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What is the TfL Journey Planner and how to use it?

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With more rail, tube, and bus strikes potentially on the horizon, getting around London can prove troublesome during industrial action. However, there are ways to plan your journey effectively in advance to help minimise disruption.

The latest tube maps (including stations that avoid stairs, accept cycles, and more) are published on the TfL.go.UK website for when services are running.

However, for smartphone users, the official TfL Go app helps you plan tube, bus, and rail journeys around the capital (including an update for the newly opened Elizabeth line ) and live reports on service disruption across London.

If, for any reason, you are unable to access the app, the TfL Journey Planner is also available via the browser on your PC, laptop, phone, and more.

What is the TfL Journey Planner?

The TfL Journey Planner is a website run by Transport for London that works similarly to the National Rail Enquiries page. It allows you to search and plan your journeys across London in advance. 

However, the journey planner seeks to be an all-encompassing solution for transport that goes beyond rail travel.

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For example, it will show you options for cycling, cycle hire, bus routes, and more. The site also gives you walking routes, with the option to view written directions or to open the path in Google maps.

The app encourages users to walk or cycle where possible and also gives the option to discover quieter times to travel, which can be particularly useful if you are not in a rush to make your trip.

How to use the TfL Journey Planner

Beginning on the TfL Journey Planner homepage , you can input your potential journey details based on geographical locations, underground stations, bus stops, and more.

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This allows you to pinpoint your starting place and destination. The site also gives you the option to pick from any journeys you’ve recently entered. Any updates or strike action will also be listed in a yellow banner at the top of the homepage.

The default allows you to plan a journey departing now, but you can alter the departure time if you are planning your trip further in advance.  

Once you have entered your journey details, you’ll be presented with options like ‘cycling and other’ (which will include cycle hire and walking), ‘fastest by public transport and ‘Bus only’, with the option to amend your journey details, look at services later or earlier in the day and even find nearby taxi ranks.

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You can filter journeys via the least walking, fewest changes, and complete step-free access.

MORE : Who can travel on UK public transport for free?

MORE : Where to find the latest London tube map?

MORE : How to check if your train is cancelled during the strikes

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TfL Go: Live Tube, Bus & Rail 4+

Plan journeys around london, designed for ipad.

• #3 in Navigation
• 4.7 • 39.2K Ratings

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Description.

Travel confidently around London with maps and live travel updates on our official TfL app. Check live arrival times for Tube, London Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line and Thameslink trains as well as Trams and IFS Cloud Cable Car. Make step-free journeys and look up station facilities. See on the map when stations and lifts are closed. Walking or cycling? Our reliable journey planner will map a safe route. The app is built around our iconic Tube map. To get started: • Touch the map or search to plan your journey • See the status of all lines • Check how busy each London Underground station is right now • Re-route as you travel - we’ll suggest alternatives • Switch to the step-free map for accessible journeys • Find out when your next train, bus or tram is due • Look up which platform your train will arrive on • See when the stations you want to travel through are quieter • Check out station information and facilities such as toilets Most recently we’ve: • Added more information about station toilets – find out where they are by gender and which ones are accessible and/or with baby changing facilities • Built a new map showing nearby bus stops – making it simple to see where you can catch your bus from • Refreshed the navigation – it’s even easier to get to the features you want Our simple and clear layout is designed to make using the app easy for everyone. Planning your journey: We’ll suggest multiple ways to get to your destination – you pick the one that suits you best. Choose the quickest journey, bus-only or one that’s step-free. Check before you travel: See how the line is running and when to expect your next Tube, bus, train or tram Freedom to explore: Choose the right travel options if you or someone you’re travelling with needs to avoid steps, lifts onto a train or in a station. Bus stops near you: Find the bus stop nearest to where you are, and next bus live arrival information for every route. Available underground via Wi-Fi (or 4G in some places) for live updates on the go. What users have said: “I think that out of all of the transport apps I have owned on my phone, this is by far the best” “I love how clean the design of the app is & how easy it is to use. The best part of the app is it’s simplicity & how it helps you to navigate across London so effortlessly.” “The map is awesome! The ability to zoom in and out and see more/less information as you do so. The station information is really useful and seeing which lines/stations are closed or have delays at a glance is really helpful. It’s also beautifully designed! Very slick, clean, and responsive.” “The app is beautifully designed and free to use. Step free mode also works really well." “This is a must have app … very much worth the wait. Well done TFL.”

