key travel castleford

Established since 1998

Kee travel - offering one of wakefield's largest varieties of day excursions.

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Trips you may be interested in...

York Food & Drink Festival

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Coach Trips UK

Kee Travel is a family run coach company.

February 2024  -  26 years of Day Excursions

Welcome to our website.  We hope that you enjoy browsing the wide variety of trips that we have on offer.  We started operating our own Day Excursion Programme called "Destinations" in 1998, offering a variety of days out 12 months of the year, and we mark our 26th Anniversary with a special excursion in February. Our day excursions programme is now in place right through to the end of October, packed with ideas for days away in the Spring, through the Summer and Autumn.  Our printed brochure is called "Destinations" and the latest copy has an ORANGE cover, you can get a copy from any of the places listed here .  The full programme is also listed on this page of our website and you can book any of these day trips either direct with us or at any of our Booking Agents .  Our excursions vary considerably throughout the year and include Scenic Drives, Historic Properties, Popular Market Days, Meal Venues, Towns and Cities, Antique Fairs, Crafts, Christmas meals and markets, Gardening and Flower Shows, Railways, Coastal Venues, Special Event Days, River and Canal Boat Cruises, Food and Drink Festivals, and Zoos.  We are immensely proud of the variety of excursions that we have on offer, and are pleased that we can continue to bring you new days out alongside some of your favourites. Our aim is to always provide a warm welcome and a friendly service to all our passengers, with allocated seats and the services of an on-board hostess.  We pride ourselves on being able to offer you a wide choice of day excursions on clean, comfortable modern coaches fitted with upgraded Hispacold "eco3" Air Purifier units within the air conditioning systems for enhanced ventilation.  Both of our Mercedes Tourismo coaches seat 51 passengers and have Euro VI engines which meet the latest, toughest emissions regulations - the exhaust is actually cleaner than that from a car!  You can see our fleet on the Coach Hire page of our website. With a choice of free local pick up points around the Castleford, Pontefract, Rothwell, Garforth, Kippax, Wakefield and south Leeds area of West Yorkshire you should find it easy to join us for an enjoyable day out.  We now operate two separate pick up routes with a limited number of joining points on each route to minimise the time taken to pick passengers up, but you can join all of our excursions in both Wakefield and Castleford town centres.  

For a full list of our Booking Agents where you can book seats for any of our day excursions click here , or to book direct with Kee Travel call 01924 223646. Kee Travel Gift Vouchers are also available which make an ideal present, call us for further details.

All of the Kee Travel team look forward to welcoming you on board.

Saltburn & Vintage Afternoon Tea at Robin Hoods Bay

Filey & Bridlington

Burton Constable Hall inc. Cream Tea

Twycross Zoo

Tel: 01924 223646

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Reviews 4.4.

Most relevant

Prompt response

Answered phone quickly, I was in a queue but didnt have to wait too long, as it was close to the date of my trip and she dealt with it quickly, promised someone would call be back and they did and sorted the issue out swiftly.

Date of experience : April 25, 2024

Having problems booking the flights

Having problems booking the flights, this delays my work because it has been going on for a few months. There is an issue with the Key Travel system.

Date of experience : April 23, 2024

Reply from Key Travel

Hi, thanks for sharing this with us. We've asked our Online team to reach out via email to figure out what's causing the issues. These problems should not be occurring, so we want to ensure we get them sorted for you.

Quick and friendly service

Quick and friendly service. It takes patience to be a travel agent these days. We are grateful for your constant grace!

Date of experience : April 24, 2024

It's always great To talk to your team…

It's always great To talk to your team on the phone, extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It's why I keep coming back to Key Travel.

Date of experience : April 19, 2024

Hi David, it's great to hear you enjoy the contact you have with our team. They really are experts in their field and we're pleased you're enjoying the service. Thank you.

Great availability on the phone and…

Great availability on the phone and quick handling of the request.

Date of experience : April 28, 2024

Hi Monhamedoule, thanks for sharing, we're pleased to hear this.

