Moscowcultural revolution

Moscow is as notorious for its traffic jams, as it is renowned for its magnificent metro. Built by Stalin in 1935, the transit system was made up of 13 stations when it first launched. These “people’s palaces,” as they were christened because of their sumptuous architecture, now number 182. Buy a travel card and join the 9 million passengers that commute on the subway each day to see the most stunning examples of these mini-museums: Komsomolskaya has arched yellow ceilings, giant chandeliers and other baroque details; Novoslobodskaya features bright stained glass panels; Ploschad Revolutsii has 76 bronze statues of soldiers and workers; Kievskaya has a mosaic commemorating the unification of Ukraine and Russia. There’s so much to see, you’ll want to ride around all day.