Coastline Travel and Wellness

Meet Our 5-Star Team of Luxury Travel Advisors

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Jay Johnson

Owner & President of Coastline Travel Group

Garden Grove, CA United States

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Holly Hesseltine

Travel Advisor,  Coastline Travel Group

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Danielle Meyer

Travel Advisor & Manager of Group Sales,  Coastline Travel Group

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Stephanie Louzil

Director of Group Sales,  Coastline Travel Group

Great place and very helpful and friendly if you plan on any travelling and need help great for booking cruises and airplane flights and anything else you need for a great vacation or any kind of travel! 

Google Review

Our travel advisor, Leah Bergner, is simply outstanding!!!  Her attention to detail, and the pursuit of the best possible  options for us has made all the many tours she has arranged in the last ten years truly memorable.

Leah Bergner is excellent travel advisor. I have been working with her for over 5 years and I am extremely satisfied!

I love working with Coastline Travel Advisors!

We will definitely be using Danielle and Coastline in the future for our travels, and would absolutely recommend them for anyone looking for an above and beyond travel experience.

GOOGLE REVIEW

I have used this travel agency several times. They are very knowlegable about travel details and choices. They provide excellent customer service. I highly recommend them for anyone considering international travel.

Just like you, your child’s safety is our top priority. We absolutely understand that your child’s life-threatening allergy means you live in a heightened state of worry about their well-being, and there’s no room for oversight. Your travel advisor will work to understand your child’s allergy and specific needs, and can then make educated recommendations and tailored itineraries for your time here in SoCal based on those needs. We have direct relationships with local hotels and restaurants so we will work closely with them to provide accommodations based on your child’s allergy. 

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12373 Lewis St., Ste. 201 Garden Grove, CA 92840

(714) 621-1040 ext 131

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Coastline Travel Advisors

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Coastline Travel Advisors is a family owned, full service travel agency founded in 1968 by Mr. Hugh Gerald Johnson. His son, Jay Johnson, is now owner and president, and has over 30 years of experience in the travel industry. The travel advisors at Coastline Travel are all college graduates with their own niche travel experience, and they will strive to ensure the most memorable and unique experiences. Our team is innovative, experienced, and aspire to create incredible travel memories for all clients.

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Coastline travel group announces acquisition of world travel bureau.

January 17, 2020 4:44 pm

Coastline Travel Group, a luxury collection of Virtuoso affiliated travel agencies headquartered in Southern California, has acquired World Travel Bureau (WTB). The acquisition adds five new California locations to its existing seven locations in California, Denver, New York, Scottsdale, and Monaco.

“We are thrilled that our companies embrace the same unique customer-centric management philosophy and values,” said Jay Johnson, CEO of Coastline Travel Group.  “We view this not as an acquisition, but rather the ideal addition to our family of agencies that will only enhance the collective client experience.” 

 “For our World Travel Bureau clients, this natural progression of becoming part of Coastline Travel Group reinforces our unrelenting commitment to quality, service, and value that has characterized our company for 80 years,” added Tom Jackson, CEO of World Travel Bureau.  “Coastline Travel Group shares our core values that have been the foundation of World Travel Bureau, and is the ideal fit for the future of WTB.”

The addition of World Travel Bureau brings 80 years of industry experience, knowledge and professionalism to the already seasoned Coastline Travel Group collection of well-respected agencies across the world. This new merger reinforces both companies’ strong commitment to providing clients with best-in-class service, while ensuring they benefit from premium access to the agencies’ vast and trusted resources.  

About Coastline Travel Group

Coastline Travel Group is a collection of luxury travel agencies headquartered in Southern California. Coastline Travel Group consists of 250 full-time employees and independent contractors located in Garden Grove, CA (Headquarters); El Dorado Hills, CA; Saratoga, CA ( Alpine Travel ); Denver, CO and Brooklyn, NY ( Tafari Travel ), Scottsdale, AZ ( Hager’s Journeys), and Monaco ( Lecoeur Travel ). The acquisition of World Travel Bureau brings an additional 5 California-based agencies and 34 travel experts to the Coastline portfolio. 

