walmart travel trailer accessories

20 Best RV Accessories for Summer Road Trips

Time to hit the road!

Every item on this page was chosen by a The Pioneer Woman editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

More people are trying out RVs than ever before. Shipments spiked 79% from 2020 to 2021, and a recent Go RVing survey found that interest in RVs has increased 26% over the last decade, thanks in part to millennials' increased interest in camping and outdoor activities. These road trip-friendly vehicles are ideal for long rides and typically include a kitchen, a bathroom, and at least one sleeping facility.

Although it's exciting, planning an adventure in your RV can also feel daunting—and if you're a first-timer, you might be wondering what you even need for your ride. There are so many RV accessories on the market, but it's best to start with the essentials. Some of the most popular items favored by the pros—like a sewage hose, portable battery, and an Instant Pot—will get you on the road in no time. And don't forget to pack lots of road trip snacks !

The Pioneer Woman 6-Quart Instant Pot

Kitchen space is limited in an RV, making an Instant Pot the perfect investment. You can sauté, steam, slow cook, and more with just one appliance. 

Roadside Rescue Emergency Assistance Kit

Channel your inner Girl Scout and always be prepared! This kit includes everything you might need in the event of an emergency or breakdown. You'll find heavy-duty jumper cables, an emergency blanket, a roadside warning sign, and 107 other must-haves.

Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer

This 200-watt portable power station includes multiple USB ports and an AC outlet. You can also use it as a generator for solar panels!

Oxygenics BodySpa RV 2-Setting White Handheld Shower Head

This shower head uses less water than traditional ones to conserve water. Reviewers note that it still has impressive water pressure!

Camco 40043 TastePure RV/Marine Water Filter

Upgrade your drinking water with this handy filter. It'll keep sediment out of your H2O when you attach it to a water hose. 

Camco RV Vent Insulator and Skylight Cover

If you're going on a summer road trip, you'll want to keep your car cool. This insulator fits snugly into RV vents to keep heat and sunlight out—making it handy for sensitive sleepers!

Camco RhinoFLEX 15-Foot RV Sewer Hose Kit

Anyone who owns an RV will tell you that a sewer hose is one of the most important investments you can make. This kit compresses to just 56 inches for easy storage.

Camco Sidewinder RV Sewer Hose Support

Deep cradles and grooves are necessary to keep your sewer hose supported when you're connecting your RV to a dump station. The convenient storage handle makes this support a cinch to stow away. 

Camco TST Clean Scent RV Toilet Treatment Drop-Ins

This toilet treatment digests waste and tissue paper so you don't have to worry about clogs. Each drop-in treats 40 gallons of water!

Better Boat Boat and RV Toilet Paper

Don't make the mistake of buying regular ol' Charmin for your trip. This special two-ply toilet paper dissolves quickly, making it ideal for RVs. 

Camco Rhino Blaster RV Holding Tank Rinser

This tank rinser is easy to connect to your RV's sewer outlet, and has a clear plastic tube so you can easily see how much liquid is coming out. 

Camco 44432 Wheel Chock Without Rope

A wheel chock will keep your vehicle in place while you're parked, to avoid any runaway disasters. You can also purchase a version with a rope for easier handling. 

DOKIO Foldable Solar Panel

If you don't want to camp with electric hookups, solar panels are a great alternative. (Not to mention they're eco-friendly!) These panels are foldable. so you can take them on the go. 

Camco 42924 Wrap Around RV Step Rug

Consider this step rug a placemat for your home! It'll keep dirt, mud, and more unwelcome guests outside of your trailer. 

WEIZE Camper RV Trailer Stabilizer Leveling Scissor Jacks

These leveling scissor jacks hold up to 5,000 pounds, and can adjust up to 24 inches. Use them to raise, level, and stabilize your camper. (Note: This price is for a pack of two!)

Camco Large 44541 Stabilizing Jack Pads

These stabilizing pads prevent your jacks from sinking into the ground. One more thing you don't have to worry about!

