outdoor vineyard train tour denbies

With over 30 years of experience in the bus and coach industry, family run Farleigh Coaches offer high quality private vehicle hire, timetabled services and day excursions and holidays.

Need Help? 01634 254000

• All Holidays
• Potters Resorts
• Warner Leisure Resorts
• Short Breaks
• Long Breaks
• Thursford Breaks
• Weekend Breaks
• Festive Breaks
• All Day Excursions
• Festive Day Trips
• Theatre Trips & Musicals
• Days to the Coast
• Market Days
• Boat Trips & Railways
• Castles, Palaces & Houses
• Half Term / Family Friendly
• Gardens & All Things Flowers
• Exhibitions & Special Events
• Virtual Tours
• Boarding Points
• About our Holidays
• Testimonials
• Our Services
• Wedding Hire
• Airport Transfers
• School Hire
• Executive Hire

Denbies Vineyard

• Detailed Overview
• Pick-up Points
• Departure Dates

The Outdoor Vineyard Train Tour takes visitors at a leisurely pace, through the vineyard offering magnificent panoramic views over the Vineyard and North Downs. This tour presents perfect photo opportunities together with detailed information on the vineyard and the vine growing process.

After this part of your tour, enjoy a traditional cream tea before the tour commences indoors with a 20 minute film in the newly refurbished cinema, “Vineyard through the Seasons”. This is followed by a walking tour through the working winery.

The journey ends in the magnificent cellar for a tasting of three still wines selected from the Denbies range

Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.

It is not possible to display the map. This may be due to Google Maps not being supported in your browser.

Pick-up Point Times

There are currently no departures available on this tour.

The website timed out while searching for the departure dates. Please try again.

Keyword Search

Availability search.

• Booking Terms & Conditions
• Coach Hire Terms & Conditions

Carosa Ltd T/A Farleigh Coaches        Company No: 04944317

Skip To Main Content

Follow Us...

What's on in bournemouth, christchurch and poole.

• Map of Berkshire
• Bracknell Forest
• Map of Buckinghamshire
• Beaconsfield
• Great Missenden
• High Wycombe
• Milton Keynes
• Newport Pagnell
• Map of Hampshire
• Basingstoke
• East Hampshire
• Hayling Island
• South Downs
• Southampton
• Map of Isle of Wight
• Map of Kent
• Broadstairs
• Royal Tunbridge Wells
• Map of Oxfordshire
• Chipping Norton
• Henley-on-Thames
• Wallingford
• Map of Surrey
• Map of Sussex
• East Grinstead
• Littlehampton
• Around Gatwick
• Map of Dorset
• Bournemouth
• Christchurch
• City Breaks
• Tourist Information Centres
• Travel Information
• Weekend Breaks
• A - Z Towns, Cities and Villages
• Accessible Accommodation
• B&B & Guest Houses
• Campervan Hire
• Camping & Touring Caravan Parks
• Caravan and Holiday Parks
• Dog Friendly
• Pubs With Rooms
• Self Catering Holiday Cottages
• Buckinghamshire
• Isle of Wight
• Oxfordshire
• What's On in Berkshire
• What's On in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
• What's On in Buckinghamshire
• What's On in Hampshire
• What's On in Kent
• What's On in London
• What's On in Oxfordshire
• What's On in Surrey
• What's On in Sussex
• What's On Isle of Wight
• Music Festivals
• Food Festivals
• Experiences
• Free Things To Do
• Family Activities
• Breweries & Distilleries
• Churches & Cathedrals
• Historic Houses
• Racecourses
• Steam Railways
• Theme & Water Parks
• Zoos & Wildlife
• Blue Flag Beaches in Dorset
• Blue Flag Beaches in Hampshire, Sussex and IOW
• Blue Flag Beaches in Kent
• Seaside Award-Winning Beaches in Dorset
• Seaside Award-Winning Beaches in Kent
• Seaside Award-Winning Beaches in Sussex & IOW
• South East England Beaches
• Boat Trips & Water Sports
• Country Parks
• Countryside
• Guided Tours
• On the Water Adventures
• Outdoor Spaces
• Afternoon Tea
• Great Country Pubs
• Made in South East
• Outdoor Dining
• Restaurants
• Shopping Centres
• Accessible Attractions
• Royal Connections
• World Heritage Sites
• Film & TV Locations
• Literary Links
• Towns & Villages
• Group Travel
• Arriving from North America
• Arriving from Scandinavia
• Arriving from Europe
• Conference and Weddings
• Sustainable Tourism
• It's Competition Time
• 3 million acres of natural beauty
• 400 miles of stunning coastline
• Autumn/Winter Staycations & Days Out
• Award Winning Destination
• Celebrating Events Throughout The South East
• Following in the Footsteps of Royalty
• South East Literary Links
• South East Destinations
• Wine Capital of the UK

