louvre museum tour video

How To Virtually Tour of Paris’ Louvre & See Every Masterpiece

If you’re an art enthusiast, the Louvre is probably at the top of your Paris or museum wish list.

As the world’s largest and most visited museum, it boasts an impressive collection of 35,000 artworks, ranging from the 6th century BC to the 19th century AD, all housed within a magnificent Renaissance palace.

However, as you might imagine, visiting the Louvre can be quite the experience.

It’s often packed with crowds, flashing cameras, selfie sticks, and people bustling around or trying to touch the art. This can make it feel a bit chaotic and overwhelming.

But there’s good news! You can now explore the Louvre from the comfort of your home, avoiding the hustle and bustle.

I’ll guide you through how to virtually visit this iconic museum and view all its must-see masterpieces. Get ready to enjoy your personal Leonardo or Michelangelo experience in peaceful solitude.

Layout of the Louvre

The Louvre is a U shape, divided into three wings: Denon, Sully, and Richelieu. Each of the wings has four floors.

The Denon Wing is home to the Louvre’s best known art work, including the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa .

The Sully Wing is known for its statuary and antiquities.

The Richelieu Wing houses the lavish apartments of Napoleon III and some famed Dutch art works.

Virtual Tour of Louvre Masterpieces

Let’s take an online virtual tour of the Louvre, wing by wing.

You can see all the must see masterpieces via 360 video tours, YouTube videos, or online tours on the Louvre Website itself. For a lengthy overall YouTube tour of the Louvre, click here .

The Denon Wing

The Denon Wing is the most visited part of the Louvre. It boasts the fabulously ornate Apollo Gallery, with high arches and frescoed ceilings.

It’s a shrine to Sun King Louis XIV. The paintings were begun by Charles Le Brun and completed by Eugene Delacroix.

1. French Paintings in the Denon Wing

The Denon Wing is most renowned for its iconic French paintings from the Neoclassical and Romantic periods of art history. The must see French masterpieces include:

• Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
• Jacques-Louis David, The Coronation of Napoleon
• Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa
• Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grand Odalisque

You can take a virtual tour of the recently restored Apollo Gallery on the Louvre’s website here . You can learn about the Coronation of Napoleon from this Louvre YouTuber .

You can take a virtual video tour of the world’s most famous French painting, Liberty Leading the People here . And learn about the Grand Odalisque here .

Via my blog, you can also explore the Louvre’s underrated masterpieces in the Denon Wing.

I also have a guide to what I think is the best painting in the Louvre , Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa , a then-scandalous painting based on a true story.

2. Italian Paintings in the Denon Wing

The Denon Wing also boasts treasures from the Italian Renaissance.

This is where you’ll find works by Sandro Botticelli , Leonardo da Vinci , Raphael , and Titian. The must see masterpieces include:

• Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa
• Leonardo Da Vinci, The Virgin and Child With St. Anne
• Titian, Pastoral Concert
• Raphael, Portrait of Baldasarre Castiglione
• Paolo Veronese, The Wedding Feast at Cana

You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Grand Gallery, which houses much of the Louvre’s Italian art.

If you’re a Mona Lisa fan, the Louvre is offering the museum’s first virtual reality experience , which brings to life the story of the enigmatic portrait. You can also take a virtual tour of the Mona Lisa here , with Smarthistory, an artsy YouTube channel.

In the Louvre’s busiest room, the Mona Lisa stares across at Veronese’s massive Wedding Feast at Cana . You can take a virtual tour and get the full scoop on the Louvre’s largest painting here .

You can virtually tour Raphael’s paintings, including Baldasarre , on Google Arts & Culture . Learn about Titian’s Pastoral Concert , which inspired Edouard Monet’s groundbreaking painting Luncheon on the Grass , here .

READ : 3 Day Impressionism Tour of Paris

3. Sculptures in the Denon Wing

If you prefer sculpture to painting, the Denon Wing has one of the world’s most magnificent sculptures — the Winged Victory of Samothrac e.

It also has a room on the ground dedicated to Italian sculpture, the Michelangelo Gallery. It’s one of my favorites spots in the Louvre.

It’s home to Michelangelo’s Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave , from 1513-15. These sculptures seem to struggle to escape the marble.

They were originally intended for the Tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome. But Michelangelo got distracted with the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and could never finish the tomb.