Aero Cosmetics Wet or Waterless Car Wash Wax Kit

Keep your RV looking squeaky clean! You can use this multi-purpose kit with or without water to wash or wax your vehicle. 

WolfWise Aluminum Telescopic Extension Multi-Purpose Ladder

If your RV doesn't include a built-in outdoor ladder, you'll need to purchase one to clean the outside of your van. This collapsible version will hardly take up any room in your mobile home. 

Zinus Mattress Topper

RV beds aren't exactly known for being the comfiest. Invest in a foam mattress topper to get some zzz's while you're on the road.

AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press

If you're a coffee lover like Ree, a good cup of joe is essential wherever you are—even on the road! This tiny-but-mighty machine brews American-style coffee, espresso, and cold brew. 

Audrey is the assistant editor at Food Network Magazine and The Pioneer Woman Magazine .

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25 Beginner Supplies and Accessories for Travel Trailer Camping

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Hubby and I got our first travel trailer last September and were only able to take it out once before we put it into storage for the winter, but I’ll tell you what, I wish I would we would have had the list of 25 Beginner Tips and Accessories for Travel Trailer Camping before we went out for our first venture! LOL!

We have rented pop-ups in the past when we would go to our annual family reunion in Michigan, and they usually came with everything that we needed. If they didn’t, there was always someone at camp that had what we needed since we travel over 1400 miles one way to spend the week with all of our extended family.

I want to share with you a very short, but important list of items that you will want to make sure you have before you take your travel trailer out for the first time. I would suggest writing everything down. I know we all like to think, “oh, I’ll remember that!” On our first trip, we had 1 full sheet of things we wanted to make sure we put in the trailer, but thank goodness we had that same pad of paper with us in the camper!  We ended up writing down another half page of items we want to make sure we bring on the next trip.

1. RhinoFlex Rhino Blaster Sewer Tank Rinser

Rinsing our black water tank after dumping has always been a hassle. It took forever to fill the black tank with water to flush it out. We would have to hold the toilet valve open or drag a hose through the RV window to fill the black tank through the toilet.

But now flushing the black (and gray) water tank is super easy. We just use the Rhino Blaster and connect a hose to it to quickly and easily fill and flush the black water tank.

The key is to buy the Rhino Blaster with the Gate Valve . RhinoFlex sells the Blaster without the gate valve for less money, but without it, you can’t fill your black tank because the water is pouring down the sewer hose at the same time you are shooting water into the black tank. Anyway, this is a great item that has made maintaining our black tank way easier. We absolutely recommend this product!

If you are going to be dry camping and not “glamping” you want to make sure that you have enough gas to keep your generator running when it needs to be running.   We like this gas can because of its no-spill spout. It may cost a little bit more, but it’s worth it.  You can tip the can vertical, insert the spout into the generator opening, then press the button to begin and control pouring. To stop pouring simply release the button. Practically eliminates spills and overflows.

3. Cordless Drill and ¾ Inch Socket 

We suggest having a separate ¾ inch drill socket and cordless drill specifically for the travel trailer.  It is essential that you keep the battery charged all the time and have it located in a place where it can be easily accessed when you pull up to your campsite.  We have our cordless drill placed in the under-belly storage so that when we park we can hop out of the truck and know exactly where the drill is so that we can lower the leveling jacks.  Bring your cordless drill with this bit attached to it and you can zip your jack stands up and down effortlessly.

4. Leveling Blocks

We found these excellent leveling blocks  that my husband really likes.  They are more convenient than wood blocks because they interlock with each other and are easy to store. These leveling blocks allow you to stack the interlocking blocks to the desired height for easy leveling.

5. Wheel Chocks

Wheel chocks are very important!  Once you have your travel trailer parked, you want to make sure that you have your wheels chocked, so the trailer doesn’t roll on you once you disconnect it from your vehicle. You definitely need to chock your trailer wheels. We found these wheel chocks , they are heavy-duty, solid rubber.