You are here: Events > Denbies Vineyard Restaurant Sparkling Afternoon Tea & Train Tour

Denbies Vineyard Restaurant Sparkling Afternoon Tea & Train Tour

Tel: 01306876616

The Vineyard Tour…

Enjoy a glass of Denbies Sparkling Wine as you are taken through the vineyard to the highest viewpoint on this informative tour. Denbies Award winning Sparkling wine is made from carefully selected handpicked grapes on the estate.

This informative and relaxed tour is a perfect photo opportunity, cameras are strongly recommended.

Afternoon Tea at the Vineyard Hotel…

Following the tour, you will stop for a traditional afternoon tea served at the Vineyard Hotel offering sweeping views across the vineyard served with a glass of Sparkling wine, tea & coffee.

Available at 14:00 & 15:00

Adults: £45.00

Book Tickets

Tripadvisor, map & directions.

Click here to view the map.

Opening Times

Sorry, this event has passed

What's Nearby

Denbies Wine Estate

Established in 1986, Denbies Wine Estate is England’s largest single estate vineyard with…

Box Hill is well worth a visit with spectacular views, lots of walking opportunities and…

Denbies Hillside

Dramatic and stunning chalk escarpment with panoramic views With amazing views towards…

Bocketts Farm Park

Set in the beautiful countryside, Bocketts Farm offers a great day out whatever the…

Bookham Common

Ancient commons, mentioned in the Domesday Book, with grassland plains, mighty oak woods…

Abinger Roughs and Netley Park

Hidden woods with ancient trees and flower-sprinkled grasslands, just off the North Downs…

Reigate Priory Park

There is something for everyone at this lovely park in the heart of Reigate.

Epsom Downs Racecourse

Epsom Downs Racecourse is one of England’s premier racecourses located near Epsom, Surrey…

Set in the beautiful Surrey Hills Leith Hill has always been a popular place for visitors…

Epsom Common

Epsom Common is recognised nationally as important for wildlife; it covers 176 hectares…

Church of St Peter and St Paul

Painshill Landscape Garden

Painshill is a great family day out and a beautiful 18th century landscape garden to…

Chessington World of Adventures Resort

With over 40 rides and attractions in 10 themed lands, a Zoo with over 1,000 animals and…

Newlands Corner

Probably the best views in Surrey can be had from Newlands Corner.

The woodlands…

The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden

The controlled wilderness of an intimate water garden designed by Anthony Paul with an…

Chilworth Gunpower Mills

Located in the village of Chilworth, this Gunpower Mill is one of the earliest examples…