READ : Masterpieces of the Vatican

You can also find Antonio Canova’s incredibly romantic Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss . It’s considered Canova’s master work.

You can take a virtual tour of Michelangelo’s Slaves here , a virtual tour of Canova’s work on Google Arts & Culture , and a virtual tour of Canova’s Psyche here . You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Winged Victory here .

2. The Sully Wing

In the Sully Wing, you’ll find some of the world’s most beautiful sculptures, antiquities, and the remains of the Medieval Louvre.

One of the Louvre’s greatest ladies, a Hellenistic masterpiece, is here — the Venus de Milo . Even without arms, Venus de Milo is considered the classical epitome of female beauty.

You can also see another masterwork, Sleeping Hermaphrodite , a mythological merger of a male and female body. The ancient sculpture was discovered in Rome near the Baths of Diocletian.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini to carve the mattress in 1619. He later sold the piece to the French when he was strapped for cash.

READ : The Bernini Trail in Rome

The Egyptian Antiquities are a well loved highlight of the Sully Wing. The collection features the 12 ton Great Sphinx of Tanis, model ships, ancient sculptures, a massive statue of Ramses II, and a sarcophagus room.

The medieval Louvre is also a fascinating place. Originally, the Louvre was a 12th century fortress built by King Philippe Auguste.

The lower levels are all that remain. Archeologists discovered and excavated the underground medieval remains during the construction of I.M. Pei’s pyramid in 1983-85.

You can take a virtual tour of all the Louvre’s Roman Antiquities here , the Venus de Milo here , and the Sleeping Hermaphrodite here . You can take a virtual tour of the famed Egyptian Antiquities here and walk around the Medieval Louvre here .

3. The Richelieu Wing

In Richelieu Wing, you can admire the Louvre’s Mesopotamian Antiquities, Napoleon III’s Second Empire rooms, sculptures, and some amazing Dutch masterpieces.

The Richelieu Wing boasts the spectacular Cour Marly, a spacious glass roofed courtyard.

It’s stuffed with 17th and 18th marble and white stone sculptures, many commissioned by Sun King Louis XIV and Louis XV. There’s also a magnificent Fountain of Diana, dating from 1550.

Perhaps the most famous part of the Richelieu Wing is the Napoleon III apartments. They were built between 1852-57 to accommodate visiting dignitaries. They’re sumptuous.

Crystal chandeliers glitter, gilded furniture gleams, and the ceilings sport beautiful frescos — all set amid red velvet and red drapery. The Rococo state dining room could seat almost 100 people.

You can virtually tour the Cour Puget here and the Cour Marly here . You can take a virtual tour of Napoleon’s Apartments here .

The Richelieu Wing is also home to some unmissable Dutch old master paintings, including:

• Johannes Vermeer, The Lacemaker
• Johannes Vermeer, The Astronomer
• Rembrandt, Bathsheba at Her Bath.
• Hieronymous Bosch, Ship of Fools
• Georges de la Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds

From the Louvre’s website, you can see and get an education on The Lacemaker here , Bathsheba here , Ship of Fools here , and The Cheat here .

If you’re a Beyonce fan, her recent music video featured pieces from the Louvre. Now, you can follow the Beyonce Louvre Trail on the Louvre website.

The Louvre is also featuring an Artwork of the Day . If you’re interested in the history of the Louvre, here’s my guide .

Tickets For The Louvre

Naturally, if you decide to visit the Louvre in person, it’s essential to p re-book a skip the line ticket . If you take your art seriously, you may want to  book a guided tour .

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to taking a virtual tour of the Louvre. You may enjoy these other Paris travel guides:

• 3 day itinerary for Paris
• 3 day art weekend in Paris
• 5 day itinerary for Paris
• Hidden gems in Paris
• Guide to the Latin Quarter
• Guide to Montmartre
• Best museums in Paris
• Monet guide to Paris
• Louvre survival Tips
• Tourist traps to skip in Paris
• Guide to the Musee d’Orsay

If you’d like to take a virtual tour of the Louvre from home, pin it or later.

1 thought on “How To Virtually Tour of Paris’ Louvre & See Every Masterpiece”

Good day. I was wondering if you would recommend the Louvre at night . Is there a significant difference in terms of avoiding crowds, the lighting for pics and access to different wings?