6. 3 Foot Level

Once you have your travel trailer parked, you want to make sure that it is level, so you are not rolling off the bed while trying to go to sleep.  We suggest getting a 3-foot level to make sure you are level front to back, and side to side. A 2-foot level is too short to measure accurately and a 4-foot level is too long to store easily. We find that a 3-foot level is perfect. Also, check out our articles called  How To Level a Travel Trailer on a Slope  for some great tips on how to quickly and easily level up your travel trailer.

7. Outdoor RV or Travel Trailer Patio Mat

Unless you want to follow everyone in and out of your travel trailer around with a broom, you should invest in an outdoor RV or travel trailer outdoor patio rug.  We chose this one because it is large enough to cover most of the side of our trailer. We take our Skye Bird with us and as I’m sure you know, dogs can and will drag in lots of dirt and grass on their paws.  By putting this large outdoor patio area rug out in front of our stairs and under the awning, she will lay here instead of on the dirt, weeds, or grass helping to keep that stuff from traveling into the trailer with her.  

Same goes for our shoes, right? When we go camping, we are walking around on dirt and gravel for the most part, and having the outdoor RV rug to wipe our feet on before entering the trailer helps keep most of the dirt out.  Another great thing about this particular rug is the carrying bag! This allows for easy cleanup and storage.

8. Heavy-Duty Nitrile Gloves

Whenever you are dumping your holding tanks you want to be sure to wear gloves to avoid contact and keep clean. The cheap latex gloves you can buy at the pharmacy or your grocery store just won’t cut it.

There are a few things to consider before buying gloves. First of all, they should be nitrile and not latex. Nitrile is more puncture resistant than latex and there are no latex allergy concerns with nitrile, which is a synthetic rubber product.

Second, your gloves should be heavy-duty and long enough to cover your wrists . I suggest at least 6 mils in thickness but 8 mil is better. The last thing you want is for your glove to rip while working with your sewer hose. And I also recommend the 9 1/2″ length of the glove so it covers your wrist, as well as, your hand.

Third of all I recommend disposable gloves. They are very inexpensive and you won’t have to clean them after every use. Just use them and lose them.

I like the neon orange 8 mil nitrile gloves by Gloveworks. They have great reviews and they have a diamond grip pattern in the glove too. They work great.

9. Rechargeable LED Headlamp

You can’t always pull into your campsite during the daylight hours, so it is good to have a rechargeable LED headlamp . The key is to make sure your headlamp meets these four criteria.

• It’s Rechargeable
• It’s Waterproof
• It has a strap that goes over the top of your head so it doesn’t constantly slide down your forehead.
• It has a red light so you can use it when star gazing or fishing at night.

Trust me I know! I’ve owned about 5 different headlamps over the years.

10. Folding Camp Table

We suggest getting an outdoor table for the convenience factor.  For instance, if you have stuff that doesn’t need to be brought in every night, i.e., coffee maker, stainless steel coffee cups, paper plate holders, flashlights, etc. you can leave them on the outdoor table , and they can be easily found the next time you’re ready to use them.

And you can put your cooler full of cold beverages underneath it. The outdoor table is also convenient for prepping your meals. We chose this outdoor table because it is lightweight, durable, and collapses small enough to go into a carrying bag.

11. Universal Stove Top Cover

I don’t know about you but we definitely do not have enough countertop space in our RV. The sink is right next to the stove which leaves about 4″ of countertop space. Yikes! So, luckily we found this stovetop cover and now we have a place to set up the coffee maker and toaster in the morning or a place to put our cups if we want to pour a soda.

The great thing about this stovetop cover is that it is universal so you don’t have to guess if the stovetop cover will actually fit on your stove. We bought ours and used the template on the back to measure where to install the rubber cups that stick to the burner grates. It was very easy to install and now we have extra countertop space. And the rubber cups that hold it in place prevent it from squeaking too!

12. Paper Plate Holder

We all love the convenience of paper plates, right?  Especially if we are just doing burgers and hot dogs on the grill.  It is easy and convenient to grab paper plates for these quick and easy meals.  As we all know, some paper plates are not of very good quality, so we got some of these plastic paper plate holders .  Please keep in mind, paper plates are better than styrofoam plates.  Yes, styrofoam plates are a little sturdier than paper plates, but they are not good for the environment.  Plus with paper plates, when you are done eating you can just throw them into the fire pit, put your plastic holders on your outside table, and move on with your day!