• Berkshire ,
• Buckinghamshire ,
• Hampshire ,
• Isle of Wight ,
• Oxfordshire ,
• Around Gatwick ,
• Bournemouth ,
• City Breaks ,
• Tourist Information Centres ,
• Travel Information ,
• Weekend Breaks ,
• A - Z Towns, Cities and Villages ,
• Accessible Accommodation ,
• B&B & Guest Houses ,
• Campervan Hire ,
• Camping & Touring Caravan Parks ,
• Caravan and Holiday Parks ,
• Spa Hotels ,
• Pubs With Rooms ,
• Self Catering Holiday Cottages ,
• What's On in Berkshire ,
• What's On in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole ,
• What's On in Buckinghamshire ,
• What's On in Hampshire ,
• What's On Isle of Wight ,
• What's On in Kent ,
• What's On in London ,
• Music Festivals ,
• What's On in Oxfordshire ,
• What's On in Surrey ,
• What's On in Sussex ,
• Food Festivals ,
• Free Things To Do ,
• Family Activities ,
• Attractions ,
• Award-Winning Beaches ,
• Outdoor Activities ,
• Food & Drink ,
• Accessible Attractions ,
• Dog Friendly ,
• World Heritage Sites ,
• Countryside ,
• Film & TV Locations ,
• Literary Links ,
• Royal Connections ,
• Military Connections ,
• Travel Trade ,
• Coach & Tour Operators ,
• South East Destinations ,
• Award Winning Destination ,
• Wedding Venues ,
• Meet Beyond London ,
• Top 10 Campsites ,
• Top 10 History & Heritage ,
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Event Submission Form

© Visit South East England 2024. All Rights Reserved

• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Holiday Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travellers' Choice
• Help Centre

Train tour - Denbies Wine Estate Ltd

• Europe    
• United Kingdom (UK)    
• England    
• Surrey    
• Dorking    
• Dorking - Things to Do    
• Denbies Wine Estate Ltd

Took the train tour with sparkling wine upgrade, very worthwhile, beautiful estate, stunning views and very informative, but having been left with minor mobility issues(steps) after a stroke I did find the access on and off of the train restrictive. The train driver offered to provide steps to get on and off when I informed reception staff of my needs, which he did, but assistance is needed to use them and my safe exit from the train was effected because, luckily another visitor came to my aid and supported me on the steps, had he not have kindly done this I would have fallen. So I would strongly urge anyone with even minor mobility issues to have someone in your party who can support you on and off as a fantastic experience could have ended so differently for me, were it not for the kind support of another visitor.

We booked a wine & cheese tour for our first wedding anniversary. Christopher, our tour guide was knowledgeable & great with our group. We walked through the vineyard, stopping in different areas to hear about the grape varieties, history & admire the views. To finish off, we stopped at a table where our guide put out ice buckets. We were able to taste each of the 4 wines (3 with cheese pairings) and Christopher talked us through their production, grapes etc. We both really enjoyed the tour. Afterwards, we had lunch at the gallery restaurant, where the staff and the food were fantastic. My husband & I were able to get a corner table overlooking the vineyard, adding to the experience. Overall, a very enjoyable day, we will definitely return in the future.

We visited Denbies to celebrate a wedding, the location is stunning and we were fortunate that due to some kind weather we were able to witness the ceremony in an outdoor courtyard. The whole set up was very well managed and very picturesque. The wedding breakfast was extremely good with great service, drinks were very well priced and the local wines very good. Overall a great experience, certainly a most memorable occasion in a great venue.

We spent a nice afternoon at Denbies Wine Estate. It was a much larger concern than we expected, on the lines of a large estates abroad. It has a restaurant / cafe and of course a shop to buy wine and other goodies. There is also a small Brewery on site and a Farm Shop. We firstly took a road train up through the estate where the driver explained how the vines grow and the 15 different types of grapes they grow on the 260 acre site. The views looking over Dorking, box hill and Leith hill are breathtaking. We then had a short tour of the winery to see where the wine is mad and the bottling plant supported by a short film. To finish we sampled some of the wines which all good. However would have like kid to have spent more than me on this part of the tour. A nice afternoon had by all

Wow what a lovely place this is and so full of history as well. Set in the lovely setting of Surrey hills. Well worth going.

My fiance & I came here for the afternoon to consider it as a wedding venue. While it wasn't right for our wedding day, we'd really recommend it as a place to spend the afternoon. The wine is great & the little train tour is also fun!

