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A visit to Moscow is a must-see for the metro! More than just a means of transportation, it's a reflection of the ideology of a bygone era and a work of art. Each station is unique, with columns, murals, and sculptures, creating a subterranean palace. It holds numerous world records: "the most beautiful metro in the world," "the most punctual metro (reportedly boasting a 99.99% punctuality rate)," and "the busiest metro in Europe."
Moscowcheck the details
Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation and the capital of Moscow Oblast. Moscow is Russia's political, economic, cultural, financial, and transportation center, as well as its largest comprehensive city, and a cosmopolitan metropolis. Located in the central part of European Russia and the central part of the East European Plain, Moscow straddles the Moscow River and its tributary, the Yauza River. Connected to the upper reaches of the Volga River and its estuary, Moscow is a vital transportation hub in Russia and even in Eurasia, and a major center for industrial manufacturing, science, technology, and education.
Recommended months: May and September
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"Mayakovsky"
Year of operation: 1938
Initially, there were two types of subway stations: one was deeply buried with towers and columns, and the other was shallowly buried with columns.
Soviet architect Alexi Dushkin, along with many other architects, built the world's first deep-buried subway station using columns instead of towers, replacing the previous heavy columns with tall and slender columns made of aircraft steel.
The circular light holes on the ceiling are inlaid with 34 mosaic murals depicting Soviet life day and night: factories, young pioneers, athletes, entertainment activities, happy mothers, blooming gardens, parachutes, and airplanes.
This was also a shelter during the Great Patriotic War, where 50,000 people hid and 200 babies were born.
This metro station is the deepest in Moscow, built at a depth of 84 meters. It has the longest escalator in Europe at 120 meters (I timed it specially, not counting the walkway, the escalator alone can take more than 3 minutes).
Like a time tunnel Like a time tunnel
The ceiling of the station is covered with large round lights, and the reliefs inside the station are also six scientists related to electrical science.
Year of operation: 1938
Inside the station, there are 76 lifelike bronze statues, including one depicting a soldier and a dog. Passersby touch the bronze dog's nose, supposedly for good luck. You can see that the nose and paw (for someone as short as me, I have to stand on tiptoe to touch the dog's nose; the paw is a good height for me) have been polished to a bright gold, unlike the rest of the area.
Year of operation: 1935
Located at the intersection of three major railway stations, it's known as the "Gateway to Moscow" and is considered the pinnacle of Stalinist architecture. Its theme is the victory of the Great Patriotic War, and its bright yellow dome, bronze chandeliers, marble arcades, and colorful mosaics all showcase the passion and glory of communism over revolution.
Opened: 1944
The station has a rare three-track structure. It is said that the middle track was originally intended to evacuate the huge crowds from the nearby stadium (this area was previously the Olympic Village), but construction was stopped due to the outbreak of World War II and it became a decoration.
Opened: 1935
During the Battle of Moscow in 1941, the station was destroyed by German artillery shells due to its shallow depth. After the war, it was rebuilt deeper underground for safety and military reasons. The current station was completed and opened in 1958. Designed to serve as an emergency air-raid shelter, it is 41 meters underground and boasts a 250-meter-long lobby. A unique feature is its semi-elliptical shape.
Taganka Station's design is based on traditional Russian craftsmanship. The passageways are flanked by 48 blue enamel ornaments, their pointed tips pointing up to the pure white ceiling, creating a striking contrast. The chandeliers between each pair of enamel spires also feature a matching blue and white color scheme.
Opened: 1952
Full of Belarusian style, the ceiling reliefs are also based on the daily life of Belarus.
Year of operation: 1952
There are 32 large stained glass windows in total. The stained glass will have different images depending on the brightness of the lights in the station, just like a church.
Year of operation: 1954
This station was the last completed on Line 5. The theme commemorates friendly relations with Ukraine, with large and exquisite mosaic murals and floral plasterwork.
The station's reliefs are based on the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917.
On January 6, 1931, a severe traffic jam hit Moscow (Moscow's traffic jams are world-famous), forcing the government to invest in subway construction. On May 15, 1935, the first Moscow Metro train entered service, and the famous Moscow Metro logo – the red letter M – appeared.
The Moscow Metro is undergoing rapid construction! Since 2010, 60 new stations have been built, and 35 more will be launched by 2020. The Moscow Metro has two "Arbatskaya" and two "Smolenskaya" stations. This is because an air bomb damaged the tunnel in 1941, and the government decided to build stations at the same location but deeper. However, after some time, the old stations were restored and opened.
On the Moscow Metro's extensive network of lines, trains heading toward the city center have male voices announcing stops, while trains departing the city center have female voices announcing stops. On the circular line, trains running clockwise have male voices announcing stops, while trains going counterclockwise have female voices announcing stops. This arrangement is designed to make it easier for blind people to navigate the subway.
There are no safety doors in the Moscow Metro, and incidents of falling off the tracks occur every year, so when you take the Moscow Metro, you must be careful!
1. You can buy a Troika card at the metro station for 36 rubles (originally 55 rubles), which can be recharged repeatedly and is valid for 5 years. Besides the metro, it can also be used on buses, trolleybuses, trams, and the Moscow Central Ring Road.
2. When taking the subway, you only need to swipe your card when entering the station, and you don’t need to swipe your card when exiting the station. On escalators, stand on the left and walk on the right.
3. Subway transfers can be tricky to understand. Often, a single station has multiple names, and it's not as simple as going back and forth. If you get off the wrong train, getting back on the other side won't work. So, remembering the stations is crucial. The red line indicates your current station, and the left indicates the next station. Find the station you want to go to, remember the number of stops in between, and then get off. Lines with downward arrows indicate transfers.