Version 1.61.0

Improvements to VoiceOver support, plus some other bug fixes.

Ratings and Reviews

39.2K Ratings

Interesting app

Most map apps such as citymapper and google maps bring similar functionality, but the tfl developers have indeed done a good job of providing a well designed and simplified experience with a focus on public transport in London and accessibility (both in the app and in finding accessible transport options). I am particularly impressed with the consistent design style that reflects the tfl brand really well. I would be curious to find out what technologies you used when building out the screens and interactive map 😁! Of course there are always tradeoffs when designing a whole navigation app around the london tube map seeing as those unfamiliar with the london tube may find it unintuitive, as geographical distances and locations in london aren’t conveyed like they are on an ordinary map. In addition, the amount of text on the map and text on the main option buttons at the bottom may make the main app screen slightly less accessible to certain people. However, given the constraints of working off the tfl map, the design is still impressive. To make the app better, it would be good to add some more disambiguation for places vs stations. Eg: High Barnet may refer to the tube station or the centre of the area.

Developer Response ,

Hi Nina. Thank you so much for your very detailed review and amazing rating! We are thrilled to learn you have such a positive opinion! We appreciate your point on those who may be unfamiliar with london and the underground map, however, the app is designed to plan a journey from the app users current location, which will negate the need to know where you'll be starting your journey from - although this is also something you can do in the app! Damien

I have had countless apps for TFL - none as good as this!

Third party apps have all gone down the drain imo mostly due to ads subscription fees and the info is just late and then I found out TFL have their very own app now so I thought that wouldn’t be good as they’re not devs but they have got good devs and built a brilliant app that has everything you want & more! It’s up to date information and will even let you know when lifts are down on certain platforms. The UI is nice and smooth and the map as you’d expect from the very people who run it. This is right up there in my favourite travel apps now. Finally deleted old apps like movit - citymapper and all the countless others. Download it - it’s the best! 😎👍

Platform numbers would be helpful when using the planner part

The end user still does not have the information given about what platform number the train is departing from. For example. I planned a journey from Paddington to heathrow at 04:42 it says walk to platform london Paddington. For me it's clear it's the national rail station for otherswho are foreign will not see any difference. I know first westbound services depart from the main line station and elizabeth line ststion at Paddington does not open till 0528hrs. It would be helpful if you could PLEASE put the platform numbers as when it is available. This will help a lot of people who are using the app know which platform to go to. Another example I can show is if someone was to go to Gatwick Airport from paddington it just says go to platform. I really needs to tell the user at Paddington use elizabeth line train from platform A to Farringdon from Farringdon go to platform 3. TFL really needs to acknowledge this because it's frtrsting for me to tell you guys the basics the app needs to have.

App Privacy

The developer, TfL , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Search History
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

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London Public Transport Journey Planners

These are the best apps and tools to plan a journey by public transport in London. We recommend using the options listed below instead of Google to plan a journey.

Citymapper is the most comprehensive public transport planning app for London.

It’s available online or as a free app for ios or android . The online version is now rather limited. The app is much better.

The route planner shows all transport options including cycling, walking and local trains.

The adult Pay as you go Oyster card/contactless fares for each journey are also shown. This make it easy to find the cheapest route.

Transport for London’s TfL Go app is a sleek design and easy to use . It’s the easiest app to find and live departures for underground trains and buses.

It also has a route planner showing options for

• fastest route
• an alternative route (usually bus)

Select ‘Status’ for delay information. You are then able to see if there are any problems on a particular train or underground line.

It defaults to an excellent live tube map, which finds your closest tube station. Click on the underground station, then the name of the station to get the times of the next tube trains.

