Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace)

The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most celebrated art museums on Earth, and its grandest building is the Winter Palace, the green-and-white Baroque residence of Russia's emperors on the bank of the Neva River. Together with several neighbouring buildings, it forms a vast ensemble in the heart of St Petersburg's historic centre.

The collections hold roughly three million items, stretching from the Stone Age to the twentieth century. Visitors can see Western European paintings, classical antiquities, Russian imperial treasures, ancient gold from the steppes, Oriental art and some of the world's finest Impressionist and modern works.

Part of the appeal is that the setting is as remarkable as the art. Gilded halls, marble staircases and richly decorated state rooms make the building itself an exhibit, so a visit blends fine art, imperial history and architecture in one unforgettable day.

Catherine the Great's Private Collection

The museum traces its founding to 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great bought a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. She and her successors kept adding to it, often by purchasing entire private collections from European aristocrats. The Hermitage was originally a private retreat for the court, and few outsiders were admitted.

From Palace to Public Museum

The New Hermitage, built in the mid-nineteenth century, opened to the public in 1852 and became Russia's first public museum. The imperial treasures, along with the palaces themselves, passed into state ownership after the 1917 revolution, an event famously linked to the storming of the Winter Palace.

Palace Under Fire and Revolution

The Winter Palace served as the main residence of the Romanov dynasty from the 1730s until 1917. The present building was constructed in the 1750s and early 1760s, and a major fire in 1837 forced a rapid reconstruction. Over the twentieth century the museum expanded, taking in the General Staff Building and the Menshikov Palace. Each year it marks its founding on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day.

The main complex consists of five interconnected buildings along the Palace Embankment, each from a different era and style. Together they form one of the great architectural ensembles of Europe.

The Winter Palace

Designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli and built between 1754 and 1762, the Winter Palace is a showpiece of Elizabethan Baroque, with a long, colonnaded facade, sculpted details and a rich green-and-white colour scheme. Its interiors were reworked many times, and after the fire of 1837 they were rebuilt in a range of styles.

The Small, Old and New Hermitage

Catherine the Great added the Small Hermitage in the 1760s as a place for private entertaining and art, followed by the Old (Large) Hermitage in the 1770s and 1780s. The New Hermitage, designed by Leo von Klenze, was built between 1842 and 1851 to display the imperial collection to the public.

Inside the State Rooms

Walking through the palace's ceremonial suites is a journey through changing tastes. The Great Ante-Chamber serves as the principal entrance hall to the state apartments and keeps its original decoration, while the Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage glitters with chandeliers, mosaics and golden detail. Many rooms were redesigned after the 1837 fire, so a single corridor can move from rich Baroque ornament to restrained neoclassical order. Look up as often as you look ahead, because the ceilings, parquet floors and gilded doors are often as remarkable as the works on the walls.

The Hermitage Theatre and Beyond

Giacomo Quarenghi's Hermitage Theatre was completed in the 1780s, a refined neoclassical building that remains one of the city's finest eighteenth-century interiors. The museum has since grown beyond the original ensemble, with the General Staff Building across Palace Square and the Menshikov Palace on Vasilyevsky Island.

Western European Art

The museum owns an extraordinary range of paintings, with outstanding works from the Italian Renaissance, the Dutch and Flemish masters and Spanish and French painting. Its holdings include more than 16,000 paintings overall, along with huge numbers of drawings, prints and sculptures.

Impressionists and Modern Art

French painting from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is one of the Hermitage's great strengths, with significant works by Matisse, Picasso and many of their contemporaries. Much of this collection is shown in the General Staff Building.

Antiquities, Gold and Applied Arts

Beyond paintings, the Hermitage shelters classical sculpture, ancient Greek jewellery, Egyptian artefacts and the celebrated gold of the Scythians. Its decorative art collections include porcelain, furniture, silver, jewellery and Russian imperial regalia, giving a rounded picture of art and daily life across the centuries.