4. The best time to visit (photograph) the subway is from 11:00 to 16:00. After 21:00, there are fewer passengers.
5. There are thieves in the subway station, so be careful not to show your valuables.
6. Buses, trolleybuses, and trams run frequently in Moscow, and many of the routes are quite picturesque. For example, tram number 39 follows a route that begins at the Universitetskaya metro station, where the main (and perhaps most beautiful) university is located on the romantic Chistye Prudy in the heart of the city.
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Walking along the Moscow River, you can see a variety of churches. During the day, they look like cakes sprinkled with icing sugar, and at night, they are dotted with stars, romantic and dreamy.
Not far from the Kremlin on the Moscow River, you'll see a golden church with a high roof. This is one of Moscow's most storied churches and the tallest Orthodox church in the world - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Its interior looks like this. It is not the most golden and dazzling church in Russia, but it is still very shocking, and the dome is very high.
After the Russo-French War, Tsar Alexander I decided to build a cathedral to commemorate this great victory and thank God for his blessing on Russia. From design to completion, it took 75 years, spanning four generations of tsars.
In 1917, the October Revolution overthrew the Tsarist regime and established the Soviet Union. The Soviet Communist Party, led by Stalin, planned to demolish the church to build the Palace of Soviets on its site. However, after the church's demolition, just as the foundations for the Palace of Soviets began to be dug, water from the Moscow River flooded the site, forcing construction to halt. Ultimately, the Palace of Soviets, which was expected to be the world's tallest building at the time, was never completed. During the Khrushchev era, the ruins were converted into a public swimming pool.
The swimming pool is more than 130 meters in diameter and 6 meters deep. It opened in 1966 and was the largest open-air heated swimming pool in the world at that time, accommodating 10,000 people. However, it is said that people don't seem to like this swimming pool and make fun of it for its Khrushchev aesthetic.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, many people demanded that the government rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In 1995, the swimming pool was demolished and the reconstruction of the church began.
In 2000, after spending 500 million US dollars, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was finally completed, and the gilded domes and crosses returned to the vision of Muscovites.
The floating bridge of Zaryadye Park next to Red Square is a good place to enjoy the scenery along the Moscow River. You can overlook the world's tallest Orthodox Church and the Cultural Apartments, one of the Seven Sisters of Moscow.
The Seven Sisters of Moscow mentioned above were built in the last decade of Stalin's rule. They are similar in appearance, with features such as a large base, symmetrical structure, stepped shape, and towering spires, and are also called Stalinist buildings.
A closer look reveals numerous bas-reliefs and high-reliefs adorning the exterior walls. Previously, it housed Soviet artists. Today, it can be rented or sold online.
There is an elevator and central air conditioning, but it is said that there are many cockroaches in the room in summer, and the sound insulation between upper and lower floors is very poor; and each two-bedroom apartment has only three sockets, and there are no sockets in the kitchen.
Fortunately, the view from the room is still great, and you can see Red Square!
The eldest of the Seven Sisters is Moscow State University, Russia's most prestigious university. With a main building standing at 240 meters, it was the tallest building in Europe until 1990 and remains the tallest academic building in the world today.
The words "CCCP" (the Russian abbreviation of the word "Soviet Union") are still retained on the top of the main building.
The university is located on Sparrow Hills, which is a good place to overlook the scenery of Moscow. It is said that a sightseeing cable car is being built here, and you can take the cable car to the observation deck.
The second tallest of the Seven Sisters, the Hotel Ukraine was the tallest hotel in the world when it was built and is still the tallest hotel in Europe. It once served as the state guesthouse of the Soviet Union and is now the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel.
During those turbulent years, the Ukraine Hotel witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, the military bombardment of the White House (the official residence of the Russian government and prime minister, the white building on the other side of the Ukraine Hotel, in the picture), and the rebirth of Russia.
It is worth mentioning that the escape system invented by the Ukrainian hotel builders is still unique today: in an emergency, elastic soft leather bags will automatically slide down along the outer wall of the building from top to bottom, accommodating 10 people at a time.
The smallest of the Seven Sisters, at only 134 meters, has now been renamed the Leningrad Hilton Hotel.
Completed in 1954, it is the last of the Seven Sisters and is simpler in decoration than the other six. Originally, it was home to many Soviet politicians and aviation professionals, but is now the residence of Russia's wealthy and fashionable class.
It is also known as the Red Gate Building because it is located in Red Gate Square.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building was originally a symmetrical, flat-roofed structure. However, when Stalin inspected it, he felt it didn't reflect the spirit of diplomacy, so he had the designers add a spire. This is why you'll notice the spire is distinct from the building itself. The building still serves as the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Izmailovo, the Russian name for an ant, is home to a massive flea market (once the largest in Europe). Entering it feels like stepping into a fairytale castle. The bizarre, colorful buildings are actually shops and small themed museums.
The market can be divided into four areas: paintings area/second-hand items (flea market) area/carpet + animal hair products area/souvenir area.
There are all kinds of souvenirs, handicrafts, real and fake antiques, old items, oil paintings, old books, coins and medals, stones and agates, old cameras, military binoculars, guns and ammunition. Most second-hand shops are open only on weekends.
The church is the center of the Izmailovo Kremlin. It houses an Orthodox church and is generally not open to tourists.
Opposite the church is the Grand Russian Palace (Дворец русской трапезы), which has a very unique architecture and decoration, combining the splendor of a royal palace with elements of a peasant hut. It is a model of 17th-century Russian art and has a large dining room that can accommodate 1,000 people.
At the other end is the Wedding Palace (Дворец бракосочетания №5), a place that assists with marriage notarization and wedding photography.
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