# Moscow Metro

> The Moscow Metro is the city’s best-value sight: marble halls, chandeliers and mosaics built as “palaces for the people” from 1935. It runs from about 5:30 to 1:00. A single ride on a Troika card is 75 ₽, and one fare covers every station you visit as long as you don’t exit. A loop of the finest stations takes about 90 minutes.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-metro

- City: [Moscow](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow), Russia
- YesGo score: 70/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 1 h 30 min
- Entry: 75 ₽ on Troika
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Single ride, Troika card: 75 ₽ (“Wallet” fare); free transfers inside the metro until you exit
- Russian bank card or phone: 83 ₽ — Russian-issued cards only
- Face Pay: 71 ₽ — needs the Moscow Metro app and a Russian bank card
- Paper ticket, 1 ride: 90 ₽
- Unlimited ticket: 1 day 415 ₽, 3 days 800 ₽
- Troika card deposit: 150 ₽, refunded at a ticket office within 5 years
- Foreign Visa / Mastercard: Don’t work in Russia since March 2022
- Hours: About 5:30–1:00, varies slightly by station
- Metro Museum: Delovoy Tsentr station, upper level; daily 10:00–18:00
- Self-guided station loop: ≈ 90 min on one fare
- Coordinates: 55.75020, 37.61860
- Facts checked: 29.10.2026

## Key facts

- **15 May 1935** — the first line opened: 13 stations from Sokolniki to Park Kultury (source: English and Russian Wikipedia, “Moscow Metro”)
- **34 mosaics** — by Alexander Deineka in Mayakovskaya’s ceiling — of the original 35 (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Mayakovskaya (Moscow Metro)”; Otello guide)
- **76 bronzes** — line Ploshchad Revolyutsii, including the border guard with his dog (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Moscow Metro)”)
- **1939** — Mayakovskaya’s design won the Grand Prix at the New York World’s Fair (source: Russian Wikipedia; KudaGo)
- **190 m** — the length of Komsomolskaya’s hall on the Circle line; the central nave is 9 m high (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Komsomolskaya (Koltsevaya line)”)
- **32 panels** — of back-lit stained glass at Novoslobodskaya, made in Riga to Pavel Korin’s designs (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Novoslobodskaya”)
- **318 lamps** — set into the ceiling of Elektrozavodskaya, opened in 1944 during the war (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Elektrozavodskaya (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line)”)
- **Park Pobedy** — is the deepest station; sources put it at 73–84 m below ground (source: English Wikipedia; Argumenty i Fakty Moscow)
- **1950–1954** — the Circle line was built — home to the grandest stations (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1935–1955** — the metro bore Lazar Kaganovich’s name, then Lenin’s (source: Russian Wikipedia, “Moscow Metro”)

> **Foreign cards won’t open the turnstile** Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia stopped working there in March 2022, and that includes the metro’s contactless readers. Bring roubles in cash and buy a Troika card at a station ticket office — staff rarely speak English, so just say “Troika” and hand over the cash.

## Moscow Metro ticket prices and how to pay

A single ride on a **Troika card costs 75 ₽** (the “Wallet” fare, from 2 January 2026, per the metro’s official site). A ride means one pass through the turnstile: change lines as often as you like, and it’s still one fare until you walk out onto the street.

The Troika itself carries a **150 ₽ deposit**, refundable at a ticket office. Top it up with cash at the ticket office. For a busy sightseeing day, the unlimited tickets are simpler: **415 ₽ for 1 day, 800 ₽ for 3 days**.

Locals tap Russian bank cards or phones (83 ₽) or use Face Pay (71 ₽), but both need a Russian-issued card, so for most visitors the Troika with cash is the only realistic option.

## Moscow Metro opening hours

The metro runs from about **5:30 until 1:00** every day. First trains vary by station, so a few open at 5:20–5:35. At 1:00 entrances and transfer passages close; you can still leave a station for a while after that.

