Four hours · Ten landmark Metro stations · Old Arbat
Private Moscow Metro & Old Arbat Tour
The Moscow Metro is the only museum in town where admission costs a bus fare. Ten stations — ten ceremonial halls: stained glass, mosaics, bronze and marble deep underground. Then up to Old Arbat, where six centuries of Moscow life fit into one walking kilometre. This private four-hour route keeps the full route of ten contrasting stations, with Tverskaya, Bolshaya Nikitskaya or Kuznetsky Most available instead if you already know Arbat.
Tour snapshot:
Ten stations and Old Arbat in one private four-hour story
DURATION
4 hours
PICKUP & FINISH
Your hotel or another agreed Moscow address
TRANSPORT
Walking and Metro; Metro tickets included
GUIDE
Private professional guide
INCLUDED
Private guide, Metro tickets and the confirmed four-hour route
ACTIVITY
Moderate; lunch is optional
How the route works
From palatial stations to one of Moscow’s oldest streets
Your guide meets you at the hotel or another agreed address and uses ten selected stations to connect architecture, engineering, wartime history, monumental art and everyday Moscow. After the Metro, the tour continues on Old Arbat.
Old Arbat is the standard finish. If you have already visited it, choose Tverskaya Street, Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street or Kuznetsky Most instead. The exact station order may be adjusted for service changes without removing the ten-stop programme.
The tour is normally available daily, subject to guide availability and Metro operations. Metro tickets are included; lunch and personal purchases are optional.
Plan your Metro and Old Arbat tour
Request the four-hour private route
Share your date, group size, hotel and preferred pace. Tell us whether Old Arbat is new to you, and we will confirm the guide, meeting plan and final route.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE
- Ten landmark stations, from Mayakovskaya to Teatralnaya
- Mosaics, stained glass, sculpture, chandeliers and marble
- Old Arbat and its six centuries of Moscow history
- Tverskaya, Bolshaya Nikitskaya or Kuznetsky Most as alternatives
WHAT IS INCLUDED
- Private professional guide who will help you navigate the Metro without getting lost
- Metro tickets
- Hotel or agreed-address meeting and a central Moscow finish
- Ten landmark stations and the full Old Arbat walk
- Lunch is optional and paid separately
- Access to Mr Vladimir Putin’s secret bunker is not included
ROUTE CHOICE
Keep Old Arbat or choose another central street
- Old Arbat: the standard finish, with craftsmen, writers, musicians and Moscow legends.
- Tverskaya: the city’s main avenue and its changing façades.
- Bolshaya Nikitskaya or Kuznetsky Most: an alternative central walk selected with the guide.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS
Architecture below ground, city life above it
- A long escalator descent that feels like a three-minute journey towards the Earth’s core
- Stations that served as wartime shelters and public halls
- Thirty-two illuminated stained-glass panels at Novoslobodskaya
- Baroque splendour at Komsomolskaya and six centuries on Old Arbat
Tour itinerary
Hotel → ten Metro stations → Old Arbat or an agreed central-street alternative
Mayakovskaya → Novoslobodskaya → Komsomolskaya → Ploshchad Revolyutsii → Arbatskaya → Park Kultury → Taganskaya → Kievskaya → Novokuznetskaya → Teatralnaya → Old Arbat. Tverskaya, Bolshaya Nikitskaya or Kuznetsky Most can replace Arbat.
Meeting · The Metro as an underground museum
Meet at your hotel or another agreed address
Your private guide meets you in Moscow and travels with you by Metro. Tickets are included.
Palaces for the people
The Moscow Metro is often described as an underground museum. London’s Underground is older and several Asian systems are larger, but few transport networks match the ambition of Moscow’s marble halls, mosaics, sculpture, stained glass and chandeliers. The finest architects, artists and materials turned stations into public interiors, each with a distinct character.
Ten landmark Metro stations
Mayakovskaya is an Art Deco landmark that served as a wartime air-raid shelter and hosted the historic November 1941 meeting. Novoslobodskaya is known for 32 illuminated stained-glass panels. Komsomolskaya unfolds as a Baroque-inspired hall with high vaults, mosaics and chandeliers. Ploshchad Revolyutsii places 76 bronze figures beneath marble arches. Arbatskaya combines patterned granite, ceramic bouquets and gilded chandeliers; an urban legend links its depth and scale to an emergency government shelter. Park Kultury uses marble and reliefs of work, sport and leisure. Taganskaya evokes old Russian chambers through intersecting vaults and majolica panels. Kievskaya is decorated with 18 mosaics about the historical relationship between Russia and Ukraine. Novokuznetskaya, built during the war, combines marble benches, bronze details, chandeliers and mosaics. Teatralnaya uses porcelain figures of music and dance from seven Soviet republics.
Old Arbat · Six centuries of Moscow
Arbat has existed since at least the fifteenth century. Its story moves from craftsmen’s workshops and quarters associated with the guards of Ivan the Terrible to an eighteenth-century noble address and the “Moscow Saint-Germain”. Almost destroyed in the fire of 1812, it was rebuilt and later became home to nobles, artists, academics, writers, musicians and senior officials. Today the pedestrian street remains embedded in Russian literature, music and urban memory.
Alternative streets · Tverskaya, Nikitskaya or Kuznetsky Most
If you already know Old Arbat, replace it with Tverskaya Street, Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street or Kuznetsky Most. The guide chooses the most coherent continuation for your interests and the final Metro sequence. This is a route substitution, not an extra paid interior.
Flexible central finish · Available daily
The tour finishes in central Moscow after the chosen street walk. It is normally available daily, subject to guide availability and Metro operations. Lunch is optional. The secret bunker remains secret — and outside the programme.
Ten contrasting Metro stations
Old Arbat and six centuries of stories
Private four-hour route with Metro tickets
Useful questions
Before you book the private Metro and Old Arbat tour
The duration, tickets, station list and street alternatives are separated below.
What is included in the four hours?
A private professional guide, Metro tickets, ten selected stations and a walk along Old Arbat or one agreed alternative street. The meeting point and central Moscow finish are confirmed before booking.
Are Metro tickets included?
Yes. Metro tickets for the confirmed four-hour route are included.
Can Old Arbat be replaced?
Yes. Choose Tverskaya, Bolshaya Nikitskaya or Kuznetsky Most if you have already visited Arbat.
Will we always visit all ten stations in this order?
The programme keeps ten landmark stations. The guide may adjust their order for temporary service changes while preserving the architecture and stories described here.
Is the tour available every day?
It normally runs daily, subject to guide availability and Metro operations. We confirm the exact meeting time and route for your date.
See Moscow above and below ground
Request your private Metro and Old Arbat tour
Send the date, group size and hotel address. We will quote the complete four-hour route and confirm the guide, Metro plan, tickets and your preferred street finish.
