elitas travel gta

Read our extensive tips on making the most of the Creator, the Rockstar Editor & the massive open world of GTA Online.

• GTA Online Guide
• Accomplishments
• Rockstar Editor
• The Creator
• Impromptu Races
• Passive Mode
• Your Phone is Your Friend
• Merryweather Security
• Don't Want to Drive?
• Get to Work
• Need a Job?
• Create a New Job
• Get Verified
• Launch Jobs Quickly
• Loser Perks
• Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch?
• Finding Your Friends
• Keep it Safe (ATMs)
• Earn Cash Quickly
• Consumption (GTA $)
• Real Estate
• Launch Location
• dynasty8realestate.com

elitastravel.com

• legendarymotorsport.net
• warstock-cache-and-carry.com
• docktease.com
• pandmcycles.com
• southernsanandreassuperautos.com
• bennysoriginalmotorworks.com
• Flaunt Your Talents
• Colored Blips
• Save Your Game
• Streaming Issues?
• Bounty Hunt
• Kills Challenge
• Treasure Hunt
• Headshot Challenge
• Serial Killer Mystery

Elitastravel.com is a vendor of luxury private jets and helicopters in San Andreas. Their vehicles are intended for transport and leisure purposes only and are not armed. Visit their website via your phone’s web browser to order your own private aircraft today.

Upon making a purchase you’ll be able to organize delivery via the Pegasus concierge service in your phone’s Contacts list.

• Vehicles bought from Elitas Travel can be delivered on request by calling Pegasus – the contact will appear on your phone when you purchase your first vehicle requiring their services.
• Vehicles delivered by Pegasus will be blipped on the Map, you can then use Quick GPS to navigate directly to your awaiting vehicle – look for ‘Pegasus Vehicle’ in the Quick GPS list.

The 15 Best Planes To Buy In GTA Online

GTA Online allows you to purchase all manner of vehicles, and here's a look at the best planes you can buy to travel through the air with ease.

There's no better time to take to the skies of Los Santos with the vast array of planes available to buy from Elitas Travel and the Warstock Cache and Carry. For some GTA fans, it's a way to coast through online missions by wreaking havoc on AI enemies.

Related: GTA 5: Every Place You Can Get A Helicopter

For others, it's a chance to play a more relaxing session from the sometimes hectic online lobbies in GTA Online. Whether it's gliding at 8,000 feet through the calm skies or turning the game into a flight simulator as you land at Los Santos International in first-person — Rockstar Games has it covered.

Updated on July 17, 2023: While we wait for the official announcement of Grand Theft Auto 6, we are going over our oldest articles of GTA V and GTA Online. On this opportunity, we updated our picks for the best planes you can buy and fly in your online city.

15 B-11 Strikeforce

The B-11 Strikeforce appeared in GTA Online as a part of the 1.44 After Hours update. The plane ended up wowing gamers due to its competent speed and powerful weapons.

Of course, one of the best planes in GTA 5 was bound to cost a pretty penny. So, it's really no surprise that the B-11 Strikeforce costs a whopping $3,800,000.

14 Western Company Rogue

One of the fastest and best planes in GTA 5, the Western Company Rogue is a plane that most players would kill to have... quite literally! Its ridiculous top speed of 219.50 mph is easily the plane's biggest draw.

While the Western Company Rogue is nowhere near as pricey as the previous plane mentioned on this list, it can still burn a sizeable hole in your wallet. However, there's a way to get the plane at a discounted rate — you need to complete the 6 Air Freight Cargo Missions in order to reduce the price of this plane from $1,596,000 to $1,200,000.

13 JoBuilt P-996 LAZER

The costliest plane in the is obviously going to serve as one of the best aircraft. The JoBuilt P-996 LAZER certainly fits the bill in this regard, with the act of flying this aircraft being quite rewarding indeed.

Of course, coughing up the $6,500,000 required to get this plane can be quite a hassle. However, if you manage to procure this cash, you will find yourself flying one of GTA 5's best planes.

12 Western Company Mallard

After seeing all the planes that cost millions upon millions of dollars, it's genuinely refreshing to see the Western Company Mallard on this list. The fact that the GTA fanbase rates this plane so highly is a testament to the economic nature of this plane.