13. Break-Resistant Plate and Bowl Set

We know how convenient the paper plates are while camping, but if you decide that you want to grill up some steak or boneless chicken, you should have a set of plates and bowls so that you can cut your meat without cutting the paper plate along with it.  My grandparents were avid RVers years ago and when we got our travel trailer my grandma highly suggested getting a Corelle Dish set .  This is the set she gifted us with for our “house warming gift” for the travel trailer.  The Cornelle dish set is made with a break, and scratch resistant patented Vitrelle glass technology.  They are lightweight and very durable. My grandparents had their set for over 30 years before they stopped traveling.

14. Propane Coffee Maker

No campsite is complete without a coffee maker!  We are passionate coffee drinkers, so we had to make sure that this was one of the first things we bought for the travel trailer. Many coffee makers are electric but this Coleman propane coffee maker runs on the stovetop so you don’t have to power up the generator to make your coffee. Just light the stove burner and you are good to go. Mike here at RVBlogger loves his coffee maker and says he doesn’t have to worry about quiet time to make some coffee.

15. Dutch Over Skillet Combo

We did not have a cast iron skillet set on our first venture out in the travel trailer, but I sure wish I did! Thank goodness our friends/neighbors had one! We were able to have sausage, bacon, and eggs for breakfast on our last morning out.  

We didn’t even pack a regular stove skillet, but we brought all the stuff for breakfast! This is another reason why it is essential to have a written down list! Lodge cast iron skillets are pre-seasoned and they really are the best. I suggest a dutch oven skillet combo for your first set because the lid for the dutch oven is also a frying pan. You’ll have all the bases covered.

16. Kitchen Utensil Set

We may have forgotten our skillet, but we were sure to bring our kitchen utensil set on our first outing! We found this excellent 38 piece utensil set  that has everything you should need in your travel trailer. Don’t forget to get measuring cups too!

17. Space Saving Tupperware Set

If you are anything like me and cook to feed an Army, there are sure to be left-overs!  We are a family of 7, and you want to make sure there is enough for everyone, and now that most of the kids are gone from home, I am yet to learn how to cut down my portion sizes to make just the right amount for the 2 of us.

We always have leftovers, so we decided to get these collapsible containers  so that they don’t take up too much space in our already small cabinets.  I like these ones, in particular, because they are silicone and are BPA free.

18. Water Pressure Regulator

An RV water pressure regulator is a small, but useful, device that keeps the psi of the water entering your RV down to a safe level to prevent plumbing pipes from developing pressure leaks.  What is the proper psi for your RV? The recommended water pressure for newer RVs is around 60 psi, and 50 psi for older ones.

The water pressure can vary quite a bit from campground to campground and without a gauge, you will have no idea what the water pressure is when water is entering your RV. You can try to guestimate the amount of pressure by adjusting the water spigot but you will regret that decision once you see a leak pop up.

Don’t make the mistake of just buying a water pressure gauge though. You want to buy an adjustable water pressure regulator with a gauge so you can know the water pressure and adjust it if necessary. Also, you will want to make sure you buy a safe brass product that meets the low lead requirements for safe drinking water.

19. Water Filter

A good water filter will not only make your water taste better but it will also make your water safer to drink. Water filters can remove the taste of chlorine, and also remove contaminants and sediment too.

When looking for a water filter try to find one that is in line, which means it connects between your freshwater hose and your RV. Also, try to find one with a flexible hose protector to prevent stress and strain on the hose connection points.

We like the Camco TastePure Water Filter with Flexible Hose Protector. It comes with the flexible hose protector and it’s a great value that will last all season!

20. Short Queen Sheet Set

I know, sounds silly to even have to write this down. However, this is another one of those things that we said, “oh, we should remember this!”  We didn’t remember until we were getting ready to leave the house! Thank goodness it is a queen sized bed, and we actually had some queen size sheets in the house.