Click on ‘bus stops’ to see times of the next buses from bus stops near you.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t give fare information. But it’s recommended if you don’t need to know the fare.

Transport for London’s online journey planner

Transport for London’s online Journey Planner shows the quickest way from A to B.

It’s possible to choose bus/tube/train only routes. It also gives you the Pay as you go Oyster peak/contactless and off-peak fares.

Do bear in mind that the default is the quickest route, which is not always the cheapest. For example, to Heathrow Airport:

• under ‘Edit preferences’ deselect ‘National Rail’ to exclude the expensive Heathrow Express train.
• Deselect ‘Elizabeth line’ if you want to exclude that as well.

Early morning or late-night journeys

To be somewhere at a specific time, especially if it’s in the morning or late at night, use the TfL Journey Planner

Mobility issues

If you have mobility issues, you can narrow down your search options to find the best route with:

• Escalators but not stairs
• Stairs but not escalators
• Step-free access to platforms
• Full step-free access

If you just need a tube map and don’t want to use an app, download a pdf tube map to your device.

Related pages

• How to get around by bus
• How to get around by underground
• Walking in London

Getting around London

• How to use the London underground
• How to use London buses
• London cycle hire scheme
• London trains
• London taxis & minicabs

Useful information

• Plan your journey
• London transport zones

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'I tried the TfL Go app to see if it was better than Citymapper at helping me plan London Underground and bus journeys'

MyLondon What’s On Writer Tilly Alexander tested the TfL Go app for the first time

• 18:09, 15 JUN 2022
• Updated 18:32, 15 JUN 2022

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Getting around London can be confusing and you'd be forgiven (and arguably, no less of a Londoner) if you sometimes needed a transport app to help you do it. I know I certainly do.

For me, this transit app has always and exclusively been Citymapper. Delivering me safely to more pub trips, friends' houses and bedtimes than I can count, its bright green interface has become something of a comfort blanket. So, even though it's let me down a handful of times by not informing me about Tube station closures and disruptions quickly enough, or sending me on roundabout routes, I've remained a committed lover.

But after repeatedly spotting adverts for the TfL Go app while onboard the Elizabeth line recently, my curiosity was sufficiently piqued. Could this free app be better at helping me plan my Tube and bus journeys? I decided to put it to the test against Citymapper the next time I needed to go somewhere. And it was so easy and straightforward to use that it's my new favourite transport helper.

READ MORE: ‘I left my bag on the London Underground and got it back from TfL in under 90 mins - here’s exactly how and what to do’

My first thought as I clicked on the new Lizzy line purple addition to my home-screen was 'Wow, so clean.' The interface staring back at me was largely white and oddly calming, with a zoomed-in slither of the Tube map taking up the bulk of it. (Only later did I realise that this segment had been chosen according to where I was, with my own rough position denoted by a pulsating blue dot.) At the bottom were two brighter white rectangles labelled 'Where to?' and 'Buses Near You'. A flick of my finger revealed a third called 'Status', dedicated to live service disruptions.

Suddenly, Citymapper's extremely busy rows of square icons (10 total), horizontal bars ('Get Me Somewhere', 'Get Me Home', 'Saved Trips') and colourful background (again, a map showing where I was) seemed overwhelming. Did I ever really use any of them but 'Get Me Somewhere' and 'Maps'? I couldn't think of any instances.

But now came the more important experiment: the route planning. I inputted the beginnings of my destination ( Willows on the Roof , read about it here soon...) and was quickly met with suggestion; next popped up my journey options and, wait, there were only four? I couldn't believe it as I attempted to scroll down beyond 'Cycle', 'Fastest', 'Step-free', and 'Bus only' and met resistance. As someone who is often late and often overwhelmed by having to choose from tens of options, this struck me as a game changer. All that was required of me was to pick the kind of journey I wanted and the TfL Go would do the rest! Goodbye, (some) stress.