The agents are quick to respond

The agents are quick to respond, they know what they are doing, which makes my job so much easier.

This is great to read Lynne, thanks for sharing!

With urgent flight changes

With urgent flight changes, it should not wait for eight plus hours for feedback but at least update individuals in a span of 2-3 hours of the happenings.

Date of experience : April 13, 2024

Hi Jane, we're very sorry to hear this and offer you our apologies. Usually, once we are notified of any major disruptions by the airline or risk alerts, we reach out first to those who are immediately impacted and then to those who might be impacted due to travel / in-progress, arriving in the next 12 – 36 hours and planned travel 72+ hours. We have raised this with our Operations team and have asked them to investigate what happened in your case. They will reach out to you directly once they have carried this out.

Key Travel for booking accommodation

Its the second occasion on Key Travel and I'm more familiar with the menus. I was able to quickly search for accommodation I was looking for and make a booking which was great.

Date of experience : April 11, 2024

We like to make travel simple Andrew, so your experience is really good to hear. We appreciate you sharing this, thanks!

Seriously overcharged

Even when given exact flight numbers they booked the wrong flights and needed to change, and charged more than booking the same flights on the airlines own website (ok, they need to make some profit). Catastrophic was they were provided information on the hotel and room requested (price checked on the hotel website not a discount website) then managed to charge 2x more per night, without a confirmation from the client and with exorbitant cancellation fees for the same room (cancellation fees almost equal to the price I could have gotten the room for) pushing the trip extremely over budget. This is not the first time this has happened. Avoid at all costs.

Date of experience : April 05, 2024

Hi Jeff, we're very sorry to hear of your experience. There are occasions when an airline may offer exclusive deals or discounts on the fares advertised on their own sites versus what they offer third-parties, however we do offer a price match promise, so if there is ever a like-for-like fare, take a screenshot at the final check-out page and call us within 30 minutes and we'll be able to look into that for you (t&c's apply). Many of the fares we offer will often provide additional benefits to fares available publicly, such as free amendments / cancellations, ability to hold for up to 11 months without payment and additional luggage. It's concerning to hear that a hotel was booked without confirmation from the booker, as we must have approval before we are able to book anything. We've therefore asked Trustpilot to request more details from you, so we can look into this. If you can, please share with them the booking reference and email or send to us at [email protected] We'll then investigate this and will respond to you directly and if we have made an error, we will ensure this is addressed.

Good chat support

I had an issue when searching for a flight. The chat support was very patient and helped me solve the issue. Definitely recommended.

Date of experience : April 17, 2024

Hi Lasse, we created the chat function to help out in exactly this situation and we're so pleased to hear everything was sorted for you. Thanks for sharing this feedback!

The team was really nice and…

The team was really nice and supportive, in planning for a such complicated travel

Hi Fabrizio, our speciality is complex travel and it's great to hear the team were able to support your travel plans. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

Great service

Great service, quick to respond to email enquiry when flight option was not available on line.

Thanks for this feedback Vikki. Glad we were able to get everything sorted for you.

Very smooth and intuitive booking process

The booking process was incredibly smooth and very well facilitated by my University. It was a lot easier than I thought it might be and I highly recommend it, especially if you work in a department that knows how to issue purchase orders efficiently and can help you with that.

Hi Alexandre, this was really great to read. Thank you for this review and we're pleased you're enjoying the service.

Quick! Service was completed successfully over the phone! Email confirmation within an hour!

Thanks for the 5 stars Navaratnarajah, and we're pleased to hear you received a speedy service.

A mixed bag but 5 stars to the Key Travel operative who resolved my issue!

I am giving 5 stars to the Key Travel operative who helped me confirm a hotel booking I had attempted to make by phone a few days previous. (Normally I'd use the e portal but one guest had a special request that I needed to convey). The first operative I'd spoken to had quoted me what turned out to be an overly high room rate for the chosen hotel and then inexplicably emailed back to say the hotel was full - information which subsequently proved to be incorrect! The second Key Travel operative who helped me when I followed this up was superbly helpful and completed the booking.