FYI – a travel trailer queen sized mattress is actually a short queen so your queen sheets form the house will be too long to fit properly. If your good with that then great. If not check this short queen sheet out.  And a blanket is always good to have for those cool summer nights.

21. Over the Door Shoe Organizer

This doesn’t have to be for just shoes, either!  Yes, we had some shoes in it, but it is also a great place to store other things like flashlights, bathroom supplies, or even for adding a little bit more to your pantry space.  We like this shoe organizer  because it is made for narrow doors and for the oversized mesh pockets.

22. Zero Gravity Camping Chairs

We are camping, right?  Everyone needs to have their own chair to sit and relax in. I even suggest getting one for the little ones too! Camping chairs are collapsible and easily stored in the underbelly of the trailer. Zero Gravity Camping Chairs are great for sitting around the table and playing cards in the afternoon or sitting around the fire in the evening to roast your marshmallows for s’ mores!  And in case you’ve never tried one, zero gravity lounge chairs are the best for relaxing!

23. Duraflame Fire Starters

Whether you are dry camping or glamping, there is no guarantee that there is going to be firewood there and ready for use. We suggest getting a few bundles for just-in-case. The big problem is that most of the camp wood bundles contain unseasoned damp wood! But if you use a couple of Duraflame fire starters they will help the damp wood to ignite and burn better.

Most campers will want a fire in the evening or maybe in first thing in the morning when the temperatures are lowest to help warm up or keep them warm. The fire pit is my favorite place to hang out in the evenings with music playing in the background and just catching-up or meeting new friends.

24. Fresh Water Hose

If you are going dry camping, you need to make sure that you have a good, clean fresh water hose you can use to fill up your freshwater tank. You want to make sure that you tag this hose so that it can and should not be used for anything else.

25. Sewer Hose

I know we don’t want to talk about it, but we all do it. That’s right, we all use the toilet. If you are going to be filling up the black tank while you are camping, we would like to suggest this RhinoFLEX black tank sewer hose with clear elbows so that you can see when the tank has been dumped and cleaned out. This set comes with everything you should need to clean out your tank.

Going out your first time in a travel trailer can be so much fun. We want you to have fun on your trip, and this is why we want to help make sure you have everything you need. Like we mentioned before, it is imperative that you write it down . We all think we can remember everything, and I am sure I have forgotten something in this blog, but we will all forget something.  

For more great info about Travel Trailers check out these articles below.

• The Best SUV for a Towable Travel Trailer
• 250+ Perfect Names for Your RV or Travel Trailer
• Travel Trailer Depreciation: What’s My Travel Trailer Worth?
• Travel Trailer Turning Radius Tips
• What Size Generator Do I Need For a Travel Trailer?
• Toy Hauler vs Travel Trailer – 19 Differences Explained
• How To Level a Travel Trailer on a Slope

We would like to know your thoughts and if you forgot something on your first trip out in your travel trailer.  What would you recommend someone take with them that we did not mention here? Please leave your thoughts or suggestions in the comments section below. Thanks for reading this article and if you would like to email us directly, please visit our Contact Page to send an email.

6 thoughts on “25 Beginner Supplies and Accessories for Travel Trailer Camping”

Seems like important stuff, but, what should we leave at home for weight concerns, esp. in a tiny (Casita) trailer?

Hi Gary, It all depends on what you normally pack – I know we tend to pack more clothes than we will need and we have 5 sets of chairs on board…so anything that is redundant would be good to leave at home and I also recommend making sure all tanks are empty while traveling of course. Thanks for reading! Mike

If you take your dog or cat, don’t forget their bowls, food and toys, litter scoop, poop bags for the dog, a leash. And if you take your dog on walks get a collapsable bowl so you can give them a drink. And yes, we forgot dog food once. Thank you for your great tips.

Thanks for your tips! Mike

New to Rv-ing. You have a great blog – lots of good info. Would appreciate your letting us know where you obtained the windshield cover with screening

Very good information!! Good voice and clear information!! Thank u?⛺️

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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.

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