World's Deepest Metro Station

Take the metro to Arsenalna on the red M1 line, and then keep going down. At 105.5 metres below ground this is the deepest metro station in the world, and getting to the platform means two very long escalators and around four minutes of standing still. That descent is the attraction - there's no exhibition and nothing to buy, you just ride down and look at it.

Worth knowing before you go: if you want to do it in both directions you'll need two tickets, because you have to leave the station at the top and come back in.

Why It's So Deep

Kyiv sits on a hill about 300 feet high next to the Dnipro, and Arsenalna is cut into the steep ground near the river. Even though the station is above the level of the water, the hill above it is what forces the depth. The architects G. Granatkin, N. Shchukina and S. Krushynsky planned the station around that problem, and the result is a station you reach through a sequence of platforms and escalators rather than a single flight.

The one real drawback is the time it takes. If you're in a hurry or you don't like enclosed spaces, this is a long way down and a long way back. Once you're back at street level the Park of Eternal Glory is ten minutes' walk, which gives the trip out here something to do at the top.

What to Look At

The station doesn't look like the rest of the Kyiv network. The central concourse is closer in feel to the London Underground than to the marble and mosaic of the stations in the centre. There are pylons along the edges built into the portals, and while they look structural they're decorative - they're there to remind you how far underground you are. The bronze grille walls and pink marble are original and have worn well.

The name comes from the 18th century Arsenal Factory next to the station, which made equipment for the Russian Army.

There's a story locally that in 1972 the station's billionth passenger was stopped by the authorities and handed a free ticket covering a whole year's travel, presented by the system's chief engineer himself.