The Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the most famous museums in the world, with a history spanning more than 3 centuries. In the museum complex, which can take a lot of time to inspect, there are works that were acquired by Catherine II herself, and 365 rooms are open for tourists. Since the Hermitage is impressive in its scale, so as not to waste time in vain, we offer you a small guide on what to see in the State Hermitage Museum. We have tried to provide detailed information about the museum so that you can plan your itinerary in advance.
How to get to the Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage is located in the very center of St. Petersburg, at 2 Palace Square. By metro you need to get to Admiralteyskaya station (it is the closest to the Hermitage), turn left and move to Malaya Morskaya street. Turn right and move to Nevsky Prospekt. Turn left on Nevsky Prospekt and move to Palace Square.
Hermitage building addresses
The Winter Palace – Palace Square, 2;
The main headquarters – Palace Square, 6-8;
Small Hermitage – Palace Embankment, 36;
New Hermitage (with Atlanteans) – Millionnaya St., 35;
Menshikov Palace – Universitetskaya emb., 15A.
You can get to the Hermitage from the stations Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor. But you will have to walk a little further on foot. The metro is not the only means of transport that can take you to the Hermitage; you can also get to the famous museum by buses numbered 7, 10, 24, 191. Trolleybuses numbered 1, 7, 10, 11 also go to Palace Square.
Hermitage opening hours
Museum is closed on Mondays
Tue, Thu, Sun – 11.00-18.00
Wed, Fri, Sat – 11.00-20.00
The official website of State Hermitage Museum – https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/
Buy tickets to the Hermitage
When going to the Hermitage, we recommend to buy tickets in advance. Do not expect that you will be able to purchase tickets when you arrive at the place and stand in line. The tickets that are sold at the box office are the remains of those that were not sold out online.
You can buy tickets to the Hermitage – Winter Palace on Sputnik website.
Book a convenient time and day for your visit. It is recommended to arrive at the place 15 minutes before the selected visit time.
Another option is to buy a ticket to the Hermitage with an audio tour. Convenience lies in the fact that you will not need to wait for a guide or a group, you simply download the application to your phone and follow the instructions. Don’t forget to bring headphones with you. This self-guided tour of the Hermitage is designed for 1.5-2 hours.
For those who are interested in excursions to the Hermitage in the classical sense, accompanied by a guide who will tell you a lot of interesting and informative things, as well as draw your attention to interesting details, we suggest ordering an individual excursion.
The tickets price to the Hermitage varies from the selected hall. Ticket price for the main exposition on routes 1 and 2, as well as the General Headquarters is 500 rubles. You can go to the Palace of Peter I for 600 rubles, and you can buy a ticket to the Golden and Diamond storerooms for 1000 rubles each.
What to see in the Hermitage on Route 1
Acquaintance with the Hermitage along this route can be called classic. It is ideal for those who visit the Hermitage for the first time.
Important! The passage for those who have purchased tickets at full value and those who have purchased discounted tickets is carried out in different places. Such measures are taken in order to avoid large crowds.
Inspection of the Hermitage along route 1 starts from the famous Jordan Staircase. You’ve probably seen her in many historical films. Further, following the route, you are invited to familiarize yourself with the state rooms of the Winter Palace. If you are interested in Western European art, be sure to take this route. It will also appeal to those interested in antiquity.
In the New Hermitage, which is also included in Route 1, you can enjoy paintings by great masters such as Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt.
Many visitors traditionally linger near the famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci – “Madonna Litta” and “Madonna Benois”. On the 3rd floor of the Winter Palace, you can see the works of Rubens and his students. Remember that due to the epidemiological situation, each session will last 2 hours. Although, as many assure you, this amount of time is enough to have time to see a lot of interesting things and not get tired.
What to see in the Hermitage along route 2
Those who have already been there at least once are worth exploring the Hermitage along this route. Route 2 includes many more exhibitions. But, we remind you that you should not chase the amount of what you saw, you will not be able to inspect everything at once.
The tour begins from the halls where the imperial families lived. Library, dining room, malachite and concert halls – you can see all this by choosing route 2. Before choosing which route to start exploring the museum, it is important to determine for yourself what to see in the Hermitage you would like most. On route 2, you can see more Asian art exhibits. And route number one introduces you to the ancient world.
Hermitage General Staff
Buy tickets to the General Headquarters of the Hermitage if you have visited the museum several times and are sufficiently familiar with what is presented in the Winter Palace. What to see in the Hermitage at the General Staff building? Here is a huge collection of fine art from the period of the 19-20 century. If Impressionism is close to you, then you will be delighted with the collection of Impressionist works presented in the Hermitage.
Palace of Peter I
If you are interested in history, then you will be interested in visiting the palace of Peter I.
True, this exposition can hardly boast of a large number of exhibits. The building itself, which housed the palace, has not survived to this day. Now the Hermitage Theater stands in its place. You can visit the palace of Peter I only with a guided tour. There is no communication between the room where the palace is located and the Winter Palace.
The Hermitage’s Diamond Pantry
From the name you can guess that in Hermitage’s Diamond Pantry you can see a large number of jewelry that was brought as gifts to representatives of the imperial families. Here you can not only see all kinds of jewelry, but at the same time, you can trace how jewelry craftsmanship developed in Russia and European countries.
Hermitage Gold Room
Items made of gold and other precious metals are kept here. Weapons and utensils decorated with precious stones, as well as many other household items created by the masters of Ancient Greece will surprise you with the originality of their execution. The Golden Pantry also contains diplomatic gifts that were sent from the countries of the East, as well as China.
We have tried to provide you with general information about what you can see in the Hermitage. But, of course, it’s better to see all these things with your own eyes. Take a look at our article if you are interested in what to do in St. Petersburg besides visiting Hermitage.
Hermitage State Museum FAQ
The art gallery space of this museum is 66,842 m2. Items presented in the Hermitage museum dates back to Stone Ages. Created initially as a personal art collection by Catherine the Great, Hermitage museum became one of the biggest in the world.
It is the second largest museum in the world, after Louvre with its gallery space of 72,735 m2.
Winter palace earlier was a main residence of Russian’s Tsars. Now, its one of the parts of the State Hermitage museum.
Price depends on what exactly you would like to visit in Hermitage and where you’re doing to buy entrance tickets. For example, entrance fee to Main complex is 700 rubles, entrance ticket + audioguide is 990 rubles. Check all relevant info about ticket options you can here. (Website language is Russian).
You can take photos but its not allowed to use flash. There also rooms where photos are prohibited, you’ll see the signs informing you about this, so please pay attention.
Don’t plan to see everything available for public in Hermitage. There so many pieces of art that it can take about 15 years to explore the whole museum.