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Leslie Livingston

Paris Arts Travel

A Tour of LOUVRE MUSEUM / Paris, France (4K)

The Louvre museum is the world’s largest and most-visited museum, a historic landmark in Paris, France. Once a palace for the kings of France, today is a spectacular museum that displays some of the finest works of art. The Louvre is split into three wings : Denon, Sully and Richelieu. Since it’s huge, allow at least 3-4 hours to see the most popular art pieces. Among the most amazing masterpieces are the ancient Venus de Milo sculpture; the monumental Victoire de Samothrace of the Hellenistic period; the immense Wedding Feast at Cana painting by Veronese (1563); Botticelli’s Young Lady with Venus and the Graces fresco; Liberty Leading the People (1831) by Eugène Delacroix, depicting the Parisian uprising of July 1830. And of course the Louvre houses the world’s most famous painting – the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Even though there are some speculations who was the woman posing for Leonardo’s masterpiece, the most common version is that Mona Lisa was Lisa Gherardini (1479-1542), who lived in Florence in the early 16th century. She was the wife of Francesco Giocondo, a wealthy silk merchant. Her elegant elaborate outfit indicates her social status. She is sitting in a loggia – a roofed open gallery – in front of a mountainous landscape. Leonardo da Vinci used a painting technique called sfumato: he applied multiple layers of pigments bound in oil to create subtle transitions from shadow to light, bringing his model’s gentle smile to life. Leonardo aimed to depict Lisa as if she were naturally turning to welcome us. Her upper body is in three-quarter view, but her gently smiling face is frontal. He never finished the Mona Lisa. The lower part of the landscape is evidently incomplete: the forms are barely sketched. Leonardo began this partially experimental painting in about 1503 and never finished it. He took it with him everywhere he went, until his final trip to France in 1516 at the invitation of King Francois I. The king bought the painting, which thus entered the French royal collection.

For more information please turn on captions while watching the video.

Time stamps: 0:00 Entry 2:30 Winged Victory of Samothrace 3:12 Italy Paintings & Mona Lisa 6:40 The Galerie d’Apollon 8:50 France Paintings 11:15 Antiquity Roman 12:17 Greek Antiquity & Venus de Milo 15:11 Richelieu Wing & Cour Marly

✨ Visit PARIS: Seine River Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Cruise in Paris – https://bit.ly/3jJ0eLc Seine River Cruise : https://bit.ly/3KSIvwH Paris Seine River Gourmet Dinner Cruise: https://bit.ly/3jRODcF Skip the Line Eiffel Tower 2nd Floor Priority Access Ticket with Host – https://bit.ly/3Ejjp7W Paris Eiffel Tower Guided Climb Tour by Stairs: https://bit.ly/3ryP5RE Paris Eiffel Tower Guided Tour with Access Via Lift: https://bit.ly/3vn8eH5 Paris in a Day: Montmartre, Eiffel Tower, Seine River Cruise & Louvre: https://bit.ly/3vl06ah Paris Louvre Magnificent Museum Skip the Line Access Guided Tour: https://bit.ly/3xCKQrV Paris Moulin Rouge Cabaret Show with Champagne Only or Dinner: https://bit.ly/3EoPziw ( Affiliate Links)

✔ More places in FRANCE: https://goo.gl/8ZfGhk ——————————————————————————————————- PARIS FULL TOUR: https://youtu.be/Q0MhFNQnyjc NICE CITY TOUR: https://youtu.be/I60A8-iORm8 SAINT-TROPEZ: https://youtu.be/huU6gv7fa1g CANNES: https://youtu.be/kez0SfQgdjo VILLA ROTHSCHILD: https://youtu.be/6LTV2DNJkJ4 NICE CASTLE HILL: https://youtu.be/KmCU_ndJT8M EZE VILLAGE: https://youtu.be/p3yFAt9KETM FRENCH RIVIERA BY FERRY: https://youtu.be/3T_nCwfvknk

⭐ My Travel Blog: http://www.meaboutravel.com/

#paris #france #louvremuseum

If you like this video please give a thumbs up and subscribe for more. Thank you all for watching!

