The world's largest museum of historical and artistic orientation is the State Hermitage Museum, located in St. Petersburg. The number of works of art stored in it is estimated at three million. And this is one of the best collections of cultural property on the planet, accumulated by all mankind, from antiquity to the present century.
Such a heritage of civilization attracts annually at least five million interested visitors seeking to admire the luxury of interiors, the colors of magnificent paintings, the elegance of things marked by the stamp of history and shrouded in a halo of endless puzzles and secrets. We offer you the story of how to get to the Hermitage in order to view its exhibits without the fuss of fuss.
Useful information
The Hermitage consists of five interconnected buildings. And even if there were no exhibits in them, such structures for any visitor would prove to be interesting in themselves, since they are able to impress everyone with their majestic regal beauty.
The Hermitage buildings have the opportunity to admire the elegance and luxury, magnificent crystal chandeliers, gilding, stucco molding and marble. But going to this museum, you need to take into account its status and dress accordingly. T-shirts and shorts are not suitable for such a visit, and sharp heels of shoes can ruin expensive parquet. In addition, suitcases, backpacks and bags should be taken to the wardrobe.
How to get to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg? If you go there by metro, then it is better to go to the stations closest to the museum buildings: Admiralteyskaya, Gostiny Dvor or Nevsky Prospekt.
The exposition opens every day at 10:30, except Monday - a day off. On Wednesday, the museum is open until 21:00, on all other working days - until 18:00.
Golden pantries of the Hermitage
Treasures of the greatest value are represented in the Golden Pantries. The jewels collected in two galleries of the museum are guarded with special care, and visitors must pass strict control at the entrance. In the gallery, located on the ground floor in Hall No. 42 in the Winter Palace, you can enjoy the beauty of gold products made by ancient Sarmatians, Greeks, Persians and Scythians, as well as admire Mongolian dishes inlaid with emeralds, rubies, diamonds and pearls.
The second gallery is located in the Old Hermitage and contains jewelry from Europe, collected by Peter I himself and his followers.
How to get to the Golden Pantry of the Hermitage? Only by becoming a member of one of the excursion groups, having booked a ticket in advance in the halls of the Winter Palace.
Hermitage Hanging Garden
A real masterpiece, built back in the time of Catherine II by her personal order, is a wonderful garden surrounded by high walls on all sides. This place has a special microclimate, because temperature changes noticeably softens the proximity of the Neva. The correct sunshine is perfectly ensured by the garden's successful orientation: it is located from north to south.
At the beginning of this century, the garden was completely renovated, the drainage system and waterproofing were replaced, redevelopment was carried out, new plants were planted. Now they are all lush flowering shrubs and trees, striking throughout the year with their beauty and pleasing fruiting. There are lilacs, apple trees, plums, sea buckthorn, tulips, other wonderful, sometimes impressive exotic plants. All this is complemented by sculptural compositions.
By the way, many tourists still do not know where this place of the Small Hermitage is located, and how to get into the Hanging Garden. It is part of the museum complex and is located above the rooms that used to be the arena and stables, between the galleries connecting the Southern and Northern pavilions. Due to the reconstruction, entrance there for a long time was impossible, but now there are guided tours.
Entrance ticket to a travel company
There are many who want to get into this largest world-class museum to infinity, and the result is a huge influx of visitors.
Therefore, the problem of how to get to the Hermitage without waiting in line, without spending precious time waiting for a long time, is quite acute. There are several ways. And one of them is the purchase of an entrance ticket to any of the travel agencies.
It is valid for 180 days and is sent by e-mail to the customer. Registration takes place on the actual visitor and free tickets for beneficiaries and children can be attached to the order. All this allows you to visit the museum without the hassle and bursts. By placing such an order for a group, you can be completely sure that the event will take place at the appointed time. And after an hour-long excursion, there is also the opportunity to independently view the exposure.
Days of great influx
But if buying a ticket does not fit into personal plans, how to get to the Hermitage yourself? If there are more than five million people there every year, then on average each day of the year has more than 13.5 thousand visitors. One can only imagine what crowds of people it is and how much this hype creates huge lines. But still, the density of the influx of people is not evenly distributed on the days of the year.
For example, from May to September, that is, during the holidays and the longest for children, summer holidays, as well as on holidays, one should not even hope to see the expositions in one of the most famous museums in the world without a long preliminary wait.
Those who are intolerant of fuss should not strive to visit the exhibition on Tuesday morning, that is, after a legal weekend in the museum, even during normal periods. Tourists who come to the city on the Neva for just a couple of days will not miss the chance to break into the famous museum, even despite the queues. But when there is a choice, then there is no need to rush.
What is more important: money or time?
When planning your visit to the museum and thinking about how to get to the Hermitage and whether it is better to save money or personal time, it is necessary to take into account some facts. Every first Thursday of any month, the main building - the Winter Palace - and other branches - can be visited for free. But admission is carried out exclusively on special tickets, which begin to be issued at 10:30 and end to be issued with the closure of ticket offices at 17:00. In addition, a gift day for visitors is the museum’s birthday, which is celebrated on December 7th.
However, the capacity of the Hermitage, established by the rules, is 7000 people. That is, more than the specified number of visitors should not be in the museum at the same time. And the influx of people on busy days is especially great. Therefore, those eager to see priceless exhibits can spend several hours waiting in line for free tickets.
For those who are willing to overpay
And for people who do not have a lack of funds and want to get to the Hermitage, how can this be done without queues? This possibility exists if you purchase an electronic voucher via the Internet. It is valid for six months and is exchanged at the box office of the Winter Palace, located behind the Main Gate under the arch.
There are also terminals in the Big Courtyard, and tickets purchased there make it possible to visit the Hermitage immediately. The cost of such passes to the museum is about 600 rubles. However, it must be remembered that preferential tickets are not sold in the terminals, and, in addition, during periods of high tourist influx, queues are also there.
Convenient time
There is another way to get to the Hermitage without much fuss. So, a convenient day for a hike is Wednesday, when the museum runs until 21:00. In this case, usually in the evening after 17:00 or a little later, the influx of tourists who want to see the exhibition begins to subside. Then it becomes possible to admire works of art in relative calm. The ticket office on this day sells tickets until 20:30. True, there may be problems with the wardrobe, which works on Wednesday until 18:00.
It is also convenient to come any day, but early in the morning, only half an hour. Soon, at 10:30, as many as four ticket offices open, so the wait before buying a ticket will not be too long.
