See the most interesting stations with extravagant Soviet-era architecture, hear the history surrounding the metro stations from your expert guide and admire grandiose architecture, mosaics, sculptures and more on a 1.5-hour walking tour!
The Moscow Metro was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2018, the Moscow Metro excluding the Moscow Central Circle and Moscow Monorail has 222 stations and its route length is 379.1 km (235.6 mi), making it the seventh longest in the world.
The system is mostly underground, with the deepest section 84 metres (276 ft) underground at the Park Pobedy station, one of the world’s deepest.
At this tour you will be guided to visit five of Moscow’s must-see stations, including iconic Mayakovskaya, and learn all about Stalin’s visions for the former Soviet Union.
The five stations that you will visit are:
- Revolution Square Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii)
- Novoslobodskaya Station
- Komsomolskaya Station
- Kurskaya Station
- Mayakovskaya Station
Widely believed to be one of Stalin’s best architectural achievements, the Moscow subway was created to symbolize its rising regime and a recognized empire. If you are lucky, you can even find an unconfirmed secret entrance to Metro-2, a parallel underground system used by the government – a mystery that has not been denied nor confirmed today.
At Revolution Square Station, you will find 72 magnificent bronze sculptures that depict the people of the former Soviet Union, set underneath marble arches designed by the legendary Russian architect Alexey Dushkin.
Another Dushkin-created station is Novoslobodskaya, and you’ll head here next to admire its dazzling stained-glass panels.
Next, enjoy the views of Baroque decorations, vaulted ceilings and chandeliers at Komsomolskaya Station, before heading to Kurskaya Station.
Kurskaya Station is one of the first stations to be built. Its design reflects Stalin’s communist ideals and you’ll note its left-wing slogans on the walls, next to mosaics that symbolize the ‘victory’ of his regime over poverty and starvation.
The tour ends at Mayakovskaya, the station named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky, and see why this station is often considered the most beautiful and iconic Moscow Metro station. Look up in about 30 attractive mosaics that illustrate Stalin’s vision for a bright Soviet future, and then enjoy the typical pre-World War II architecture shown at this station.
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