Interestingly, cycling was recommended first, an environmentally forward-thinking move that I like. But I was bike-less at the office, so 'Fastest' it was. This meant a journey time of 32 minutes, using a combination of the Jubilee line and my own two feet; my stations were apparently 'quiet' now, information I hadn't thought of considering but was grateful to know. Great, I thought, now Citymapper's turn. The same route popped up top of the Tube column - but to my surprise, there was a discrepancy: my old friend estimated only 27 minutes. I set off.

As I travelled to Canary Wharf station on foot, it became clear that Citymapper was going to be more on the money about the timings. TfL Go allotted me seven minutes to get down to the platform compared to Citymapper's four - and I'd made it in three. This turned out to be the case at the other end, too, with the former giving me 11 minutes to exit the station and clear the 0.3 miles between Bond Street and John Lewis in contrast to the latter's nine. (The Tube estimate was right, though.) So, it wasn't as good at probable human walking speeds.

Unlike its transit rival, it also hadn't given me an exit at the Tube (Citymapper suggested the Marylebone Lane one). And yet, I couldn't help thinking that, even so, the user experience of this app made it by far the one I'd want to use when worse for wear after a night out or stressed and running late pre-work. Citymapper's rows of Tube plus cycle plus walk plus etcetera are confusing strings of symbols needing deciphering at the best of times. Also, I could probably do with that extra time buffer anyway so I turn up closer to on time.

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TfL TR3 bus

New addington - croydon town centre, tfl tr3 bus stop list and next departures.

The TfL TR3 - New Addington - Croydon Town Centre bus serves {count_of_stops} bus stops in the London area departing from {first_stop} and ending at {last_stop}. Scroll down to see upcoming TR3 bus times at each stop and the next scheduled TR3 bus times will be displayed. The full TR3 bus schedule as well as real-time departures (if available) can be found in the app .

The TfL TR3 - New Addington - Croydon Town Centre bus route map is shown above. The route map shows you an overview of all the stops served by the TfL TR3 bus to help you plan your trip on TfL. Opening the app will allow you to see more detailed information about the route on a map including stop specific alerts, such as stops that have been closed or moved. You can also see the location of vehicles in real-time on the route map so you know when the TR3 bus is approaching your stop.

TfL TR3 bus Service Alerts

Open the app to see more information about any active disruptions that may impact the TR3 bus schedule, such as detours, moved stops, trip cancellations, major delays, or other service changes to the bus route. The app also allows you to subscribe to receive notifications for any service alert issued by TfL so that you can plan your trip around any active or future disruptions.

TfL TR3 bus FAQ

What time does the next tfl tr3 bus depart from {first_stop}.

The next TR3 bus leaves {first_stop} at {first_stop_first_time}, and arrives at {last_stop} at {last_stop_first_time}. The total trip time for the next TfL TR3 bus is {number_of_minutes} minutes.

Is the TfL TR3 bus running on time, early or late?

You can track your bus on a map, monitor real-time updates, and see adjustments to the TfL TR3 schedule by downloading the app .

When does the next TfL TR3 bus arrive?

You can see the next TfL TR3 bus times in the app as well as future departure times for the TR3 bus.

How many bus stops are there for the TfL TR3 bus?

There are {count_of_stops} stops on the TfL TR3 bus.

Is the TfL TR3 bus usually crowded?

You can find real-time information on TfL TR3 bus crowding levels in the app (available in select cities or on select trips). You can also see predictions on how crowded the bus will be when it gets to your bus stop.

Is the TfL TR3 bus currently running?

Find out the current status for the TfL TR3 bus in the app .

What is the closest TfL TR3 bus stop to me?

Open the app to see your location on a map and find the closest TR3 bus stop to where you are.