Denbies Wine Estate in the UK: Tour & Tasting Review

• July 26, 2023

In May, I had the opportunity to make my first visit to a winery in the UK, Denbies Wine Estate. I had a trip to Surrey for a wedding weekend and my traveling partner and I had some time for sightseeing. Being from the states, we of course chose to visit Hampton Court Palace, as we don’t really have those in Florida. And I really wanted to learn more about this English wine scene I’ve started to hear more about. With 265 acers under vine, Denbies is the largest wine estate in the country and we just had to visit!

We choose to do an indoor tour and tasting followed by lunch an one of their onsite restaurants. Glad we didn’t do the vineyard walk, as it was drizzly that morning! The visit to Denbies Wine Estate was really fun and the tour informative about what choices they’re making to produce wine where you might think it’s too cold.

Let me share with you the options and details of our visit to Denbies Wine Estate.

Table of Contents

Visiting the Estate

Getting There

Denbies Wine Estate is located in Dorking Surrey, just south of London. We hired a car, and other than the challenge of things being backwards from US driving, had an easy time finding the estate and there was ample parking available. Turning off the main road you meander past the rows of vines before making your way to the entrance.

On the Denbies site , they also offer directions by train, bus, and bike. And we saw LOTs of cyclists while we were in Surrey! Train times are about an hour from London, depending on your departing station, and then a 15 minute walk from the Dorking station to the Wine Estate. We also saw some small tour busses bringing in guests.

Denbies Tours & Reservations

There were several options for tours and tastings offered by Denbies. We opted for the Gallery Restaurant Cellar Wine Tasting & Lunch . For 43 GBP, it really was a great value. They also offer indoor only cellar tours, vineyard train tours (the train is more like a tram – not on train tracks) which looked fun but our schedules would not accommodate, and group tours.

I would definitely advise making a tour selection and booking ahead of time. When we arrived at the estate, a couple was trying to hop on to the next tour and they were told they needed to wait until the afternoon for spots to be available. However, there is an art galley on site and there was a small farmers market that day if you did have to wait for a tour.

We chose to book a tour + lunch to ensure that we had a table right after we finished and this was a great idea. It was quite busy in the smaller Gallery restaurant and we had a table waiting for us. It also gave us a chance to try some of the other wines not offered on the tour. But more about lunch later. Next, read about our tasting and tour experience.

Denbies Gallery Restaurant Cellar Wine Tasting & Lunch

The Galley Restaurant Cellar Wine Tasting & Lunch begins in their cinema with a lovely glass of bubbly. The short film shares about the estate and how it has grown and changed over the years. The first vines were planted at Denbies back in 1986! These are much older than I expected. When I think of English wine, I instinctively think it’s something new. And I guess if you think about the rest of Europe, it still is. But they have been at it a while at Denbies and have learned a thing or two.

They tour continues through the winery itself, past the stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. Then the tour winds past the bottling line where you are able to see the labels of all the other wineries that they bottle at the estate. They were working that day and it was fun to see the line in action.

Next, we headed down to the cellar to complete the tasting part of our experience. We tasted 4 wines and we could study a large property map showing where the different varieties of grapes are planted across the estate.

In the cellar, there are also some exquisite carved, oak barrels in this room. They were carved after some local oak trees came down in a storm back in 1987 and have never been used. They depict the steps in the process from vine to wine!

The Denbies Wine Estate Wines

There are 4 wines are featured in the Galley Restaurant Cellar Wine Tasting & Lunch: Greenfields NV English Sparkling Wine, Whitedowns Rose Brut, Surry Gold, and Redlands. All were quite nice, though the sparkling was my favorite. As we tasted, our guide spent time talking about the grape varieties planted. Most of them were German, which makes sense when thinking about the climate, and were things I’d never tried before.

Greefields NV

This is a typical sparkling made from same grapes as Champaign – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. The Greenfields NV sparkler is made in the traditional champaign method, You can pick up the strawberry notes from Pinot Noir – being the dominate grape of the blend. Also, it has at least 3 years of lees aging which gives it a yummy brioche note.

