station has a simple and elegant theme.

After a quick look around I took the metro to the next station.

NOVOSLOBADSKAYA

The next stop on my self-guided Moscow metro tour is Novoslobadskaya (НОВОСЛОБОДСКАЯ) metro station. It is the first stop from Prospekt Mira on the maroon line 5. This is a beautiful station and shouldn’t be missed.

The 32 stained glass panels with brass borders and illuminated from within are the defining feature of this beautiful station. The arches are pink Ural marble. There is a mosaic, at the end of the platform, titled Peace Throughout the World”.

The stained glass panels are stunning. This is my second favourite metro station in Moscow.

Moving on to the next station…..

MAYAKOVSKAYA

I took the metro on the maroon line 5 to Belorusskaya (БЕЛОРУССКАЯ) metro station. It’s the first stop from Novoslobadskaya metro station. Then I changed lines from brown to dark green line 2. I then took the metro to the first stop from Belorusskaya to Mayakovskaya (МАЯКОВСКАЯ) metro station.

This station is more futuristic in its design compared to others. It’s an example of pre- World War II Stalinist architecture. Mayakovskaya is the first to showcase the deep column design.

The station’s futuristic theme can be seen in the use of stainless steel, pink Rhodonite, white and grey marble. 34 mosaics are depicting ” 24 hours in the Land of the Soviets” encompassed by filament lights.

In 2005, the 35th mosaic was added to the new vestibule’s ceiling. This mosaic is an illustration of the poem “Moscow Sky” by Vladimir Mayakovsky.

This is the most beautiful station in Moscow and should be on your list of stations to visit. After taking my time admiring, oohing and awing at the beautiful mosaics I headed to the next station.

The next station on my list is the Novokuznetskaya (НОВОКУЗНЕТСКАЯ) metro station.

NOVOKUZNETSKAYA

This the last station on my self-guided Moscow metro tour. This station is the third stop on the dark green line from Mayakovskaya station.

The main attraction of this station is the 7 octagonal mosaics on the ceiling. The mosaics depict the wartime industry. The bas-reliefs at the base of the ceiling portray the Red Army soldiers fighting. Bronze portraits of war heroes decorate the pylons.

According to urban legend, the Carrara marble from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was used to make the benches in the station. However this not true, but it sure adds appeal to the already beautiful station.

This is another beautiful station and should not be missed.

After admiring the mosaics I headed back to the Red Square. I took the metro to Teatralnaya () near the red square. You can take the metro to whatever is your next destination.

TIPS FOR SELF-GUIDED MOSCOW METRO TOUR

After touring the stations I realized that the Moscow metros are always crowded but compared to the rush hours it is significantly less. I’ve listed a few tips to keep in mind while touring the stations by yourselves.

1. The metros are always crowded from 8 am – 10 am and 4 pm – 6 pm. It’s better to tour the stations after the rush hour.
2. The Moscow metro runs from 5:30 am – 1:00 am.
3. You can tour all the metro stations with a single ticket as long as you do not exit the station.
4. The station’s entrances have green signs and the exits have red signs.
5. There is a metro every 90 seconds. Take your time to admire the beautiful stations. There’s no need to rush.
6. Count the number of stops to the next station and carry a map of the stations to avoid confusion.
7. Personal belongings are your responsibility. There are pickpockets at the stations.
8. Download the Moscow Metro App to guide you to your destinations even when offline. Available on IOS and Android. The Moscow metro map is available in PDF with the stations in English and Cyrillic.

GUIDED MOSCOW METRO TOURS

Moscow metro system is a bit confusing and daunting at first. If touring the stations by yourself seems too much work then opt for the guided tours.

All most all guided tours are in English. The guided tours are a good option if you want to know more about the history and want to tour the stations without any hassles of planning a self-guided tour.

• GetYourGuide small group metro tour
• Viator small group tour of the metro
• Viator night metro tour

The idea behind the construction of these masterpieces was that the kings lived in palaces and so they wanted to build palaces for the people. After touring these beautiful stations I can say that these stations truly are palaces.

Each station has a different theme and styles. Each station has its unique feature.

A visit to Moscow is incomplete without touring these amazing stations. Guided tours are good but a self-guided Moscow metro tour is a better option to save money in an expensive city.