If you want to provide public transportation to a booming city of 12 million people, you better have quite a metro for them.

Boasting 188 station stops and covering 195 miles of track, Moskcovsky metropliten, Moscow’s metro system, is more than up to the task. On an average day, the system sees 7 million people get from place to place.

But just as noteworthy as its function is its fashion. The stations are simply beautiful, put together with careful design and planning to make them comfortable and attractive.

Don’t be fooled by the ornate styling, though. Many stations were constructed to double as shelters for air raids or nuclear events. They’re deep below the ground and they’re built to last.

We wanted to take a look for ourselves and see what it’s like to get around Moscow by subway.

To give you an idea of what we’re dealing with, here’s a map of the complete system.

Follow the red M’s around Moscow to find the metro stops.

Welcome to Mayakovskaya, one of the most beautiful metro stations in Moscow.

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