Underground metro stations are associated with rats, garbage, noise and filth, not their interior design. However, there are a few subway stations in the world that go against the grain, standing out as excellent examples of the beautiful architecture and unique design that can be created in underground spaces.
The interiors achieved in some of these underground stations become all the more impressive when you consider the particular challenges to creating comfortable spaces below the surface of a city. The architects must keep track of the structural integrity of the walls, air circulation, excessive moisture, and a million other concerns. Their maintenance is another difficulty entirely – one that transit organizations often have difficulty with.
In this list, you'll not only find the most famous, elegant stations of Moscow subway and New York subway, but also some very modern ones in Madrid and Oslo metro. Vote for your favorite stations and, if there's a beautiful metro station in your city that should be on this list, we'd love to see it!
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Toledo Metro Station, Naples, Italy
Kievskaya, Mayakovskaya And Park Pobedy Stations, Moscow, Russia
Magnificent & beautiful station & should be #1 with man-made settings …… my hearty CONGRATULATIONS ! from ' The Land of Smiles '
Wow this looks like a station where they put a lot of money and effort into it!
somehow it's not like this when i was there.. maybe because i don't pay much attention or because i don't go to area where photo is taken
They were built when Stalin was in power. The only good thing he ever did.
The Park Pobedy station entered service in 2003. That Stalin guy is quite tricky one, he remained in power even after his death.
Load More Replies...Rådhuset Station, Stockholm, Sweden
Avtovo Metro Station, St. Petersburg, Russia
Tilework In Szent Gellért Square, Budapest, Hungary
This is beautiful. One of my biggest complaints about most metro stations is that they are so dark. This one is nice and bright.
Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, Shanghai, China
University Of Naples Subway Station, Italy
Arts Et Métiers Station, Paris, France
Formosa Boulevard Station, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
I live just 5 minutes from this amazing station... http://www.fabionodariphoto.com/wrp/formosa-boulevard-metro-piu-spettacolare-del-mondo
Kungstradgarden Metro Station, Stokholm, Sweden
City Hall Station, New York
T-Centralen Station, Stockholm, Sweden
Olaias Station, Lisbon, Portugal
Don't get me wrong, in combining kitsch, colour and brutalist post modernism in architecture (I'm told many people love the style and this is obviously not a purist example of it) this is by no means the worse (and it looks better than you'd guess from the pics if you haven't been there) you could have chosen but there much more beautiful (Parque), original(Campo Pequeno) and yes, even Poetic stations (Cidade Universitária). All have works of art. And if you are going to go for impressive post-modernism with better art you could always plump for Oriente as apart from some fairly awesome panels you'll just have a two (or three) level climb and you are in Gare do Oriente one of the most beautiful multimodal (but really mainly railway) station on the continent.
Stadion Station, Stockholm, Sweden
Slavyansky Bulvar Station, Moscow, Russia
Stockholm, "the Water Lily Station" - Näckrosen
Atocha, Madrid, Spain
It is both, train and metro station. http://www.adif.es/es_ES/infraestructuras/estaciones/60000/informacion_000070.shtml.
Georg-Brauchle-Ring, Marienplatz and Candidplatz U-Bahn Stations, Munich, Germany
Some U-bahn stations in Munich are really beautiful I live in Munich since more than one year but I don't know 2 of those three!!
Tunel, Istanbul Old Metro, Turkey
Metro Station Wilhelminaplein (wilhelmina Square), Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Oez, Munich
Malostranská Station In Prague.
Budapest Metro 4
São Bento Station, Porto, Portugal
"zoloti Vorota" Station, Kiev, Ukraine
Hamburg Hafencity Metro
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pana53/12948237143/in/photostream/
Namur Station Lighting, Montréal
Finding It Hard To Step Up
Some of the top 15 and your ideas of good design seem to be in the eye of the beholder and not judged on all round merit.
