The most beautiful and the most unique Prague subway stations

In this blog, we will explore the most beautiful and unique stations of the Prague Metro, especially if you are planning to visit them primarily for photography. I have selected a three stations from each category, making a total of six stations for your next photo trip.

Malostranská metro station

The most beautiful Prague subway stations

Let's take a look together at a selection of the three most beautiful stations in the Prague metro that I have included in my list. These three stations have long been ranked among the most beautiful metro stations in the world, so it should come as no surprise that I included them in my selection.

All three metro stations share a common feature—the anodized aluminum cladding. Each station has cladding in different colors. However, we will take a closer look at the significance of the specific colors at each station.

All three stations are located on metro line A.

Malostranská

The Malostranská metro station is located beneath Prague Castle and is a perfect example of how a modern structure can be seamlessly integrated into the city's historical context.

Even on your way down the escalators, you'll notice a replica of a Baroque statue by Matyáš Braun above you, created based on the originals from the first half of the 18th century.

I know that most of you will primarily want to take pictures of the platform cladding, which features champagne and green colors. The green color was not chosen at random—it directly relates to the station’s location. Beneath Prague Castle, there are Baroque gardens, and the green color serves as a reference to them.

Once you’ve taken your photos of the cladding, take some time to explore the rest of the station. There are many interesting details both inside the station and in its surroundings, all of which were built alongside the metro station itself.

Staroměstská

The Staroměstská station is located right after the Malostranská station, so the transfer will only take a few minutes. If you're traveling from Malostranská, let me tell you an interesting fact. The section between these two stations runs under the Vltava River and is historically the first part of the Prague metro that was excavated underwater.

If we exit the metro at Staroměstská station, we can notice a shared design element with Malostranská—the champagne-colored wall cladding. The rest of the cladding changes to red. As I mentioned at the beginning, the colors were not chosen randomly; they either reference the location or historical events. The red color here symbolizes historical events, specifically the execution of the 27 Czech noblemen. This was the mass execution of twenty-seven leaders of the Estates Uprising (three lords, seven knights, and seventeen burghers) on Old Town Square in Prague, which is near the station and after which it was named. The red color thus represents the blood that was spilled.

Náměstí Míru

With this final station, we complete our trio of the most beautiful stations. Symbolically, we thus finalize our metro RGB model (red, green, blue).

Náměstí Míru station once again shares the same design element—champagne-colored wall cladding—this time complemented by blue. It is named after the nearby square, which translates to "Peace Square." The blue color here represents a symbol of peace.

This station also served as the terminal station of the original Line A for two years before it was extended. Additionally, it is the deepest station in the entire Prague metro system, located 53 meters below the surface. It also features the longest escalator tunnel in the European Union, measuring 87 meters.

One last interesting fact about this station is a connecting track between metro Lines A and C, allowing metro trains to switch between Náměstí Míru on Line A to I. P. Pavlova on Line C. Did you know that the metro can switch from one line to another?

The most unique Prague subway stations

Let's take a look at my personal selection of unique metro stations.

In the previous selection, we talked about stations sharing a common feature—their colorful wall cladding on the platform. However, for this selection, it’s the complete opposite. I’ve chosen my three favorite stations, which are vastly different from one another. Each has a unique characteristic that cannot be found at any other station, making it particularly interesting to me.

That being said, there is actually one thing they do have in common—they are all located on the same metro line, line B.

Smíchovské nádraží

This station is one of my favorites. It’s the metro station I use most often, but I also have a bit of an emotional connection to it because I used to live nearby.

In many ways, this station is quite unique—you either love it or hate it! 😄 It is significantly more spacious than most other Prague metro stations. This is because it serves as a transfer hub, with a train station, trams, and buses all connected here. As a result, great emphasis was placed on the station’s size and openness.

But if there’s one specific reason why this station made it into my selection, it’s the balcony! The elevated walkway above the platform is where I love to spend time, observing the natural flow of the city. I enjoy photographing people waiting for their metro, as the balcony offers a completely different perspective of the station from above.

An interesting fact is that although this balcony is part of the metro station, you don’t need a valid metro ticket to access it. The builders intentionally designed this space so that passengers needing to move quickly through the terminal—for example, from a bus to a train—wouldn’t have to pay just for passing through the metro station.

I also love the wall behind the platform, made of large ceramic tiles that create a perfect ribbed pattern. And if you ever visit this station, don’t forget to go outside and check out the atypical ventilation shaft, which is the dominant feature of the entire station. It has the shape of a giant upside-down arrow pointing to the sky, and it’s one of my favorite photography subjects!

Lužiny

Imagine waiting at a metro station for your train, and right next to you, a tall palm tree spreads out behind a glass panel. No, we’re not by the sea—we’re at Lužiny metro station.

This station was designed to evoke the feel of winter gardens, which were common in the late 19th century. Since the station is close to the surface, glass skylights above the palms allow natural daylight to filter in, creating a unique atmosphere.

Overall, Lužiny station is a great example of postmodernist architecture and bold artistic design, full of fascinating details. Personally, I love the journey from the city center to Lužiny because, just before reaching the station, the metro emerges into an outdoor tube running above a park in Jihozápadní Město.

I highly recommend taking a walk around the metro tube—it’s an experience worth seeing!

Anděl

The Anděl metro station is the only station in the entire Prague Metro system that features artwork on the walls of the track area. There are eight bronze reliefs displayed here. Additionally, many artworks from the Soviet era remain visible in this station. In most other Prague metro stations, artworks from the Soviet era have been covered or removed. This makes Anděl a unique and distinctive station in my eyes.

But let’s gradually get to why this station is so fundamentally different from other stations on Line B. If we talk about the common features of each metro line in Prague, one key element is the materials used in the stations. For Line B, these materials were glass and ceramics. However, Anděl station is filled with marble and granite.

Why is that? The station was originally built as an act of "Czechoslovak-Soviet friendship" and was designed and constructed by Soviet engineers, architects, and artists. In return, Czechoslovak engineers designed a metro station in Moscow. This station exchange was a propaganda project aimed at improving relations between Czechoslovaks and Soviets following the Soviet occupation in 1968.

Let’s set politics aside, though, and focus on the artwork in the station. Remember how we mentioned at the beginning that there are eight reliefs on the track walls? These reliefs depict themes of science, technology and culture. Interestingly, after the 1989 revolution, the reliefs were temporarily removed, but within a few months, they were reinstated. A consensus had been reached that history cannot simply be erased.

At the metro exit toward Na Knížecí, there is a large bronze relief titled Praha – Moskva, created by the same team of artists responsible for the reliefs in the track area. It remains a reminder of the "station exchange" project to this day.

Unfortunately, in recent times, these reliefs have often been targeted by vandals due to the current geopolitical situation. There are even discussions about their complete removal.