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Accredited Space Agent Discusses Selling Travel That’s Truly Out-Of-This-World

Accredited Space Agent Discusses Selling Travel That’s Truly Out-Of-This-World

Virgin Galactic developed the first vehicles built specifically for commercial service to put humans into space. Photo: Virgin Galactic 

With last week’s announcement that Virgin Galactic was going public, as well as the 50 th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing coming up, the idea of commercial space travel has been floating around the public consciousness recently. After all, who wouldn’t want to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the final frontier?

To that end, Jay Johnson, president of the California-based travel company called Coastline Travel Advisors, agreed to speak with Travel Market Report. He is one of the only Accredited Space Agents officially certified by Virgin Galactic to book commercial space travel.

Space certification process How does a travel agent get this special designation? “I have been an Accredited Space Agent since [the program’s] inception in 2006. I was a part of the initial class of ASA’s,” said Johnson, who has been a luxury travel advisor since the early 90s. “I joined Virtuoso back in 1998. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I still love it.”

Virtuoso has had an exclusive sales arrangement with Virgin Galactic since 2006, and they are the only travel advisor network the company chose to work with throughout the Americas. Virgin Galactic hand-selected the Virtuoso advisors who trained to become Accredited Space Agents (ASAs).

“The accreditation process took a few months,” Johnson explained. “I was on a trip when I received the invitation to apply to become an ASA. The minute I landed back at LAX, I drove to my office on a Sunday and started filling out the application, which was quite long and extensive. 

“Once I was given the green light, all ASA’s had to attend a series of in-person training sessions with the Virgin Galactic staff, including a visit to Port Canaveral, Florida. All told, the entire process took a few months and involved at least two in-person meetings, along with their initial application.” 

Booking space travel Virgin Galactic developed the first vehicles built specifically for commercial service to put humans into space. The company designed the vehicles to enable a safe and familiar flying experience for customers to become officially designated astronauts; and already has customer reservations from more than 600 people in 60 countries, representing approximately $80 million in total collected deposits, and $120 million of potential revenue.

But, while Virgin Galactic has done a great job of bringing the idea of commercial space flights into the public eye, practically speaking, travelers are a few years away from being able to book a ticket into space.

“Currently, it is not possible to book a trip into space with Virgin Galactic,” said Johnson. “For the past few years, they have been accepting new Future Astronauts into the community via their direct team only, but not actively pursuing sales. The original objective of selling tickets was to prove there was a market for commercial spaceflight, and the 600-strong Future Astronaut community more than demonstrates that.

“So, their focus has been on looking after this group of brilliant individuals and brand ambassadors, rather than adding more people to it.”

All seats released at the $250,000 price tag have been reserved by the Future Astronauts, and Virgin Galactic is not accepting new reservations for the foreseeable future. Their website has been updated to reflect this. So, those looking to book the ultimate getaway trip might have to wait for a while.

An out-of-this-world opportunity Those who have reserved a place for the inaugural Virgin Galactic launch hail from all over the world. “There is no ‘typical’ or specific ‘type’ of Future Astronaut,” said Johnson. “The current Future Astronauts that signed up come from around 60 different countries. They are from all walks of life, but with one shared passion: Space.”

While many people may be interested in going to space, there are a couple of factors that would bar prospective astronauts from taking the great leap, and the first that may come to mind is the price. At $250,000, booking a rocket to the stars might be too rich a proposition for most people.

One of the other factors that people consider is safety. Luckily, Virgin Galactic has a dedicated Astronaut Office for their Future Astronauts. If anyone has concerns, they are dealt with directly.

When Virgin Galactic finally embarks on their proposed space excursions, Johnson hopes to be front-and-center to take part.