Kyoto Station, Japan
Metro Station Plac Wilsona, Warsaw, Poland
Syntagma Station, Athens, Greece
Liège Guillemins, Belgium
#17 U3-volkstheater, Vienna, Austria
What about Nürnberg? I think about the one giving you a great optical Warp Drive style illusion when entering the station
Bochum Rathaus, Germany
http://www.coolibri.de/blogs/stadtschwarm/2013/08/08/katja-kulin-gedicht-fur-eine-haltestelle-oder-bochum-rathaus-sud/
Parque Metro Station, Lisbon, Portugal
On the ceiling is writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Devyatkino, St. Petersburg, Russia
Arbatskaya Station, Moscow, Russia
U-bahn Station Westfriedhof, Munich, Germany
Metro Station Pannenhuis - Brussels
This is a very beautiful station, in a quintessential 1970's style. It deserves a much better picture! Just lsearch on Google Image...
Lavov Most Station, Sofia, Bulgaria
Kremlevskaya Metro Station, Kazan, Russia
Almaty, Kazakhstan - Metro Station "baikonyr"
National Stadium Station, Sofia, Bulgaria
Metro Station In Dubai - Uae
Caís Do Sodré Metro Station, Lisboa, Portugal
you can't really see the tile artwork from the platform, still very nice
Rákóczi Square, Budapest, Hungary
Belgica Station - Brussels
Estación De Metro Arganzuela-planetario (madrid, España)
Namur Station Lighting, Montreal, Canada
Those balls again.. Great for advertising products...or scantily clad men..
Duvbo Subwaystation, Stockholm
Nydalen Metro Stastion, Oslo, Norway. Kristin Jarmund Arkitekter
Terreiro Do Paço Metro Station, Lisboa, Portugal
Lisbon Airport Metro Station, Portugal
Emirates Towers Metro Station, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Mladost 3 Station, Sofia, Bulgaria
Joliot Curie Station, Sofia, Bulgaria
European Union Station, Sofia, Bulgaria
Musagenitsa Station, Sofia, Bulgaria
Metro Station Wilhelminaplein, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Hamburg, Hafencity Metro Station
Metro Copilco Station (mexico City) . Mexico.
Bochum, U35 Haltestelle Rathaus
Almaty, Kazakhstan - Metro Station "alatau"
Metrostation Wilhelminaplein
Hafencity University, Hamburg, Germany
Marienplatz, Munich, Germany
Rathaus Spandau U-bahn Station, Berlin
Titan Station, Bucharest, Romania
Střížkov Station, Prague, Czech Republic
Garching Forchungzentrum (tum Station), Munich, Germany
The walls are filled with brief display of famous scientists
Syntagma Station, Athens, Greece
Station Champ-de-mars, Montréal
Letňany, Prague, Czech Republic
Westminster Station, London
Shibuya Station, Tokyo
Metrostation Wilhelminaplein
Steglitz Station, Berlin, Germany
Rajská Zahrada Station, Prague, Czech Republic
Union Station, Los Angeles, California
Rússia, ya por isso é que o alcunha do Metropolitano de Moscovo é: "O Palácio subterrâneo."
Load More Replies...If I'm not mistaken, I believe the City Hall Station in NYC is abandoned/not in use. Correct?
Yes! The NYC stations that are IN USE, do NOT look like that at all! What a freaking mess they are. So embarrassing compared to these!
you posted "University" of Naples subway station twice! "university" is "università"
Eu amo Redes Metropolitanas, tenho bués replicas de Material Circulante em casa.
Load More Replies...Acho que São Bento é CP Comboios de Portugal, e não Metropolitano do Porto. aliás tenho a certeza. Dou-me ao luxo de ter em peluche o London Underground 1996 Stock Tube Train, em réplica o MTA New York City Subway R142, em brinquedo o BVG Berliner U-Bahn F90, em cartão o Metrô de São Paulo frota A Brasil, e em Portugal o Metropolitano do Porto frota MP001, MM9500 Mirandela, e ML7, 79, 90 de Lisboa, estou esperando o de Moskva. bem eu por mim tinha uma Unidade de Tracção de cada num terreno privado, sei lá quantos biliões de hectares.
New York stations associated with rats, garbage, noise and filth, not architecture...just like what is above ground.
É não é, realmente já tinha reparado, mas acho que é o único sistema de Metro assim tão nojento?
Load More Replies...Most of this selection except for those that are classic, reserved in flash-design and stately are garish, use gimicky special effects and are almost crass like overdone video/pinball games. There are many all over that are elegant or captivating without being circus like but I guess good design is not a good way to get on this list.