Whitedowns Rose Brut

This was a lovely, pale pink, 100% Pinot Noir Sparkling Rose. Another traditional champaign method sparkling wine. These really are where I think this estate excels. You can taste both fresh and dried red fruits in this one. Nice and crisp with acidity, but still smooth.

I had to do some grape research when I tasted this white. It is made up from varieties I’d never experienced before. Muller Thurgau is the predominate grape and it is supported by Ortega, Bacchus, and Chardonnay in varying quantities depending on the vintage. Lots of stone fruit, peach and apricot, with some honeysuckle notes. This white has some residual sugar, about 18g/l, so be warned if you were expecting a dry wine. This one is definitely off-dry.

One of only two reds Denbies Wine Estate makes. This is a Rondo and Pinot Noir blend, which composition varies from vintage to vintage. I’ll admit, I had to look up what the Rondo grape was. But, it’s a dark skinned, hybrid grape that has a high resistance to frost and mildew – both great attributes for grapes grown in damp England! This wine was full of current, and cranberry flavors with a subtle floral note and just a hint of residual sugar. Definitely best served lightly chilled, it kind of reminded me of a Gamay.

Denbies Wine Estate Lunch

The lunch was a prix fix menu that provided a few options for starters, mains, and dessert. It was complete with pairing guidelines for each selection. While I didn’t snap a pic of our menu as it changes frequently, I can say that everything was delicious. The flavors and presentation of each course showed great attention to detail. I chose a wine we had not tasted previously to pair with my leek soup & fish main – the Flint Valley white. It was great as a pairing with seafood and spring vegetables. Again, more grape varieties that were new to me – Seyval Blanc and Reichensteiner. It was crisp and dry with notes of lime and vanilla.

Getting Denbies Wines in the States

Sadly, if you loved these wines and are headed back to the US, you’re only option is to purchase and either carry them back with you or ship them yourself. I opted for just a bottle of the Flint Valley to bring home as I had not packed lightly enough to get any other bottles into my suitcase. Maybe one day Denbies Wine Estate will begin distributing in the US, but sadly not at this time.

I love exploring new countries through their wine. Check out my other posts about wineries I’ve visited in the US and abroad – like this one about wineries to visit in Napa, Ca .

Jess Walker

About wine, dine, and roam.

Hi! I’m Jess Walker and fell in love with wine back in 2015. And not just drinking wine, but learning all things about it. How each grape variety produces different flavors in wine when grown in different areas,  the affects of wine making practices on the finished wine, the culture surrounding wine in different areas. The list goes on! 

Check out my posts where I share what I learn with you and let’s get to exploring wine together! 

Recent Posts

5 great wineries in sonoma, california cheese trail: check out sonoma loop 2, wset 2 in wine with napa valley wine academy, maison l’envoyé fleurie 2018, tapas & wine tasting tour with devour madrid.

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

• All Articles
• English Wine Cases
• Where to Buy

Denbies Wine Estate

Date Visited: Monday 6th July 2015 Website: denbies.co.uk Location: Dorking, Surrey Tour Price: Vineyard Tour: £6, Winery Tour: £14 (with Sparkling tasting)

The 650 acre Denbies Estate was purchased in 1984 by Adrian White, founder of one of the world’s largest water engineering companies Biwater. Previously used as a pig farm in the early 80’s, around 30 acres of vines were planted in 1986, with Germanic grape varieties including Riesling (which has since been scrubbed and replaced with grapes more suitable to the terroir and climate). More traditional grapes followed in the coming years, with Chardonnay planted in ’89 and Pinot Noir in ’90, with the intention of growing grapes for sparkling wines.