Date of experience : March 19, 2024

Hi Maz, thanks for sharing this with us. We've let our Operations Manager know of your case, so they can review what happened with the first agent you spoke to and they'll also let the second agent know about your positive feedback on their service. We really appreciate you taking the time out to write this.

Is seat selection necessary?

The online booking process was intuitive and efficient. The only bit that was tricky was when it offered you to select seats on the flights. All seats were unavailable for choosing - I ended up going to the next step, it would be helpful for this to be a clearer choice of selecting seats or moving to the next stage.

Date of experience : March 22, 2024

Hi Kate, we appreciate you sharing this and will take onboard your feedback.

The staff member was very competent and helpful, thanks.

The staff member was helpful, competent, calm and efficient when our flights had to be re-arranged due to cancellation caused by a severe weather warning.

Date of experience : April 10, 2024

Hi Brian, this is really great to hear and we're so glad our colleague was able to help you out during this disruption. Thanks for sharing.

Affordable flights and very helpful service

Very helpful and efficient service! Key Travel found very affordable flights for me too. Would highly recommend!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the service Daniel. Thank you for the review!

Helpful and reliable service

I have been an active Key Travel user for many years and have found the Key Travel online service to be very helpful and reliable. I can always find suitable options for complex itineraries, share and discuss options with travellers. The academic rates available to Key Travel customers are also very much appreciated. The online helpdesk are very professional and helpful.

Date of experience : March 21, 2024

Wow, what a lovely review to read - thank you for writing this and sharing. We hope we continue to support you for many more years to come!

The process was easy

The process of booking hotel and travel for a conference was very easy and fast.

Date of experience : April 16, 2024

Thanks Neil, we love to read this sort of feedback and appreciate you sharing.

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Key Travel is one of several booking options within the Stanford Travel Program . Key Travel specializes in academic travel and offers a designated team of travel agents to assist with complex trips and to provide Fly America Act guidance for travelers booking federally funded flights. Other booking channels included in the Stanford Travel Program may be more appropriate for the travel need.  

Key Travel is the world’s largest travel management company specializing in the humanitarian and academic sectors. In addition to Stanford-negotiated rates, Key Travel offers flexible academic international airfares that are exclusive to university travelers. A unique feature is the ability to book multiple travelers (e.g., family members) on the same reservation online or with a travel agent.  

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It is highly encouraged that Stanford travelers use Stanford Travel Program booking channels when booking flights, hotels, and rental cars for university-sponsored travel. Stanford Travel booking channels automatically register itineraries and any booking updates to the Travel Registry , streamline the reimbursement process, and offer discounts, benefits, and perks to travelers. In addition, the Stanford Travel team can provide specialized assistance as needed to travelers who book through Stanford Travel.

While Stanford Travel booking channels are a great option for most domestic and international travel, there are certain types of travel that need to be booked directly with the airline or hotel. These may include regional air travel offered by local carriers, travel for field research, ticket exchanges or reissues, or certain group reservations. See the Airfare and Lodging pages for more detail on booking and managing those travel arrangements. For information on the booking processes for various types of travelers, see Topic Overview: Planning and Booking Travel .

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• Book online or with an experienced travel agent.
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• Pay with a Stanford Travel Card (preferred) or personal credit card.
• Arrange travel on behalf of other faculty, staff or visitors.
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• Reservations are automatically sent to and updated in the Travel Registry , which connects the reservation to Stanford’s provider of traveler assistance.

Transaction Preparers: When completing a travel expense report, be sure to select "Stanford Travel – FCM/Key" as the booking method.

All active Stanford faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral scholars have Key Travel profiles. To access your profile, log into Key Travel Online . Click on the purple my KT icon and select Profile Manager .

• Request a Key Travel Profile .
• After the profile has been created, log in to Key Travel with your SUNet ID and password.