Archaeology and Coins

The museum also keeps hundreds of thousands of archaeological finds and a very large numismatic collection, which are not always on display but underline its role as a major research institution.

• Jordan (Ambassadors') Staircase: the dazzling marble and gilt entrance to the state rooms, once used for royal ceremonies and still the most dramatic way into the palace.
• Peacock Clock: an eighteenth-century automaton built by James Cox, in which a golden peacock, owl and rooster move when the mechanism is wound, displayed in the Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage.
• Leonardo da Vinci's Madonnas: two early paintings, the Benois Madonna and the Madonna Litta, among the few Leonardo works in Russia.
• Rembrandt Collection: a large group that includes Danae and the late masterpiece The Return of the Prodigal Son.
• Matisse's Dance: a bold, vivid canvas that is one of the best-known paintings of the early twentieth century.
• Raphael's Conestabile Madonna: a small, tender painting by the Italian master.
• Kolyvan Vase: an enormous jasper vase weighing about nineteen tonnes, carved from a single piece of stone.
• Gold of the Scythians: ancient gold ornaments from the Eurasian steppes, among the finest in the world.

Choose Your Route

The Hermitage is far too large to see in one visit, so choose a theme. Some people focus on the state rooms of the Winter Palace, others on Italian and Dutch painting, and others on the Impressionists in the General Staff Building. A short list of must-see rooms keeps the day manageable.

Guided Tours

Guided tours are available in several languages and help you navigate the maze of halls while explaining the palace's history. A guide can be especially useful for first-time visitors who want to see the main highlights without getting lost.

Cross the Square to the General Staff Building

Across Palace Square, the General Staff Building forms part of the museum and gives a very different experience from the imperial palace. Its bright, modern galleries display French paintings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and it is also the museum's main venue for contemporary art. It is easy to treat as a separate half-day, especially if you prefer Impressionism and modern painting to historic interiors.

Take It Slowly

Many visitors return more than once, or split their time across two half-days. Pause at windows overlooking the Neva and Palace Square, enjoy the ornate ceilings and floors, and treat the building itself as part of the experience rather than only a container for paintings.

By Season

The museum is open year-round, so it works in any weather. Summer brings the longest days and the busiest crowds, particularly during the White Nights in June, while autumn and winter are quieter. A cold winter day is an ideal excuse to spend hours indoors.

By Time of Day

Early in the day is best, when the rooms are calmer and the main halls can be enjoyed with fewer people. Weekends and holiday periods are busier, and the museum is closed on Mondays, so plan accordingly. Some evenings may have extended opening hours, so check the latest schedule.

• Opening days: the museum is usually closed on Mondays, and hours vary by day, so confirm before you go.
• Entrance: individual visitors typically enter through the Winter Palace from the courtyard side, so follow signs after passing through the arch from Palace Square.
• Tickets: buy tickets through the official channels where possible, and check for any separate charges for the General Staff Building or special exhibitions.
• Pace yourself: the complex is enormous, so wear comfortable shoes and plan on a half day at least, with breaks to rest.
• Cloakroom: large bags and coats are normally left in the cloakroom, which is especially useful in winter.
• Photography: rules on photography and flash can vary, so look out for signs in individual halls.
• Before you travel: entry rules and government travel advice for Russia can change, so check the latest requirements for your nationality well in advance.

The museum sits at the centre of St Petersburg's historic core, so many landmarks are within easy walking distance. Palace Square, with the Alexander Column and the curved General Staff Building, lies directly in front of the Winter Palace and is the natural place to start or end your day.

Within a short walk you can reach the Admiralty, St Isaac's Cathedral and the broad Neva embankment, which offers views toward the Peter and Paul Fortress on the opposite bank. The Summer Garden, along the Palace Embankment, is a pleasant spot to unwind after hours in the galleries, and Nevsky Prospect, the city's main avenue, begins close by with cafés, shops and further historic sights.