Nearly 30 years on Denbies Wine Estate is now the largest single vineyard in England, with an impressive 265 acres of land plated with vines. Today approximately 15 different varieties of grapes are grown, with many of the popular varieties in England such as Bacchus, Reichensteiner, Seyval Blanc, Muller Thurgau and Solaris being grown. Other interesting varieties include an increasing amount of Sauvignon Blanc, and Ortega, where botrytis is encouraged for grapes that are used to produce the award winning Denbies Noble Harvest dessert wine.

The indoor tour was just as interesting, with the first 20 or so minutes taking place in a 360 degree cinema. Impressive 360 degree footage plays as you are surrounded by screens, showing off the beautiful landscape and explaining the history of the estate and land. The footage also shows the various stages of grape cultivation and harvesting, as well as the vineyard through the seasons of the year. After the video we are walked through the winery, where pleasing wine aromas fill the air. Whilst there was little activity on this day, there are several screens throughout the route that show the winemaking process, from initial pressing of the grapes through to bottling and disgorging. It’s a very impressively sized facility for an English winery, and it’s not surprisingly to hear that the facilities are used for contract winemaking for various growers around England.

The final part of the winery tour takes us through to an underground cellar area where the wine tasting takes place. Various tasting options are available, from Classic (still) Wine at £9.95 to Sparkling Wine Tasting at £14 and finally Wine & Food Tasting at £16. As we had opted for the Sparkling Tasting, we were talked through three wines; the Whitedowns, Greenfields and Demi-Sec. It was a great opportunity to try the range of sparkling wines on offer from Denbies, as I had only previously tried the still wines previously.

Overall, as a day out for anyone interested in English grape cultivation and wine making, there’s few places in England that offer the slick wine tourism experience that Denbies have spent years refining. From the beautiful views in the outside tour to the informative tour of the winery and tasting, I would say it should high on the list of wineries worth visiting in the UK. The sheer size of the site is immensely impressive, and whilst I think there are producers out there producer more exciting sparkling wines, Denbies have an impressive range of still wines such as the smaller volume Vineyard Select series that are well worth looking into.

Denbies Whitedowns 2011

Grapes:  Seyval Blanc & Reichensteiner Price: £21.00

The first glass of Denbies sparkling we tried was the Whitedowns, a blend of Seyval Blanc and Reichensteiner.

Lots of fresh lemon aromas on the nose, slight hints of floral notes and yeast but otherwise fairly un-complex.

Palate was a similarly clean mix of crisp green apples and citrus, very dry to taste with medium bubbles. Finish is more on the bitter side, which lingers for a while. Overall I didn’t really enjoy this one so much.

Denbies Greenfields 2009

Grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier & Chardonnay, Price: £24.99

The flagship sparkling wine from Denbies, and a big step up in richness and complexity from the Whitedowns thanks to 3 years aging on its lees.

Baked apples, citrus and a sumptuous toasted mix of brioche and yeasty tones. Streams of persistent fine bubbles, which help to lift the palate and texture.

Rich citrus bite, high in acidity leading to tangy apple flavours and a delicious creamy mouthfeel with flavours of baked pastry and biscuit.

One for those that like their fizz rich and toasty, this is a good alternative to Champagne.

Denbies Demi-Sec 2008

Grapes:  Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier & Chardonnay, Price: £21.99

I'm not the biggest fan of Demi-Sec, and I don't think this is the wine to change my preference.

On the nose is a fruity aromatic mix of lemon, pear and elderflower. There's a slight yeastiness thanks to extensive lees ageing.

Palate again has notes of apple, pear and citrus, but is very much dominated by the 48g/l dosage. I don't think I could drink too much of this as I found it a little unbalanced and sweet. However, it proved a big hit with my wife and others on the same tasting tour, so I've taken that into consideration for my rating.

Vineyard Select Bacchus 2013

Grapes:  Bacchus, Price: £14.99

Perhaps the best Bacchus I’ve tried to date, this was a 5000ltr production, long ageing on the lees.

This is a real beauty of a wine. The first thing that hits you is the aromatic nose full of juicy tropical fruit, elderflower and white blossom.