For a station tour, go between 10:00 and 16:00 on a weekday or on a weekend morning. Rush hours in the centre — roughly 8:00–10:00 and 17:00–20:00 — pack Komsomolskaya and Kievskaya so tightly that you won’t see the halls, let alone photograph them.

## Is the Moscow Metro worth visiting?

Yes — and it costs less than a coffee. No other metro in the world has this many stations designed as showpieces: bronze statues, stained glass, mosaics in smalt and gold, chandeliers above the platforms. Ninety minutes underground show you more Soviet art than most museums in the city.

It’s also the perfect rainy-day or winter plan. Skip it only if you hate crowds and can’t avoid rush hour, or if you’ve already ridden the Circle line and seen Komsomolskaya — the rest is variations on the same grand style.

## The most beautiful Moscow Metro stations

- **Komsomolskaya (Circle line, 1952)** — the showstopper: a 190-metre hall with a yellow baroque ceiling, huge bronze chandeliers and eight ceiling mosaics by Pavel Korin of Russian military heroes. Designed by Alexey Shchusev, who died before it opened.
- **Mayakovskaya (Green line, 1938)** — the city’s first deep-level station with columns, and 34 small ceiling mosaics by Alexander Deineka; you only see each one when you stand directly beneath its dome. It won the Grand Prix in New York in 1939.
- **Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Dark blue line, 1938)** — 76 bronze figures by Matvey Manizer: workers, soldiers, students. Students rub the nose of the border guard’s dog for luck before exams, so every dog’s nose shines gold.
- **Novoslobodskaya (Circle line, 1952)** — 32 glowing stained-glass panels made in Riga, and Korin’s mosaic “Peace Throughout the World” at the end of the hall.
- **Kievskaya (Circle line, 1954)** — smalt mosaics on 18 pylons on Russian–Ukrainian themes; the station that closed the Circle line loop.
- **Elektrozavodskaya (Dark blue line, 1944)** — built in wartime, with 318 round lamps set into the ceiling in six rows and reliefs of workers.
- **Arbatskaya (Dark blue line, 1953)** — 220 metres long, red marble, ceramic flower garlands and two rows of gilded chandeliers.
- If you have time: Belorusskaya and Prospekt Mira on the Circle line, both on the route below.

## How to get there: a 90-minute self-guided route

1. Start at [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square): walk through the Resurrection Gate to **Ploshchad Revolyutsii** station (Line 3, dark blue) — about 3 minutes. Buy your Troika and look at the bronzes.
2. Ride towards Shchyolkovskaya, past Kurskaya, to **Elektrozavodskaya** — three stops, about 8 minutes.
3. Ride two stops back to Kurskaya and change to the brown **Circle line** (Line 5). One stop on is **Komsomolskaya** — spend 10–15 minutes here.
4. Continue around the Circle: Prospekt Mira → **Novoslobodskaya** for the stained glass → Belorusskaya.
5. At Belorusskaya switch to the green Line 2 and ride one stop towards the centre to **Mayakovskaya**. Then ride back to Belorusskaya.
6. Take the Circle line two stops to **Kievskaya**, then change to the dark blue Line 3 and ride via Smolenskaya to **Arbatskaya**.
7. From Arbatskaya it’s one stop back to Ploshchad Revolyutsii. Loop done: about 90 minutes, one fare, as long as you never exited.

## Can you get around the Moscow Metro without Russian?

Mostly, yes. Station names on signs and maps are written in Cyrillic and Latin letters, and many trains announce stations in English as well as Russian. Lines have numbers and colours — the brown Circle line is Line 5 — which makes transfers easy to follow.

Download an offline metro map before you go and note the Cyrillic spelling of your stations: the big platform signs list stations in Cyrillic first.

> **Taking photos in the metro** Phone photos are fine — keep the flash off, as it bothers drivers and passengers. Tripods, lights and commercial shoots count as professional filming and need the metro’s permission in advance. Shoot from the middle of the hall, never from the platform edge or the escalator.