“I sure hope so. It’s definitely a dream of mine,” said Johnson. “When I first started with the program, I told myself that if I sold 10 trips to space, I would buy a ticket for myself. I sold nine, so I got pretty close. Once we can start making new reservations, and I hit my goal, more than likely I will book a reservation for myself. I mean, who doesn't [want to go into space?]”

What does it all mean for travel? When looking toward the future, how will this innovative and highly exclusive service change the travel industry as a whole?

“That’s a great question and one that I think about often. If, and this is a big if, they can ever figure out how to use space to travel from point A to point B, then it will revolutionize the way we all travel in the future,” said Johnson.

“Can you imagine going from London to Sydney in 40 minutes? I have no idea if this is in Virgin Galactic’s master plan, but if they can ever figure out the technology, then space will truly help bring us together and change how we travel.”

With the anniversary of the famous Apollo mission just days away, we have the opportunity to look back at our history, as well as to look ahead at where we’re going, and how we’ll get there.

“I’m very excited for the future, and I’m confident that Virgin Galactic is going to revolutionize space travel for us all,” said Johnson.

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Major Travel Agencies Are on a Consolidation and Expansion Fast Track

Maria Lenhart, Skift

February 4th, 2020 at 10:00 AM EST

Travel agencies are poised for expansion, but the major challenge is finding travel advisors to fill new positions. Acquiring agencies and enticing newcomers to join the industry are ways around it.

Sparked by record sales and demographic trends, travel agency consolidation and expansion is happening at a fast pace.

Just within the last few weeks, mergers between large and midsize agencies include Frosch International Travel ‘s acquisition of Luxe Travel , Direct Travel ‘s acquisition of Professional Travel, and Coastline Travel Group ‘s acquisition of World Travel Bureau .

Other agencies, among them Protravel , Ovation Travel , and Avoya Travel are expanding by opening new locations and/or beefing up efforts to increase their networks of independent travel advisors.

“It’s a huge time for agency growth, especially through acquisition,” said travel agency management consultant Robert Joselyn of Joselyn Consulting Group , adding that the number of agencies seeking counsel on expansion plans has skyrocketed in recent months.

The agencies involved are privately held, and they didn’t disclose terms of the deals.

What’s behind it? According to Joselyn, the expansion through acquisition trend is not only a result of prosperity, but the growing challenge of finding seasoned travel advisors to staff new offices.

“A lot of travel agencies have the financial means and desire to expand, but the difficulty they face is a declining pool of experienced travel advisors to draw on,” he said. “The quickest way to get around this is to acquire existing agencies that already have advisors.”

At the same time, the number of travel agencies for sale is also rising, Joselyn added.

“The aging of the travel advisor population means an increasing number of travel agency owners are planning to retire,” he said. “They’re looking for a succession plan and strategy for their business. So there are opportunities out there to buy agencies.”

What is motivating travel agencies to expand and why should they do it? Joselyn said economies of scale and gaining increased clout with suppliers are two of the main reasons.

“With expansion, you can spread out things like accounting, marketing, and tech support to cover greater volume without changing your fixed costs,” he said. “Increased scale also brings in stronger relationships with suppliers, so you get better commissions and overrides.”

Expansion these days may be a matter of survival, said Jay Johnson, CEO of Coastline Travel Group, a Virtuoso member based in Garden Grove, California, which is among agencies growing at a rapid rate.

“There’s so much consolidation happening right now that either you’re going to play or get left behind,” he said.

A Cautionary Note

Joselyn, however, also cautioned that expansion through acquisition is not without its pitfalls. Among the biggest ones are merging the agencies’ different cultures and employee policies on things like compensation and vacation time, he said, adding that buyers and sellers have a responsibility to assess these differences beforehand.

Johnson agreed. “What I do first is look at the company culture of the agency we are looking to purchase,” he said. “If I don’t think it’s a good fit, I pass, and I have passed on several.”

Joselyn recommends that new owners phase in changes gradually, perhaps even asking the previous owner to stay on for a short period to help ease the transition.

“I’ve seen cases where new owners make changes right away — and they lose people as a result,” he said. “There’s got to be conversations and rapport building along the way.”

