Buy ticket to the Hermitage of Saint Petersburg online – without queues and commissions
Tickets to the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg can be purchased online without any additional fees. The tickets are valid for the selected day and time slot of your choice.
How can I purchase a ticket online?
Important: The ticket is valid only for the selected day of your visit. You must enter the Hermitage within 30 minutes of the start of the session.
Check availability
- We select the days that are available for visiting the museum on the calendar
- We specify the user’s full name
- You can return the ticket through the support service.
This e-ticket gives you access to the permanent exhibition at the Main Museum Complex of the Hermitage.
This is Route 1.
How can I get to the Hermitage with an electronic ticket?
- Address: Saint Petersburg, Dvortsovaya pl., 2
- Nearest metro station: Admiralteiskaya
- Walk through the Palace Square to the Large Courtyard of the Winter Palace
- Backpacks are not allowed!
Hermitage of Saint Petersburg: the most complete guide
In this article, we have compiled all the necessary information for those planning a visit to the Hermitage. The current schedule, detailed information about ticket prices and discounts, how to get into the museum without mile-long queues, and which exhibitions are best to start with. We are happy to be of service!
About the museum
The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest museums in the world, an artistic and cultural-historical center of Saint Petersburg, and a particularly valuable object of national heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
The Hermitage in broad strokes is:
- The main museum complex, comprising six buildings: the Winter Palace, the Small Palace, the Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre, and the Reserve Building of the Winter Palace;
- The General Staff Building;
- The Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum;
- Menshikov Palace;
- The Old Village Restoration and Storage Center.
Some impressive figures:
- 3,000,000 – the Hermitage collection includes more than 3 million works of art (world painting, sculpture and graphics, decorative and applied art, significant archaeological finds, coins, medals, etc.)
- 233,345 m² – the total area of the Hermitage buildings, making it the largest art museum in the world.
- 365 – the number of rooms open to visitors in the Main Museum Complex, not including the exhibitions of the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum, the Old Village Center, and Menshikov Palace.
- More than 2,600,000 visitors come to the Hermitage every year. It is once again among the world leaders, this time in terms of attendance.
How to buy tickets to the Hermitage online and skip the line
We recommend purchasing tickets to the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg online only (we will explain why below). Go to the website, select the desired date and ticket type (either tied to a specific day and time of the session, or with the option to come at any time within 3 days), conveniently pay by card, and enjoy avoiding the queues at the ticket office.
Advantages of e-tickets
There are checkpoints in front of the entrance area of all exhibition complexes, where visitors and their hand luggage are checked quickly. Then, museum guests are divided into two groups:
- Those who have not purchased tickets online go to the ticket offices or local terminals, where service is provided with short breaks + human factor, additional questions, etc.;
- while those who already have electronic tickets go straight to the exhibitions. We need to be among them.
Recommendations on visiting times
Like any popular tourist destination, it is best to visit the Hermitage on weekdays, choosing sessions between 12 noon and 6 p.m., and avoiding holidays and weekends if possible.
Ticket reservations and availability by calendar
Electronic tickets are available for the next 4 weeks, so there is plenty of choice.
Rules for purchasing and using tickets
The most important things you need to know:
- Visits to the museum are only possible in 30-minute sessions.
- Ideally, you should arrive 15 minutes before the start of the session.
- There is no need to print your ticket; we are in the 21st century, so a QR code on your phone is sufficient.
- If you have a discounted ticket, be sure to bring supporting documents with you, as they may be checked at the entrance.
- Tickets can be returned no later than 3 days before the visit. If for some reason you miss your session, the ticket will be canceled and cannot be refunded.
- Children under the age of 18 do not need to purchase tickets for admission; only excursions or interactive programs are paid for separately.
- Hermitage facilities accessible to people with disabilities: the Main Museum Complex, the General Staff Building, the Old Village Center, and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum. However, due to the architectural features of the buildings, Menshikov Palace and the Winter Palace are not adapted for visitors in wheelchairs.
How to get to the Hermitage?
The main museum complex of the Hermitage is located in the historic center of Saint Petersburg on Palace Square.
- Address: Palace Square 2
- Coordinates: 59.939864, 30.314566
- Metro stations: Admiralteyskaya (700 m), Nevsky Prospekt (900 m), Gostiny Dvor (1.3 km)
- Ground stations – Dvortsovaya Square stop (300 m)
- Bus routes: 191, 10, 24, 7
- Trolleybus routes: 10, 11, 7, 1
To optimize visitor flow, the Hermitage has several entrances, which are marked on the tickets:
- through the Winter Palace via the Jordan or Church Stairs
- through the Small Hermitage – Shuvalovsky Proezd, Millionnaya, 37/Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya, 36
Main exhibitions and routes
Route 1: Jordan Staircase
The first route introduces visitors to Western European fine arts and collections from ancient times. The Jordan Staircase leads to the state rooms of the Winter Palace and the Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage, which houses the Peacock Clock, a mechanical timepiece created with incredible craftsmanship that still works today. The iconic exhibits here include the St. George Throne Room for lavish state receptions, the Peter Memorial Hall, one of the largest rooms in the entire Hermitage, the Coat of Arms Hall, the incredibly spectacular Raphael Loggias with copies of Vatican frescoes, and the personal rooms of Rubens and Rembrandt. And there is also an endless gallery of paintings by Italian Renaissance artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael Santi, etc.).