Related: The Best Weapons in GTA 5, Ranked

You need a measly $250,000 to get this plane, and this will definitely be money well spent. In fact, Western Company does make some of the most underrated planes in the game, such as the next entry.

11 Western Company Seabreeze

The Western Company Seabreeze is easily one of the weirdest planes on this list. However, the look of this plane becomes secondary once you realize that the Seabreeze's control, speed, and price more than mitigate this slight compromise.

In fact, there's a way to get the price of the Seabreeze below a million as well... although it might be somewhat grindy. To unlock this discount, you need to complete a whopping total of 36 Air Freight Cargo Missions.

10 Buckingham Pyro

The Pyro is one of the fastest planes, but there's something extra special about this one. If you've played GTA Online, it's likely you've been going about your business when an oppressor has throttled up its jet engine and flown over to you like a falcon identifying its prey. But the Pyro offers a perfect solution against the threat of an oppressor.

Using the rudders will ensure incoming missiles explode before contact; simply activate the rudders and watch on as a barrage of missiles misses the target, turning the oppressor griefer into an anecdote.

9 Nagasaki Ultralight

There's nothing quite like the Ultralight. Of course, the glider isn't going to be of much use in a fight, but GTA is a sandbox with many ways in which you can interpret the game.

Sometimes a chilled session is needed away from the money grind, and coasting around the map in a glider while taking in the sights of Los Santos is one of the best ways to play. If you ascend high enough, the glider is capable of getting from one end to another (north to south) without the engine active.

8 Buckingham Miljet

Seating 14 passengers in the cabin, the Miljet is the best way to turn your GTA online experience into a game of Flight Simulator as you take to the skies at an altitude of 8,000 feet. The cockpit of the Miljet gives a realistic feel with eye-catching views of the city at night, making the plane a rewarding aircraft to use for GTA fans.

Related: Best Custom Game Modes In GTA 5

You may not like to mention it, but you'll likely have cruised around downtown Los Santos and stopped at the red lights like a commendable, law-abiding citizen. If you're that type of player, by flying the Miljet you can enjoy perfecting landings in the first-person camera while topping up plenty of flight hours. You will do this as captain on the Los Santos International Airport (LSIA) to Sandy Shores Airfield (SSA) route.

7 Mammoth Hydra

The Hydra's hovering ability and powerful gun on the front make it a favorite amongst those looking to fight above the clouds of Los Santos. But, beware: you should find a new lobby if a griefer has glitched one of these military jets into god-mode - the only way they can be killed is by shooting the pilot through the window. Glitching into god-mode isn't advised with Rockstar actively resetting the accounts of cheaters in GTA Online.

With spawn points around the map, the Hydra can be used to get through heist set-ups quickly — and time is money. Otherwise, have fun carrying your friend's car up into the skies and watch them inevitably fall off.

6 V-65 Molotok

The plane of choice for GTA Online's own version of the Red Arrows. The Molotok's all-around balance of speed, braking, and maneuverability make it one of the best for a display of air-showmanship.

The Molotok comes in at around $3.6 million if you have unlocked the trade price, but acquiring a Red Sparrow standard version will mean purchasing the extra upgrades at the aircraft hangar, which can quickly knock up the price.

While this beast will take up most of the space of an aircraft hangar, sometimes you might want to have the biggest and best of everything. The Volatol is based on the Avro Vulcan bomber plane, which means it can quietly navigate through the clouds with two turret operators on board.

While it's not the best plane to recommend in a PvP situation, the Volatol is one of the most fun planes to fly around in. Be sure to try it out in one of the GTA air races before locking in the $3,724,000 non-trade price.

4 Mammoth Avenger

The hybrid plane and helicopter. As one of the most durable and customizable purchases in the game, the Avenger can be equipped with both a weapon and vehicle workshop, which can save so much time traveling back and forth from your facility.

Related: Rarest Cars In GTA San Andreas And Where To Find Them

You should wait for a special offer from Rockstar Games with a fully upgraded version of the Avenger costing around $6m.

3 Mammoth Dodo

It's not always about the glamour. Okay, for some players it is, but the Dodo is a legend of Rockstar's GTA series. The two-seater aircraft can be seen as far back as GTA 3 in Liberty City , which was launched in 2001. This means that at just 500k, you can buy a piece of GTA history.

You shouldn't expect to be winning an air race anytime soon, but the Dodo is a fun plane to cruise around in. Like with the Seabreeze, you can land in water without any problems.