Other major challenges arise when there are different consortium affiliations or global distribution systems (GDS) involved, Joselyn added.

“In particular, problems arise when there’s a different GDS to convert to — that’s a huge change for employees,” he said. “In those cases, I recommend offering a change bonus, perhaps $1,000, to people in recognition.”

Coastline’s Spending Spree

Coastline Travel Group ‘s recent acquisitions include World Travel Bureau , which has five offices in Southern California, as well as Hager’s Journeys in Scottsdale, Arizona, Alpine Travel in Saratoga, California, and Lecoeur Travel in Monaco. Coastline also recently opened two storefront agencies with an innovative lounge design, Tafari Travel in New York City and Denver.

“We’ve been on a spending spree growth process for the past few years, with acquisitions the biggest part of that,” Johnson said, adding that the acquisition of World Travel Bureau brings Coastline’s annual sales close to $100 million.

The opportunity to purchase World Travel Bureau arose when owner Tom Jackson contacted Johnson and said he was retiring, and looking for someone “like-minded” to take over his business.

“Tom has been in travel since the 1960s and has been a friend and mentor to me,” Johnson said. “It seemed like a great fit. We sell similar products, plus they have great air contracts that we didn’t have.”

While Coastline is actively scouting for new locations, particularly in places that are magnets for retiring baby boomers, Johnson said future expansion is more likely to happen by acquiring existing agencies rather than opening new offices.

“Finding travel advisors who know the industry and have good connections is the biggest challenge of opening a new office,” he said. “The first thing we look at when considering a new location is if it offers talent we can obtain. We’ve pulled back from opening in some very good markets because it wasn’t there.”

With its recent expansion, Coastline is poised for even further growth because its increased clout with suppliers and ability to invest in technology is enabling it to attract more independent contractors, Johnson said.

“We’re able to strengthen the host agency side of our business by offering better commissions and tech tools to support independent contractors,” he said. “We’ve also been able to invest in more technology for our group department, allowing us to up our game with incentive travel and corporate off-sites.”

ProTravel and Ovation

Two large New York-based luxury agencies, Protravel and Ovation Travel, are in a growth mode as well. ProTravel last year opened its first office in San Francisco, coming on the heels of new locations in Austin, Texas, and Orange County, California.

Ovation Travel recently announced plans to open a new regional headquarters office in the Los Angeles area headed by Aanchal Gandhi in the newly created position of vice president of leisure and independent advisors, West Coast.

The new office will enable the agency to further grow its burgeoning entertainment travel business, which was kickstarted by Ovation’s acquisition of London-based Chartwell Travel in 2018, said Gina Gabbard, senior vice president of Ovation Travel.

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Gina Gabbard, senior vice president of Ovation Travel. Photo: Ovation Travel

“The London location is heavy into travel for the entertainment industry, and it’s brought in new clients in this field, many of whom would like to work with our independent travel advisors in Los Angeles,” she said. “So it made sense for us to have a location there.”

Another purpose of the new regional office is to provide more support for Ovation’s home-based independent travel advisors based in Southern California and encourage further growth among their ranks. Ovation has already been making strides in adding independents, with 40 new advisors joining its host network in 2019, bringing the total to slightly more than 200, according to Gabbard.

“Our headquarters office in New York offers a lot of support for independents, including office space for them to use if they wish,” she said. “We will be doing the same in Los Angeles.”

Expanding Network

Avoya Travel Network, which over the years has morphed from a traditional storefront travel agency to a major host network serving 1,350 independent travel advisors, is also on a growth track, although not from agency acquisitions or new offices.

Through referrals and an extensive online marketing campaign, Avoya added 500 travel advisors to its network in 2019, most of whom are home-based, said Jeff Anderson, co-president.

“We launched an initiative a few years ago aimed at attracting newcomers to the travel industry, particularly from business categories similar to travel such as real estate, hospitality, and retail,” he said. “There’s huge growth potential for travel, particularly among young entrepreneurs who want flexible hours and the ability to work from anywhere on their mobile devices.”