Maintaining Your Travel Profile

• Review your profile to ensure your name is an exact match to your government ID . Learn how to change your travel profile name .
• Add your cell phone number. (If based in the US, international code is +1) 
• Add your frequent flyer and loyalty numbers.
• Add your known traveler number (TSA PreCheck or Global Entry) if you have one.
• Add your passport details, if available.

Visit Manage your Profile in Key Travel for additional instructions

Individuals Booking Online The Key Travel Online booking tool is only recommended for booking multiple travelers (up to 4 individuals) on the same reservation or booking federally-funded travel.  

Guest names and pertinent information can be added in the booking path. Even though there is an option to “Create a Traveler Profile,” for privacy purposes, do not save any guest or companion information as a profile.

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Service fees may apply when booking travel online.

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• By email: contact [email protected]  

Service fees may apply when booking travel with an agent.

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Key Travel can provide support when booking travel for large groups and programs. Reach out to a Key Travel representative for assistance at [email protected] .  

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

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• Bykovo Manor
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• Orekhovo Zuevsky City Exhibition Hall

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Reviews 4.4.

Most relevant

Prompt response

Answered phone quickly, I was in a queue but didnt have to wait too long, as it was close to the date of my trip and she dealt with it quickly, promised someone would call be back and they did and sorted the issue out swiftly.

Date of experience : 25 April 2024

Having problems booking the flights

Having problems booking the flights, this delays my work because it has been going on for a few months. There is an issue with the Key Travel system.

Date of experience : 23 April 2024

Reply from Key Travel

Hi, thanks for sharing this with us. We've asked our Online team to reach out via email to figure out what's causing the issues. These problems should not be occurring, so we want to ensure we get them sorted for you.

Quick and friendly service

Quick and friendly service. It takes patience to be a travel agent these days. We are grateful for your constant grace!

Date of experience : 24 April 2024

It's always great To talk to your team…

It's always great To talk to your team on the phone, extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It's why I keep coming back to Key Travel.

Date of experience : 19 April 2024

Hi David, it's great to hear you enjoy the contact you have with our team. They really are experts in their field and we're pleased you're enjoying the service. Thank you.

Great availability on the phone and…

Great availability on the phone and quick handling of the request.

Date of experience : 28 April 2024

Hi Monhamedoule, thanks for sharing, we're pleased to hear this.

The agents are quick to respond

The agents are quick to respond, they know what they are doing, which makes my job so much easier.

This is great to read Lynne, thanks for sharing!

With urgent flight changes

With urgent flight changes, it should not wait for eight plus hours for feedback but at least update individuals in a span of 2-3 hours of the happenings.

Date of experience : 13 April 2024

Hi Jane, we're very sorry to hear this and offer you our apologies. Usually, once we are notified of any major disruptions by the airline or risk alerts, we reach out first to those who are immediately impacted and then to those who might be impacted due to travel / in-progress, arriving in the next 12 – 36 hours and planned travel 72+ hours. We have raised this with our Operations team and have asked them to investigate what happened in your case. They will reach out to you directly once they have carried this out.

Key Travel for booking accommodation

Its the second occasion on Key Travel and I'm more familiar with the menus. I was able to quickly search for accommodation I was looking for and make a booking which was great.

Date of experience : 11 April 2024

We like to make travel simple Andrew, so your experience is really good to hear. We appreciate you sharing this, thanks!

Seriously overcharged

Even when given exact flight numbers they booked the wrong flights and needed to change, and charged more than booking the same flights on the airlines own website (ok, they need to make some profit). Catastrophic was they were provided information on the hotel and room requested (price checked on the hotel website not a discount website) then managed to charge 2x more per night, without a confirmation from the client and with exorbitant cancellation fees for the same room (cancellation fees almost equal to the price I could have gotten the room for) pushing the trip extremely over budget. This is not the first time this has happened. Avoid at all costs.