## The Moscow Metro Museum

The metro’s museum and career centre is on the **upper level of Delovoy Tsentr station** next to [Moscow City](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-city) — ride in the first carriage from the centre. It opens daily 10:00–18:00, and the metro says its guided tours on transport history are free; you just pay the ride.

Expect models, old turnstiles, tokens and tickets and parts of old trains; the driver simulators are for pre-booked groups. It’s small — if your time is short, the stations themselves are the better museum.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] Roubles in cash for a Troika card — foreign cards won’t work
- [ ] Outside rush hour: 10:00–16:00 on a weekday is best
- [ ] Route saved: Ploshchad Revolyutsii → Elektrozavodskaya → Komsomolskaya → Novoslobodskaya → Mayakovskaya → Kievskaya → Arbatskaya
- [ ] Offline metro map with the Cyrillic station names
- [ ] Don’t exit between stations — one fare covers the whole loop
- [ ] Flash off, no tripod

## Moscow Metro vs VDNKh vs Zaryadye Park

|  | Moscow Metro | VDNKh | Zaryadye Park |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Stalin-era palace stations underground | Soviet pavilions and fountains | Modern park by the Kremlin |
| Era | 1935–1950s | 1939–1950s | 2017 |
| Entry | One ride, 75 ₽ on Troika | Grounds free | Park free |
| Time needed | ≈ 90 min | Half a day | 1–2 h |
| Weather | Doesn’t matter | Best when dry | Best when dry |

The metro is the cheapest way to see Stalin-era grandeur and the best plan for rain or snow. [VDNKh](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/vdnkh) has the same style above ground but needs half a day; [Zaryadye](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/zaryadye-park) is the modern contrast right by the Kremlin.

## Moscow’s historic sights compared

Every historic place in Moscow rated by YesGo.

- [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Lenin's Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/lenin-mausoleum) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
- [Cathedral of Christ the Saviour](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/cathedral-of-christ-the-saviour) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
- [Moscow Metro](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-metro) — YesGo score 70/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · 75 ₽ on Troika
- [St Basil's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/st-basils-cathedral) — YesGo score 65/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Moscow Kremlin](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-kremlin) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h 30 min · from 1,100 ₽
- [Kitay-gorod](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kitay-gorod) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free
- [Bolshoi Theatre](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/bolshoi-theatre) — YesGo score 56/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Tickets on bolshoi.ru, price varies by show
- [Patriarch's Ponds](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/patriarch-ponds) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Arbat Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/arbat-street) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free
- [State Historical Museum](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/state-historical-museum) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 2,000 ₽ for foreign visitors
- [Tretyakov Gallery](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tretyakov-gallery) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · 700 ₽
- [Tverskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tverskaya-street) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free
- [Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/pushkin-museum) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 700 ₽ per building
- [Novodevichy Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/novodevichy-convent) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, museum 500 ₽
- [Kremlin Armoury](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kremlin-armoury) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 1,400 ₽
- [Chistye Prudy](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/chistye-prudy) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free
- [VDNKh](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/vdnkh) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free entry, pavilions paid
- [Kolomenskoye](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kolomenskoye) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Park free, palace ≈ 700 ₽
- [Poklonnaya Hill](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/poklonnaya-hill) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Park free; Victory Museum 450 ₽
- [Kuskovo Estate](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/kuskovo) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Park 100 ₽, palace 500 ₽
- [Tsaritsyno](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tsaritsyno) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Park free, palace 900 ₽

## Red Square, the metro and Tverskaya in half a day

See Red Square, go down at Ploshchad Revolyutsii for the station loop, then surface at Mayakovskaya onto Tverskaya Street and walk to Patriarch’s Ponds.

