St Petersburg Attractions

The Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum

The magnificent green, white and gold Winter Palace is superbly situated on the banks of the Neva River, a 656 ft-long (200m) Russian Baroque building that is the biggest and most lavishly decorated palace in the city. The palace was the official residence of the tsars, and Catherine the Great later added the Small and Large Hermitages onto the palace as a sanctuary for herself and her private art collection. The Hermitage Museum comprises a stately complex of buildings strung along the embankment, with the Winter Palace at its heart. The Hermitage Museum is one of the world's greatest art museums that has grown from a small collection of paintings started by Catherine the Great in 1764, to a massive display of over three million exhibits, housed within the sumptuous splendour of one of the most luxurious palaces worldwide. The three floors cover a full range of world art from ancient times, to Russian works and 20th century Europe, and a fabulous collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, set against the rich interior of white marble staircases, golden ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and elaborate mosaics. Of the highlights, the lavish State Rooms, the Golden Rooms, containing a spectacular collection of royal jewels, gold and silver, and the modern European art section are the most popular.

Address: Dvortsovaya Square; E-mail: visitorservices@hermitage.ru; Website: www.hermitagemuseum.org; Telephone: (812) 710 9625; Transport: Metro stations Nevsky Prospekt or Gostiny Dvor; trolleybus 1, 7 or 10; or bus 7, 10 or 147; Opening time: Daily except Mondays from 10.30am to 6pm; Admission: US$17.95, free for students and children. A valid form of ID is required to enter. A combination ticket of US$25.95 is valid for the Hermitage and three buildings in the museum complex. Both costs include permission to take photos and use video cameras.