2 LF-22 Starling

One for the fighter pilots. The LF-22 Starling handles exquisitely in the air and is backed up by double machine guns and a default rocket boost lasting for 20 seconds, which can be the difference in a fight for position in the skies.

The default version can be acquired for a trade price of $2.75m, but it's worth getting the upgrades that will extend the boost by an extra five seconds and equip vital homing missiles to be used in combat.

1 Western Company Besra

At an affordable price of $1,150,000, you can purchase the fastest-accelerating plane in the game. The Besra is based on a military training plane, making it easy to maneuver and a go-to for when GTA randomly sends a flying under bridges challenge into the online lobby.

Once you feel you've mastered the aerobic capability of the Besra, flick it into the first-person camera and test yourself flying low around the city.

Next: The Best Businesses To Run In GTA Online

• Helicopters
• Sport classic
• Super sport

Get our magazine for FREE .

The difference between flying private and flying commercial is like trying to compare a stretch limousine to a Guatemalan prison bus.

List of all vehicles you can buy at this dealership.

• From $ 895 000

• $ 1 815 000

• $ 2 000 000

• From $ 1 595 000

• From $ 1 837 500

• From $ 975 000

• $ 1 625 000

• $ 10 000 000

• $ 1 700 000

• $ 1 900 000

• $ 1 150 000

After hours of crate digging, you know when they've found the perfect sample to butcher on your latest EDM track. This is that record. Remix cultur... Read more

A favorite in Mirror Park, this sporty little guy is easy to park. Great handling, anti-lock brakes, and a stereo that only plays power pop hits. I... Read more

To climb inside a Howard NX-25 is to take a fuel-chugging, pant-wetting, whiplash-inducing trip down memory lane, stopping at every white picket fe... Read more

The original race version of the BR8 was a complicated machine. Constructed from over four hundred separate controls, it required inhuman dexterity... Read more

Fresh from Truffade's undersea test track, the Nero is a god-emperor among supercars that'll dip its rivals in burning oil, seduce its mother and p... Read more

Remember the kid who always had a multi-tool with him? Remember how popular he was, and how often he got laid? Well, if he had survived high school... Read more

In the world of tactical air support, bigger is better, right? Wrong. Consider this. The next time one of your legitimate business associates arran... Read more

The Yosemite took a classic pickup truck and slammed it so low a manhole could pop its bumper like a bottle cap. But now Benny's here to raise the ... Read more

GTAmag.com is your definitive guide to help you find the best vehicle in the Grand Theft Auto video game series. We have all the vehicles you can find in GTA V, GTA Online and soon Grand Theft Auto 6!

All the guides

© 2024 GTAmag.com

Elitás Travel

Elitás Travel are an online aircraft dealership in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online .

Aircraft sold

• Businesses in GTA V
• Auto Dealerships

GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

The Best Helicopters To Buy In GTA Online

Flying around Los Santos doesn't have to be done with a jet or plane.

By Joey Carr on May 2, 2022 at 12:41PM PDT

As any long-time GTA player knows, there are a few different ways to get from one place to the other. From fighter jets to luxury passenger planes, the options are by no means limited in GTA Online . However, one often overlooked option is the helicopter. This vehicle has been expanded upon greatly since GTA Online launched, with Rockstar Games giving players a plethora of options to purchase.

These options are varied as well. Players have the choice of going with a fast helicopter or one that can challenge a fighter jet's weapons in the sky, among other options. With so many choices available to players, it's understandable why some GTA Online users have trouble deciding which helicopter to buy.

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Modern Warfare III & Warzone - Official Cheech & Chong Bundle Gameplay Trailer

Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys | World Premiere Official Trailer

The Fallout TV Show's Biggest Easter Eggs

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate – Announcement Gameplay Trailer

Dead Island 2 – Official SoLA Expansion Gameplay Launch Trailer

Little Kitty, Big City – Release Date Reveal

Harold Halibut GameSpot Video Review

SteamWorld Heist II – Official Reveal Gameplay Trailer

Cat Quest III - Release Date Trailer

LORELEI AND THE LASER EYES | Release Date Trailer

Honkai: Star Rail — "Non-Zero-Sum Game" | A Moment Among the Stars Animated Trailer

Stellar Blade - Official Live Action Release Date Trailer| PS5

Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

Sign up or Sign in now!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Now Playing: First 20 Minutes Of GTA 5 On PS5

Below, we'll go over how players can go about buying their first or fifth helicopter as well as listing some of the best ones to purchase in GTA Online.