Music: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 – Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100303

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

* All videos in this channel are filmed and edited by AbouTravel. Download, reupload and reuse of parts or whole videos is prohibited. source

• Next 🍽️ Manhattan Restaurant en el Disney's Hotel New York The Art of Marvel I Disneyland Paris 2021
• Previous Les Plumes (9th arrondissement Paris) Hotel room tour

Tags: 4k video a tour of louvre museum paris france 4k aboutravel. explore louvre louvre 4k louvre museum louvre museum paris louvre museum tour Mona Lisa Louvre PARIS paris france paris museums paris the louvre the louvre tour of louvre musem venus de milo louvre visit louvre museum what to do in paris

You may also like...

Admiring the Abstract: Vanity Fair’s Captivating Display of Modern French Art

Top 10 Things to See at the Louvre

Cecilia Rinaldi Last Updated: April 4, 2024

Embarking on a Parisian adventure with the Louvre on your checklist? Deciding what to see in the world’s largest museum, boasting a staggering 300 rooms, can be overwhelming. Fear not! Dive into this video and kickstart your artistic journey with a curated tour of ten must-see wonders at the Louvre Museum, including iconic masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. 

Video in narrated by Sean Finelli.

Reader Interactions

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Travel Guide
• In The Press

POLICY & TERMS

• Cancellation Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Zendaya and Tom Holland went on Louvre date despite warning that museum was 'busy' and they 'might make it worse'

“You just kind of get used to the fact that, ‘Oh, I’m also one of these art pieces you’re going to take a picture of,'" Zendaya said.

A couple of overzealous fans are no match for Zendaya and Tom Holland ’s relationship.

While chatting with Vogue and British Vogue for a joint cover issue, the 27-year-old offered a rare glimpse into her usually private romance with Holland by recalling a trip to Paris in fall 2022, when the couple’s plans to explore the Louvre were nearly derailed by the museum’s crowd.

Zendaya said the Marvel stars were warned, “It’s already busy. You might make it worse.” But refusing to let star power get in the way of their museum date, they decided to go anyway.

Fans will likely recall this date because photos of the couple holding hands at the Louvre and posing by the Mona Lisa immediately went viral on social media. Luckily, that wasn't enough to ruin their day out.

“It was actually fine,” Zendaya said. “You just kind of get used to the fact that, ‘Oh, I’m also one of these art pieces you’re going to take a picture of.' I just gotta be totally cool with it and just live my life.” 

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Later that day, their celebrity status got them a special perk: the museum staff let them to linger and wander around after closing. “It was one of the coolest experiences ever,” she said. “It was like Night at the Museum. ”

On the subject of handling fame, Zendaya has plenty of experience. She began her acting career on Disney Channel’s Shake it Up at just 14 years old. After becoming a breakout star for the network, she gained wider acclaim with her role in Euphoria and status as a fashion icon. But while her ascent was gradual, she notes that Holland blew up overnight. 

After starting out on the West End in Billy Elliot the Musical as a child, his career reached a sudden high when he took on the role of Peter Parker — first in Captain America: Civil War and then in his own trilogy, starting with 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming . Zendaya starred as his eventual love interest, MJ.

“We were both very, very young, but my career was already kind of going, and his changed overnight,” she recalled. “One day you’re a kid and you’re at the pub with your friends, and then the next day you’re Spider-Man.”

She praised Holland's reaction to the spotlight, adding, “I definitely watched his life kind of change in front of him. But he handled it really beautifully.” 

Holland is returning to the West End in a new London production of Romeo & Juliet , where he stars as one half of the star-crossed pair and also serves as a producer. Zendaya said she “could not be more proud” of his latest gig, adding, “I’m going to try to see as many shows as I possibly can.”

Zendaya can be seen starring alongside Mike Faist , and  Josh O' Connor  when their romantic sports drama Challengers  hits theaters on April 26.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Inside the Dune dynasty: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh discuss the battle for Arrakis
• Tom Holland, Zendaya successfully complete Beyoncé's 'Mute' challenge on Renaissance tour
• Zendaya says she refused to have her first kiss on the Disney show Shake It Up

Related Articles

• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
• Themed tours
• Customized tours
• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

Moscow Metro Tour

• Page active

Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

• Articles   >

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

Exhibitions and Events - News and programming

Aller au contenu

Exhibitions and Events News and programming

Exhibitions.

Discover the Louvre's exhibitions.

See exhibitions  

Guided tours

Explore the museum with an official guide.

See all guided tours