1. [Red Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/red-square) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
2. [Moscow Metro](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/moscow-metro) — YesGo score 70/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · 75 ₽ on Troika
3. [Tverskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tverskaya-street) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free
4. [Patriarch's Ponds](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/patriarch-ponds) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free

## Good to know

Officially it is the Moscow Metropolitan named after V. I. Lenin. We don’t reproduce the metro map here: it changes with every new station, and the current one is posted on every platform and in the Moscow Metro app.

## Tips

- One fare, one loop: stay underground and the whole station tour costs 75 ₽.
- At Mayakovskaya, walk the hall slowly looking up — each mosaic is visible only from directly below its dome.
- At Komsomolskaya, step into the central hall rather than staying on the platform: that’s where the chandeliers and mosaics are.
- Rain or snow? This is the best indoor plan in central Moscow.
- Want the stories behind the stations? Book a guided metro tour — guides also know the details you’d walk past.
- Leave Mayakovskaya for [Tverskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/tverskaya-street), or Arbatskaya for [Arbat Street](https://yesgo.io/russia/moscow/arbat-street).

## Questions

### How much is a Moscow Metro ticket?

A single ride is 75 ₽ on a Troika card, 83 ₽ with a Russian bank card or phone, 90 ₽ for a paper ticket. Unlimited tickets cost 415 ₽ for 1 day and 800 ₽ for 3 days.

### Can I use my foreign Visa or Mastercard in the Moscow Metro?

No. Cards issued outside Russia haven’t worked there since March 2022. Pay cash for a Troika card at a ticket office.

### What are the Moscow Metro opening hours?

About 5:30 to 1:00 every day. Entrances and transfers close at 1:00; exits stay open a little longer.

### What are the most beautiful Moscow Metro stations?

Komsomolskaya, Mayakovskaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Novoslobodskaya, Kievskaya, Elektrozavodskaya and Arbatskaya — all on one 90-minute loop.

### How long does a Moscow Metro tour take?

About 90 minutes for the seven best stations on your own, on a single fare.

### Is the Moscow Metro in English?

Station signs and maps show Latin spellings alongside Cyrillic, and many trains announce stations in English too.

### Why do people rub the dog’s nose at Ploshchad Revolyutsii?

Students believe rubbing the bronze dog’s nose next to the border guard brings luck in exams — which is why the noses shine.

### Can you take photos in the Moscow Metro?

Yes, with a phone and without flash. Tripods and professional equipment need permission from the metro.

### When did the Moscow Metro open?

On 15 May 1935, with 13 stations between Sokolniki and Park Kultury.

### What is the deepest Moscow Metro station?

Park Pobedy, opened in 2003. Sources give its depth as anywhere from 73 to 84 metres.

## How we checked

The Troika fare (75 ₽), unlimited tickets and the card deposit come from the official metro website. Bank card (83 ₽), Face Pay (71 ₽) and single paper ticket (90 ₽) prices aren’t on the metro site — they come from the city transport department’s announcement as reported by Profil and travelto.ru, so those rows are marked “verifying”. Hours come from English Wikipedia and guidebooks and vary slightly by station. The museum: the official site says Delovoy Tsentr, a guidebook says Vystavochnaya — they are one interchange next to Moscow City, and we use the metro’s name. Sources put Park Pobedy’s depth at 73–84 m and its escalators at 126 or 127 m, so we give a range or nothing. Photo rules come from guidebooks, not the metro site. English announcements and signage are from travel guides. Route and transfer times are our estimate from the metro map.

## Sources

- Official Moscow Metro website: Troika fares and tickets, Museum and Career Guidance Centre, 29.10.2026
- Moscow Transport Department fare announcement from 2 January 2026, as reported by Profil magazine and travelto.ru
- English and Russian Wikipedia: Moscow Metro; Wikidata Q5499
- Russian Wikipedia: articles on Komsomolskaya, Mayakovskaya, Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Novoslobodskaya, Kievskaya, Elektrozavodskaya and Arbatskaya stations
- KudaGo, Vokrug Sveta, Otello and Tonkosti Turizma guides
- Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022

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