Fruity palate of grapefruit, peach, juicy melon. There’s something really clean and pure about this wine, with a Sancerre like texture and elegance.

Great British Wine founder John started his English wine journey as a prolific reviewer on popular wine app Vivino. After relocating to Surrey in 2013, he discovered great wines were on his doorstep, and set about exploring the world of English wine, launching the website in 2015. Now a self-appointed Great British Wine ambassador, he has a mission to explore all corners of the UK to uncover the best producers and most exciting wines.

20% Off all wine purchases of 6 + bottles (see Terms)

TIME OUT MESSAGE

You're about to time out, you need to pay or cancel.

Events Calendar Listing

Experience voucher login, enter your experience voucher code below, you have an experience voucher for, please choose your preferred date and time (available dates in green), member login, member no or email address, you have selected.

Reset your password by entering your email address below. You will be emailed a password reset link.

Your Email Address

Please make a selection to buy., you have not entered the min qty., sorry, you have entered over the max qty allowed., coeff failed., coeff passed..

If you're a member, you can unlock member prices and events by logging in

If you have an experience voucher, you can redeem it using the button below

What's On Fri 19 Apr 2024

2018 Primetime Emmy & James Beard Award Winner

In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

R&K Insider

Join our newsletter to get exclusives on where our correspondents travel, what they eat, where they stay. Free to sign up.

21 Things to Know Before You Go to Moscow

Featured city guides.

• OPENING TIMES
• Welcome to Denbies Wine Estate & our history
• Opening hours & how to find us
• Indoor Wine Tasting Tours
• Outdoor Tours
• Denbies Group Tours in Surrey
• Denbies Wine Estate Restaurants
• Enhance your stay
• Loyalty Club
• The Dorking area & Useful Links
• FAQs and Suggested itinerary
• Sparkling Wine
• Orange Wine
• Mixed Cases
• Wine & Gift Packages
• Gifts & Vouchers
• Large Order Discounts
• Wine Awards & PR
• Local Producer Information
• Trade Information
• The Vineyard
• Conferences & Functions
• Conference Rooms and Dimensions
• Team Building
• Corporate Entertaining and Private Parties
• Exhibitions and Product Launches
• Charity Events and Dinners
• Christmas Events
• Ceremonies & Receptions
• Wedding Packages & Special Offers
• Wedding Gallery
• Wedding Fairs & Open Evenings
• Forthcoming Events
• Family Events
• Outdoor Events
• Denbies Bacchus Marathon
• Art Gallery
• Book Online
• Our restaurants
• Our Vineyard Hotel
• How to find us
• Experiences & tours

‘A Taste of Denbies’ Sparkling Vineyard Train & Gallery Dinner

Gallery Restaurant Sparkling Vineyard Train and Gallery Restaurant dinner

Selected dates throughout summer.

£62.00 per person (18 yrs. & above only)

Enjoy the summer evening commencing with our Outdoor Vineyard Train tour, your evening commences with an Outdoor Vineyard Train tour, offering spectacular views of the vineyard, overlooking Box Hill and Dorking. Sparkling wine will be served during your trip.  Warm outer clothing is recommended for the Vineyard Tour.

The sparkling tour is followed by a three-course meal in with tea or coffee in the Gallery Restaurant

The Gallery Restaurant is located on the third floor of the winery building, with panoramic views over the 265-acre vineyard.  The Gallery offers fine dining with a contemporary twist.  With an emphasis on locally sourced produce.

< Back to Forthcoming Events

GALLERY RESTAURANT

Vineyard restaurant, denbies events, vineyard hotel, indoor & outdoor tours, how to find us & get in touch, privacy overview.

THE BEST Dolphin & Whale Watching in Moscow, Russia

Dolphin & whale watching in moscow.

• Adrenaline & Extreme Tours
• Gear Rentals
• Nature & Wildlife Tours
• Dolphin & Whale Watching
• Good for Kids
• Good for Big Groups
• Adventurous
• Budget-friendly
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Couples
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Svetlana Jdanova