Meet your art-loving guide in Palace Square and walk to the nearby Hermitage Museum. As you stroll, hear how the legendary building was founded in 1794, when Catherine the Great used it to house her small, private art collection, and then became a public museum in 1852.
Since then, the Hermitage has grown into one of the world’s greatest art museums with a vast collection of more than three million items spanning Western European, Oriental, Classical, Egyptian and prehistoric treasures.
The museum draws the crowds, and entrance lines can be long. If you’re visiting between May and September, enjoy early access to the museum, heading inside with your guide before the doors open to the general public. At other times, your skip-the-line ticket gives you fast-track access: simply walk past the main entrance line with your guide and start your tour.
Once inside, absorb the museum’s grandeur as your guide explains how it’s laid out over five different buildings, including the Winter Palace, a former residence of Russia’s Romanov Tsars.
Explore the opulent state rooms and chambers of the Winter Palace with your guide for a window into the Tsars’ extraordinary extravagance.
After your 3-hour tour finishes, say goodbye to your guide in the museum and either stay longer to view more of main collections on your own — your ticket is valid for the whole day — or leave the Hermitage there and then.
Please note: Early access to the Hermitage Museum between May and September is subject to approval by the museum. The Impressionists collection is not included in the regular price.