Buying a helicopter

Before players can ponder which helicopter they're going to be flying around Los Santos in, they need to learn how to actually purchase one. This process is the same as buying other vehicles in GTA Online; the only difference is which websites players visit.

To start, players can open up their mobile device and go to the Eyefind browser. From here, a list of websites will appear. To buy a helicopter, players want to click on either Warstock Carry and Cache or Elitás Travel. These are the two websites that carry helicopters in GTA Online.

As their names suggest, these two sites carry different kinds of helicopters. Elitás Travel offers expensive helicopters that are mainly used for getting from one place to the other in the most luxurious style possible. The helicopters available on this site range in size and speed, though most of the choppers available will be fairly fast to begin with. If players want to buy a helicopter from Elitás Travel, they'll need a sizeable amount of cash.

Comparatively, the helicopters on Warstock Carry and Cache are primarily focused on arming players with weapons and armor. Most helicopters on this site are weaponized in some way, giving players the option to open fire in the skies. Some choppers will also be equipped with armor so players can be protected from homing missiles or other forms of weaponry.

Players can visit the site they feel best suits their needs for a helicopter. However, before going to purchase one, it's important that players remember they will need a personal aircraft hangar or something comparable to store their chopper. If they don't have one, then they won't be able to complete the purchase.

Best helicopters to buy

Now that players know how to go about buying a helicopter, they can get into which one to spend their hard-earned money on. There are dozens of options in GTA Online and it's hard for players to truly go wrong depending on their needs. Although, as with any other vehicle in GTA, there are certainly choppers that stand above the rest.

Arguably the most-used helicopter currently in GTA Online is the Sparrow. This chopper comes with homing missiles as its only weapon and some minor armor. Players can purchase the Sparrow from Warstock Carry and Cache but it's paired with the Kostaka Submarine. It costs $1.8 million, not including the price of the submarine. While this is certainly not the fastest or most decked-out helicopter, it's arguably the most useful in GTA Online.

Players who are looking to take advantage of the money-making method involving the Cayo Perico Heist can utilize the Sparrow to great effect. Having the Sparrow allows players to make the most out of this money-making method, which is why it lands on this list.

The next chopper on this list is a must-own for any GTA Online player. The Akula is a weaponized helicopter that comes pre-equipped with heavy armor and weapons. It also possesses a feature unavailable on any other helicopter in the game. If players press the right keybind, they'll activate the stealth mode. This turns the helicopter invisible on the radar, making players undetectable. The chopper's weapons aren't usable in stealth mode, however.

While the Akula is a terrific helicopter, it does come with a huge price tag of $3.7 million. Players might want to save up for the Akula if they want a fully-stealth vehicle in GTA Online.

The Volatus is one of the sleekest and most luxurious helicopters in GTA Online. While players won't be able to take it into a firefight, that's not what it was designed. The Volatus was designed to be shown off in the skies and a centerpiece of any player's aircraft hangar. It was also designed to be the fastest helicopter in GTA Online, which is a boon for any player looking to get across Los Santos quickly. It has a top speed of 161 mph, which blows most other helicopters out of the water.

Of course, such a luxury vehicle will cost players. This chopper's price tag sits at roughly $3 million, which isn't a horrible price considering what players are getting in return.

Last on the list is the Buzzard, which has been one of the most popular helicopters in GTA Online for some time. The main reason for this is the Buzzard's price, which sits at $1.7 million. However, this helicopter also has some useful attributes, such as its homing missiles and extra space onboard for any passengers. The Buzzard is also able to be spawned in directly from the CEO menu, which means players can board it much quicker than other choppers in GTA Online.

For players looking at a budget helicopter that can still be useful in a variety of situations, the Buzzard is among the top choices.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]

• Leave Blank

Join the conversation

Use your keyboard!