Woah!!Amazing. Also do check out PickYourTrail. They are brilliant in crafting personalized private vacations. http://goo.gl/jm5J9X
Kyiv has some spectacular stations as well. Zoloti Vorota is historical and beautiful--all mosaic tile!
Quite a few for a small country like Hungary (my parents were born there), but only one for the US?
Where is Athens, Greece? We have some great metros where the ancient ruins have been kept and exposed to view, underground museums.
No Union Station in Toronto? D: I think it should be in this list! It's also lovely!
But most of all I liked the inspiration of those people who turned the most common places into something so beautiful and extraordinary!!!
Toledo's station was mindblowing I also reallyyy liked all swedish stations.Last but not least, the chinese one! So beautiful!!!
I've been there in some of them and they are awesome! Some photos http://goo.gl/QSJ35d http://goo.gl/t33QMc
Those Munich stations are "Georg-Brauchle-Ring", "Marienplatz" and "Candidplatz". But why put them together to one issue?
Man, I need to travel more. These are beautiful! To think so much attention being paid to surroundings people rarely notice.
Just beautiful all of them and the colors are amazing!! It's to bad D.C. Metro can't do something like this...
In Toulouse (South of France) all the stations of the B line we're designed and decorated by a different Artist, you should check it out =)
Rússia, ya por isso é que o alcunha do Metropolitano de Moscovo é: "O Palácio subterrâneo."
Load More Replies...If I'm not mistaken, I believe the City Hall Station in NYC is abandoned/not in use. Correct?
Yes! The NYC stations that are IN USE, do NOT look like that at all! What a freaking mess they are. So embarrassing compared to these!
you posted "University" of Naples subway station twice! "university" is "università"
Eu amo Redes Metropolitanas, tenho bués replicas de Material Circulante em casa.
Load More Replies...Acho que São Bento é CP Comboios de Portugal, e não Metropolitano do Porto. aliás tenho a certeza. Dou-me ao luxo de ter em peluche o London Underground 1996 Stock Tube Train, em réplica o MTA New York City Subway R142, em brinquedo o BVG Berliner U-Bahn F90, em cartão o Metrô de São Paulo frota A Brasil, e em Portugal o Metropolitano do Porto frota MP001, MM9500 Mirandela, e ML7, 79, 90 de Lisboa, estou esperando o de Moskva. bem eu por mim tinha uma Unidade de Tracção de cada num terreno privado, sei lá quantos biliões de hectares.
New York stations associated with rats, garbage, noise and filth, not architecture...just like what is above ground.
É não é, realmente já tinha reparado, mas acho que é o único sistema de Metro assim tão nojento?
Load More Replies...Most of this selection except for those that are classic, reserved in flash-design and stately are garish, use gimicky special effects and are almost crass like overdone video/pinball games. There are many all over that are elegant or captivating without being circus like but I guess good design is not a good way to get on this list.
Woah!!Amazing. Also do check out PickYourTrail. They are brilliant in crafting personalized private vacations. http://goo.gl/jm5J9X
Kyiv has some spectacular stations as well. Zoloti Vorota is historical and beautiful--all mosaic tile!
Quite a few for a small country like Hungary (my parents were born there), but only one for the US?
Where is Athens, Greece? We have some great metros where the ancient ruins have been kept and exposed to view, underground museums.
No Union Station in Toronto? D: I think it should be in this list! It's also lovely!
But most of all I liked the inspiration of those people who turned the most common places into something so beautiful and extraordinary!!!
Toledo's station was mindblowing I also reallyyy liked all swedish stations.Last but not least, the chinese one! So beautiful!!!
I've been there in some of them and they are awesome! Some photos http://goo.gl/QSJ35d http://goo.gl/t33QMc
Those Munich stations are "Georg-Brauchle-Ring", "Marienplatz" and "Candidplatz". But why put them together to one issue?
Man, I need to travel more. These are beautiful! To think so much attention being paid to surroundings people rarely notice.
Just beautiful all of them and the colors are amazing!! It's to bad D.C. Metro can't do something like this...
In Toulouse (South of France) all the stations of the B line we're designed and decorated by a different Artist, you should check it out =)