Other TfL bus schedules, routes and maps

• U1 Ruislip - W Ruislip - Ickenham - Uxbridge - Brunel Univ - Hillingdon Hosp - Yiewsley - W Drayton
• U2 Ruislip - W Ruislip - Ickenham - Uxbridge - Brunel Univ - Hillingdon Hosp - Yiewsley - W Drayton
• U3 Uxbridge - W Drayton - Heathrow Airport
• U4 Hayes, Prologis Pk - Hayes - Barra Hall Circus - Hillingdon Hosp - Kingston Ln - Uxbridge
• U5 Uxbridge - Cowley - Hillingdon Hosp - Yiewsley - W Drayton - Stockley Estate & Pk - Hayes & Harlington Sta
• U7 Uxbridge - Brunel Univ - Hillingdon Hosp - Charville Ln & Academy - Lansbury Dr - Hayes, Sainsbury's
• U9 Uxbridge - Harefield Rd - Harvil Rd - Harefield Green - Harefield W - Harefield Hosp
• U10 Uxbridge - Ruislip - Heathfield Rise
• W3 Northumberland Pk - White Hart Ln - Wood Green - Alexandra Palace & Pk - Hornsey - Crouch End - Ferme Pk Rd - Stroud Green - Finsbury Pk Sta
• W4 Oakthorpe Pk - Wolves Ln - Wood Green - Turnpike Ln Sta - Belmont Rd - Downhills Pk - Broadwater Farm - Bruce Grove - Tottenham - Tottenham Hale, Ferry Ln
• W5 Archway - Hornsey Ln - Crouch End - Harringay Sta & Superstores
• W6 Southgate - Palmers Green - Hedge Ln - Edmonton (Cambridge) - Haselbury Rd - Edmonton Green
• W7 Muswell Hill - Crouch End - Finsbury Pk
• W8 Chase Farm Hosp - Enfield - Church St - Edmonton Green - Lee Val Leisure Complex

Other transit modes in London area

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Never miss your bus again. Download Transit.

Journey to Moscow

   Welcome to Moscow - the capital of Russia, its political, scientific, historical, architectural and business centre, from which power and might of the Russian state developed.

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Getting around Moscow

• 1 Travel tips
• 2 Getting to Moscow
• 3 Getting around Moscow
• 4 Money Matters
• 6 Info about Moscow & Russia

Official taxis can cost a bomb in Moscow, and after taking a ride in one you wouldn't be surprised to hear that your driver was called Boris Korruptikov. There's little point in insisting on using the meter as they can fix the amount per km. Instead look like you are prepared to take the bus and negotiate a price - plus have the right change or you will end up leaving a big tip. Alternatively wave down a comrade for a lift - see our page on citizen cabs !

Buses, trolleybuses and mini-buses offer a slightly less comfortable way of getting around town, and should be used when the metro won't take you where you need to go. Expect plenty of argy-bargy to get in, but once inside admire the reliability with which money changes hands as those at the back pass their roubles to the front for a ticket.

There are no trams in the epicentre of Moscow and they tend to be useful only for joining the outer districts of town with the metro system. You can buy a ticket on board or at a kiosk.

Renting a car isn't prohibitively expensive in Moscow, however the city's ring roads can make the most experienced driver break out into a cold sweat. Apart from dodgy manoeuvres from your fellow drivers, just heading in the right direction can be quite a headache...

The Moscow metro is a tourist attraction by itself! So unique!

Whats the best way to get from the airport to your hotel.

Latest reviews

Tinkoff C Cusack: Again Putin is destroying Ukraine for his own ends. Don't be fooled Hitler was evil but Putin is even worse. Marsupial is completely destroyed and the people left have no food he is starving them to death. Pass this on safely because we know a lot of Russians have been detained for expressing their views. If you receive this please let me know. Tinkoff John Hirst: Putin is causing genocide in Ukraine. He does this in YOUR name. Hard Rock Cafe Vladimir Putin: Putin is the reason Russia's economy is going down, because he has violated international order with an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile he lies to Russians that there are Nazis in Ukraine when the President Zelenskyy is Jewish. He said that Russians would be greeted with flowers and instead they are targeted with anti tank missiles. Putin is absolutely insane. Read the Washington Post and other REAL sources. Cafe Pushkin Vladimir Putin: Putin is the reason Russia's economy is going down, because he has violated international order with an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile he lies to Russians that there are Nazis in Ukraine when the President Zelenskyy is Jewish. He said that Russians would be greeted with flowers and instead they are targeted with anti tank missiles. Putin is absolutely insane. Read the Washington Post and other REAL sources.

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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