Log in to comment

Elitas Travel

Elitás Travel is an online aircraft retailer in Grand Theft Auto V .

elitastravel.com

• Gangs&Corps
• Walkthrough

• About WikiGTA
• WikiGTA FAQ
• Random page

Grand Theft Auto's

• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grand Theft Auto Online
• GTA Chinatown Wars
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• The Lost and Damned
• The Ballad of Gay Tony
• GTA Vice City Stories
• GTA Liberty City Stories
• GTA Advance
• GTA San Andreas
• GTA Vice City
• Grand Theft Auto III
• Grand Theft Auto 2
• Grand Theft Auto
• London 1969
• London 1961

Quick Links

• Grand Theft Auto series

In other languages

Advertisement.

• This page was last modified on 25 May 2014, at 16:08.
• Content is available under WikiGTA License unless otherwise noted.
• Privacy policy
• Disclaimers
• Mobile view

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

• GTA: Online
• Tips and Tricks

How to Get Dodo: Spawn Locations and Customization Options

The Mammoth Dodo is a type of Plane found in Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5). Read on to learn more about this vehicle's availability, customization options, spawn locations, and more!

List of Contents

• Spawn Locations
• Customization Options
• Related Guides

Dodo Overview

Dodo capacity and availability, dodo spawn locations, dodo locations.

To obtain the Dodo, you first need to complete the Sea Plane random event. This will then make the plane available for purchase in Elitás Travel for $500,000 , appear in Lake Vinewood and Galilee , or spawnable with a cheat code.

Dodo Customization Options

Grand theft auto v (gta 5) related guides.

Vehicles by Type

List of helicopters, list of planes.

We at Game8 thank you for your support.

In order for us to make the best articles possible, share your corrections, opinions, and thoughts about 「How to Get Dodo: Spawn Locations and Customization Options | Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5)」 with us!

When reporting a problem, please be as specific as possible in providing details such as what conditions the problem occurred under and what kind of effects it had.

Do you want to send this information?

Walkthrough Menu

• Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) Wiki Top
• Beginner's Guide: All Tips and Tricks
• List of All Cheats for PS4, PS5, and PC
• How to Make Money
• Best Businesses to Buy
• How to Change Characters
• How to Decrease Your Wanted Level
• How to Level Up Skills
• GTA Online: Everything You Need to Know
• Career Builder: List of All Careers
• Freemode Challenges and Events

GTA: Online Jobs (Missions)

• Contact Missions
• Race Missions
• Deathmatches
• Adversary Modes
• Last Team Standing
• Parachuting
• Mobile Operations
• Special Vehicle Work
• Versus Jobs
• List of All Vehicles

Vehicle Types

• Land Vehicles
• Water Vehicles
• Air Vehicles
• List of All Weapons

Weapon Types

• Machine Guns
• Assault Rifles
• Sniper Rifles
• Heavy Weapons
• 1 How to Get Schafter: Spawn Locat...
• 2 How to Get 9F Cabrio: Spawn Loca...
• 3 How to Get PCJ 600: Spawn Locati...
• 4 How to Get Z-Type: Spawn Locatio...
• 5 How to Get Taco Van: Spawn Locat...
• We could not find the message board you were looking for.

Gaming News

Game8's Indie Spotlight

Nintendo Indie World April 2024: Everything Announced

RAID Shadow Legends Promo Codes Give $100 Worth of Bonuse...

Palworld CEO Proud to See "Palworld Clone Games"

More Gaming News

Popular Games

Genshin Impact Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Honkai: Star Rail Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

FF7 Rebirth Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Persona 3 Reload Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Palworld Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Unicorn Overlord Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Pokemon UNITE Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Recommended Games

Elden Ring Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

New Pokemon Snap Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

FF7 Remake Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

All rights reserved

All trademarks referenced herein are the properties of their respective owners. ©Rockstar Games, Inc. The copyrights of videos of games used in our content and other intellectual property rights belong to the provider of the game. The contents we provide on this site were created personally by members of the Game8 editorial department. We refuse the right to reuse or repost content taken without our permission such as data or images to other sites.

• Popular Articles

Russia Travel Blog  | All about Russia in English

• About our blog
• RussiaTrek.org

Sidebar →

• Architecture
• Entertainment
• RussiaTrek.org News

• Send us a tip with a message
• Support RussiaTrek.org
• Travel Guide to Ukraine
• Comments RSS

← Sidebar

The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

You might also like:

The bridge over Zolotoy Rog Bay in Vladivostok

The views of St. Petersburg from the TV tower >>

Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

Leave a Reply

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

• February 2024
• January 2024
• December 2023
• November 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023
• August 2023

• 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