Moscow by metro · By metro in Moscow
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By metro in Moscow
By metro in Moscow
Central Moscow is best to be explored on foot, but as the distances are huge, it's easiest to use the famous Metro system . It is comprehensive, boasts some great architecture, and is relatively cheap. As of June 2011, a single trip costs 28 RUB. Payment does not depend on the length of the trip. The tickets are sold at manned booths within the stations ("kassa") only.
Some stations are equipped with the tickets vending machines. Avoid buying tickets from private sellers as they are often fake. A convenient way to avoid queuing is to buy a multi-trip RFID card for 5, 10, 20 or 60 trips (10 at 265 RUB) valid for 45 days, or a monthly pass for up to 70 trips; the latter costs almost the same as 60x pass, but is valid for a calendar month, not the 30 days from the date of purchase. Details of prices and multiple purchase discounts are on the official website .
There are no day tickets or similar offers tailored to visitors, but for those who do use Metro really often and for an extended period of time (90 trips per month or more), there is a rechargeable unlimited trips smart-card (small refundable deposit is required), which can be recharged for a period from one month up to one year. However, if you lose it, you will not get any refund or replacement.
You can easily find any station you need on the map .
Rule of thumb for trip time in Metro is usually to take about 3 minutes for every station you've passed by in your way plus 4 minutes for
every crossing you've got between lines.
This rule don't work at left part of deep blue line. At this part,
time to travel between different pair of adjacent stations can vary
up to 9 minutes (in Strogino-Krylatskoe case).
There is service in internet to calculate Metro trip time
(in russian).
In this service you have to click pair of station names to
plot your way between them. After plotting, you'll see trip time
in minutes at left side of page. Clicking the button will reset
the map, so you can start plotting over again.
Sometimes when you click the station, a list of station names appears
providing way to choose specific station with same name on different lines.
If you don't understand russian names just make some tries to choose
different items in list.
The station you've chosen you will be able to see when you'll plot
your way by looking on highlighted color at station's circle.
The Metro is open from 5:30 a.m - 1:00 a.m. Station entrances are closed at 1:00 a.m., this is also the time, when last trains start from all of the termini stations of the lines. No one is allowed to start their journey by metro after 1:00 a.m., although trains are still running. Service on the ring line extends for crossing passengers to 1:30 a.m., though entrances are still closed at 1. Short-length escalators and all escalators, running down, are also locked at 1:00 a.m. (although crossings are not closed while there are trains running) and passengers have to step them. However, long escalators running up work to the last passenger. Before 7:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m., the Metro is rarely busy. Between these times on workdays, however, it can be a real squeeze, especially within the ring. Some escalators are a two minute ride as the stations in the city center are very deep. On the escalators, stand on the right.
Know that colors in the underground's signs don't necessarily correspond to the ones on the maps, so the green line is not necessarily indicated by a green sign (that could be the sign for the gray line). It is less confusing to refer to the numbers (for example, line 3 is line 3 whatever color is on the sign). There are no English signs inside so have your itinerary ready beforehand or learn to read the Cyrillic alphabet, which is possible. Anyway, you can use a Russian-English plan while you moving inside a Metro train. Do not intimidated by the huge masses of jostling, rushing, cross people. The Russians also take their time to study the tiny signposts to see where to change trains or which exit to take. To find out in which direction a train is going, look at the signs at the platform or in the front window of the train - the one in the rear window may show the opposite direction. Avoid the Metro if you are claustrophobic since the air is thick, especially at rush hour.
The most interesting stations in terms of decor are Komsomolskaya, Novoslobodskaya and Kievskaya on the ring line, Kropotkinskaya on the red line, Kievskaya, Arbatskaya and Ploschad' Revolyutsii (there are lot of sculptures on sides of this station) on deep blue line, Mayakovskaya on the green line (watch out for the mosaics on the ceiling). The last one is also one of the deepest, which allowed it to be used as a makeshift assembly hall for a Party meeting marking the anniversary of the Revolution during the German bombardments in the winter of 1941.
Pay attention that there are two stations Kievskaya with same name,
located on different lines (deep blue and circle lines) and connected into the crossing. But there are also unique two pair of stations called Smolenskaya and Arbatskaya and they are NOT connected at all. Those on light blue line are among the first built
stations in Metro (they were opened in 1935 with first Metro line).
Also you can take a look at architecture of ground entrance building of
mentioned Arbatskaya station on light blue line (it's built like red star in plan) and Krasnye Vorota station on red line (it's like a
giant portal protruding from underground).
Also there is an unique station in Metro that is located at bridge crossing Moscow River. This bridge also carries traffic road on higher level. There is beautiful view through transparent sides of station.
This station is called Vorob'evy gory and located on red line.
Great observing point around moscow is located nearby on Vorob'evy hills.
Lomonosov Moscow State University main building is also located next to
observing point.
The Metro is relatively safe, although pickpockets are a problem, as they are in any environment where a lot of people are pressed together. Opportunistic petty crime, such as snatching someone's mobile phone and jumping out just as the doors are closing, is also commonplace. Take the usual precautions at the night hours, when the crowds recede to avoid being the only passenger in a car with a gang of inebriated teenagers looking for an excuse to beat someone up.
Walk up the platform and get in the first car, near the driver; the cabin of the last car or the one in the middle of the train are not occupied by a conductor, like in New York. Every car is equipped with an intercom to the driver's cabin; they are beige boxes with a grill and a black button near doors, and mostly work, unless visibly vandalized. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, press the button and wait for the driver or his assistant to reply. The employee might not understand you but will know that there are problems and will pass the information on. At the next stop, someone (it could be even a bored on-duty policeman) might check in on the commotion.
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Moscow Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
