TIPS FOR VISITORS & SELFIE MAKERS ✅ Don't go inside! Paradoxical advice, right? Moreover, this is our main advice!
- How so? - you ask. Well.. Tell please, have you ever had the feeling that you wasted a lot of time in vain and went somewhere just because 'that's the way it should be' or 'that's what everyone does'?
Read these two paragraphs and think about, whether it's really necessary to spend almost the whole day on something you don't really understand.
Let's reveal a little secret - there are two Hermitages in St. Petersburg! We highly recommend visiting the second one.
More details-But, if you really can't do without paintings and statues, then at least..
✅ Come later. A classic mistake of almost all museum visitors. The vast majority of tourists, almost always and everywhere, strive to be in the forefront. And that is why they then stand in queues. Even if tickets were purchased in advance, they have to walk through crowded and stuffy halls.
It's better to come in the afternoon, 2-3 hours before closing. This time is quite enough for a sightseeing tour.
OPENING HOURS: WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, SUNDAY
from 11:00 to 18:00 *
TUESDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY
from 11:00 to 20:00 *
* TICKETS and admission are strictly limited to time slots - do not be late! The last entry to the museum is 2 hours before closing.⚠️ Any exhibitions are always CLOSED on Mondays, as well as January 1, May 9 and some other days (due to ongoing events). Check actual schedule here✅ I was here! Best photo spots. The two most important things you bring home from a trip are memories and photos. How and where to get a
little more much more than other travelers? Use our
guide map. We have marked absolutely all sights with an accuracy of one meter/foot.
NOTE. Remember that the use of tripods, selfie sticks and also any flashes, incl on phones, inside the Hermitage Museum (if you do go there) is strictly prohibited. But outside, all this will be very useful to you!A few ideas on
how and when to shoot. Firstly, be careful with costumed ladies and gentlemen, depicting characters from the times of Peter the Great and Empress Catherine. Yes, with them the pictures turn out to be very beautiful, but! These actors do not always work honestly and often present the price not for a session, but for one photo. Therefore, in order not to get into a 'not good' situation, clarify prices, and then decide whether to agree or not.
And now about the seasons of the day and year. Most likely you will come here during the day. But any photographer will confirm that soft light is always preferable. Although St. Petersburg is 'not spoiled' by clear days, the backlit sun still sometimes happens and causes flare and harsh shadows. In this case, bring your imagination - put the sun, for example, into vintage lantern, or make a 'halo' for the angel on the Alexander Column.
Great images are taken in the evening/night, when the backlight is turned on. Even many cars, that bothered you during the day, will now add originality to your shots. If you don't already have a good camera and/or lens, then, perhaps, this is exactly the time to buy one! Well, at the same time, find out the meaning of the words
long exposure and
aperture.
Our special recommendation - visit St Petersburg during the so-called
White Nights Time - approx from June to the end of July. The best time for romantic walks in summer is early morning, about 4 - 4:30 AM. In the pre-dawn mist, the city looks particularly magical!
Take a look at real photos you will get for memory. Click to zoom.