Date of experience : 05 April 2024

Hi Jeff, we're very sorry to hear of your experience. There are occasions when an airline may offer exclusive deals or discounts on the fares advertised on their own sites versus what they offer third-parties, however we do offer a price match promise, so if there is ever a like-for-like fare, take a screenshot at the final check-out page and call us within 30 minutes and we'll be able to look into that for you (t&c's apply). Many of the fares we offer will often provide additional benefits to fares available publicly, such as free amendments / cancellations, ability to hold for up to 11 months without payment and additional luggage. It's concerning to hear that a hotel was booked without confirmation from the booker, as we must have approval before we are able to book anything. We've therefore asked Trustpilot to request more details from you, so we can look into this. If you can, please share with them the booking reference and email or send to us at [email protected] We'll then investigate this and will respond to you directly and if we have made an error, we will ensure this is addressed.

Good chat support

I had an issue when searching for a flight. The chat support was very patient and helped me solve the issue. Definitely recommended.

Date of experience : 17 April 2024

Hi Lasse, we created the chat function to help out in exactly this situation and we're so pleased to hear everything was sorted for you. Thanks for sharing this feedback!

The team was really nice and…

The team was really nice and supportive, in planning for a such complicated travel

Hi Fabrizio, our speciality is complex travel and it's great to hear the team were able to support your travel plans. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

Great service

Great service, quick to respond to email enquiry when flight option was not available on line.

Thanks for this feedback Vikki. Glad we were able to get everything sorted for you.

Very smooth and intuitive booking process

The booking process was incredibly smooth and very well facilitated by my University. It was a lot easier than I thought it might be and I highly recommend it, especially if you work in a department that knows how to issue purchase orders efficiently and can help you with that.

Hi Alexandre, this was really great to read. Thank you for this review and we're pleased you're enjoying the service.

Quick! Service was completed successfully over the phone! Email confirmation within an hour!

Thanks for the 5 stars Navaratnarajah, and we're pleased to hear you received a speedy service.

A mixed bag but 5 stars to the Key Travel operative who resolved my issue!

I am giving 5 stars to the Key Travel operative who helped me confirm a hotel booking I had attempted to make by phone a few days previous. (Normally I'd use the e portal but one guest had a special request that I needed to convey). The first operative I'd spoken to had quoted me what turned out to be an overly high room rate for the chosen hotel and then inexplicably emailed back to say the hotel was full - information which subsequently proved to be incorrect! The second Key Travel operative who helped me when I followed this up was superbly helpful and completed the booking.

Date of experience : 19 March 2024

Hi Maz, thanks for sharing this with us. We've let our Operations Manager know of your case, so they can review what happened with the first agent you spoke to and they'll also let the second agent know about your positive feedback on their service. We really appreciate you taking the time out to write this.

Is seat selection necessary?

The online booking process was intuitive and efficient. The only bit that was tricky was when it offered you to select seats on the flights. All seats were unavailable for choosing - I ended up going to the next step, it would be helpful for this to be a clearer choice of selecting seats or moving to the next stage.

Date of experience : 22 March 2024

Hi Kate, we appreciate you sharing this and will take onboard your feedback.

The staff member was very competent and helpful, thanks.

The staff member was helpful, competent, calm and efficient when our flights had to be re-arranged due to cancellation caused by a severe weather warning.

Date of experience : 10 April 2024

Hi Brian, this is really great to hear and we're so glad our colleague was able to help you out during this disruption. Thanks for sharing.

Affordable flights and very helpful service

Very helpful and efficient service! Key Travel found very affordable flights for me too. Would highly recommend!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the service Daniel. Thank you for the review!

Helpful and reliable service

I have been an active Key Travel user for many years and have found the Key Travel online service to be very helpful and reliable. I can always find suitable options for complex itineraries, share and discuss options with travellers. The academic rates available to Key Travel customers are also very much appreciated. The online helpdesk are very professional and helpful.

Date of experience : 21 March 2024

Wow, what a lovely review to read - thank you for writing this and sharing. We hope we continue to support you for many more years to come!

The process was easy

The process of booking hotel and travel for a conference was very easy and fast.

Date of experience : 16 April 2024

Thanks Neil, we love to read this sort of feedback and appreciate you sharing.

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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