With the intent of fueling future growth, Avoya recently opened the Avoya Innovation Center in San Diego, a space for developing new technology platforms that also offers facilities for video chats and live-stream meetings between Avoya employees, suppliers, and independent travel advisors.

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Photo credit: The Atrium Cafe in Avoya Travel's new innovation center. Avoya Travel added about 500 travel advisors in 2019. Avoya Travel

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station

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

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

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

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

Revolution Square Metro 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

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.

Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

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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.

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Kievskaya Metro Station

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

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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.

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Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

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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

Mayakovskaya station

Mayakovskaya metro 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.

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

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

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

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.

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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 🙂

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December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

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

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Putin taunts the West with 'first ever' visit to remote ice-covered 'frontier region' just 55 miles from the US - as Zelensky tries to drum up war support in Lithuania

  • Chukotka is Russia's easternmost region, sharing a maritime border with Alaska

President Vladimir Putin  has arrived for his first-ever presidential visit to Chukotka in Russia 's Far East - just 55 miles from the US state of Alaska . 

Putin arrived in Anadyr, the local capital of the Chukotka region this morning after flying from Moscow some nine time zones away. 

Chukotka is the easternmost region of Russia, with a maritime border on the Bering Strait with Alaska.

The Russian president was met in Anadyr by a motorcade and was whisked away in a limousine amid frigid temperatures of -28C. 

It's the closest he has come to US soil since he met with President  Barack Obama in New York City in 2015.

Chukotka is so close to Alaska that Roman Abramovich - the ex-Chelsea FC owner - was reported to fly to Anchorage in Alaska for lunch when he was the governor of the region from 2001 - 2008.

Putin's visit comes at a time when US-Russian relations are at their lowest ebb in decades amid the war in Ukraine and a growing East-West divide. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today landed in Lithuania as part of an unannounced trip to the Baltic states to drum up more support for the conflict. 

Global war for control of the ARCTIC: Climate change is unlocking untapped natural resources, new trade routes... and a new international conflict that RUSSIA is already winning  

The three Baltic states - all former Soviet republics which are now EU and NATO members - are among Ukraine's staunchest allies.

'Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are our reliable friends and principled partners. Today, I arrived in Vilnius before going to Tallinn and Riga,' Zelensky said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

'Security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones, and further coordination of European support are all on the agenda,' he said.

The Baltic tour marks Zelensky's first official trip abroad this year.

In Lithuania, a key donor to Ukraine, Zelensky said he will hold talks with the president, prime minister and the speaker of parliament, and meet with the Ukrainian community.

The visit comes as other Kyiv allies waver on fresh aid, nearly two years into Russia's invasion.

Ukraine has come under intense Russian shelling in recent weeks, retaliating with strikes on Russia's border city of Belgorod.

Zelensky has urged allies to keep military support flowing and held in-person talks with officials from the United States, Germany and Norway last month.

But an EU aid package worth 50 billion euros ($55 billion) has been stuck in Brussels following a veto by Hungary, while the US Congress remains divided on sending additional aid to Ukraine.

Following his trip to Chukotka, Putin is expected to visit several regions in the Russian Far East to boost his re-election campaign amid the war with Ukraine, which has seen more than 300,000 Russians killed or maimed.

He is due to stand in March, seeking another six years in the Kremlin.

The only Kremlin leader ever to travel to Chukotka previously was Dmitry Medvedev in 2008.

Putin's trip sees him escape a wave of ugly protests in western Russia over hundreds of thousands of people scraping by in freezing conditions due to breakdowns in communal heating supplies.

In Elektrostal, Moscow region, desperate residents say they have had no communal heating - which Russians routinely expect the state to supply usually through piped hot water - for the entire winter so far.

'We have been without heating since [9 October],' one resident said in a video circulating on Telegram.

'It is impossible to be in our homes… We are freezing! We are freezing! We are freezing!' they said. 

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