Route 2: Church Staircase
The main themes of the second route are Russian and Eastern art, and exhibitions by artists from England and France. From the Church Staircase, through the lavish imperial chambers, to the picture galleries and halls of the Winter Palace, which are described below.
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace is the official residence of Russian emperors. The palace interiors overlook the Neva River and feature the imperial chambers, preserved personal belongings and artifacts, the Apollo Hall, the Throne Room, the Military Gallery with portraits of generals, the Jordan Gallery in the Russian Baroque style, the unique Malachite and Golden Salons completely decorated with stone and gilding, the Small and Large Churches, the Golden and Diamond Chambers with the jewels of Eastern rulers, Scythian and Russian tsars—it’s all here.
Headquarters
The Headquarters houses collections of the most famous Impressionists and Post-Impressionists (personal rooms dedicated to Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin, etc.), works of Western European art from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists. If you are looking for Matisse, Kandinsky, and Malevich, this is the place for you. If you want to see the famous Fabergé jewelry collection, this is also the place to go.
Menshikov Palace
Located at 15 Universitetskaya Embankment, Menshikov Palace is a unique example of Peter the Great’s Baroque architecture and one of the branches of the Hermitage Museum. It houses a rich exhibition on the history and culture of Russia during the reign of Peter the Great. It also features authentic interiors, rare paintings, tiles, and original wall paintings.
Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory
The IMPF Museum is a rare collection of porcelain artworks that were deemed worthy of study and reproduction. Here you can see more than 30,000 exhibits of European, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese porcelain and glass, admire them, and then order your own set with a custom design.
- Address: 151 Obukhovskaya Oborona Ave.
The Old Village Center
The Old Village is a restoration and storage branch of the Hermitage, with an impressive amount of exhibition materials. A kilometer-long route with exhibitions: the Carriage Hall, the Tapestry Theater, a storage facility for furniture from the 16th to 19th centuries, a storage facility for antique sculptures, etc.
- Address: 37B Zausadebnaya Street
Types of tickets
Entrance ticket to the Main Museum Complex
Tickets to the Main Building vary depending on the entrance location—via the Jordan Stairs or Church Stairs—as well as the visiting conditions—entry only at a specific time and day (500 rubles) or a ticket with the option to choose any time on one of three days (1,200 rubles).
Ticket to the Winter Palace
To visit Peter I’s Winter Palace, you need to buy a separate ticket with a mandatory tour (about 1.5 hours); you cannot enter with a standard ticket to the Main Complex.
- Cost: 700 rubles.
- No discounts are available.
Ticket to the General Staff Building
There are two types of tickets available for the General Staff Building:
- admission only at a specific time and date (500 ₽)
- ticket with the option to choose any time on one of three days (1200 ₽)
All discount categories are also valid, allowing you to visit the exhibition free of charge.
Diamond and Gold Vaults
The two main exhibitions of the Hermitage Jewelry Gallery—the Diamond and Gold Treasuries—can only be visited as part of a guided tour.
| Group excursion | Private tour | |
| The Diamond Vault | 1500 ₽ | 10000 ₽ |
| The Golden Storehouse | 1500 ₽ | 10000 ₽ |
Ticket to Menshikov Palace
As with the Winter Palace, a separate ticket is required to visit Menshikov Palace, which includes a mandatory 1.5-hour guided tour.
- Cost: 700 rubles
- No discounts available
Ticket to the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum
Admission to the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum costs 300 rubles for most visitors, but it’s free for everyone who qualifies for discounts.
Ticket to the Old Village Center
The Restoration and Preservation Center can only be visited as part of a guided tour.
- Cost: 700 rubles
- No discounts available
Themed tickets for children
Getting children interested in art is often a daunting task. But, judging by the reviews, the Hermitage’s interactive tours manage to do just that. In one option, children learn about the creations of leading fashion designers and try their hand at being couturiers. In another, they spend the entire tour searching for museum cats, not in corners and basements, but on great canvases. The third offers an interactive experience based on a computer game, with cool plot twists and an unexpected ending.
Ticket prices in 2026: main categories and discounts
Main categories
| Type of ticket | Price |
| Main museum complex | 500 ₽ |
| Main museum complex, open-date ticket | 1200 ₽ |
| Ticket + group tour of the Main Museum Complex | 1500 ₽ |
| Ticket + private tour of the Main Museum Complex (up to 5 people) | 10000 ₽ |
| Headquarters | 500 ₽ |
| Headquarters, open-date ticket | 1200 ₽ |
| Ticket + group tour of the General Staff Building | 1500 ₽ |
| Winter Palace of Peter I (tour included) | 700 ₽ |
| Menshikov Palace (guided tour included) | 700 ₽ |
| Hermitage – Old Village (excursion included) | 700 ₽ |
| Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory | 300 ₽ |
Discounts and social programs
Very important: discounted tickets are only valid with supporting documents—a passport or other form of ID + proof of eligibility for the discount. Don’t forget to bring them with you.
| Type of ticket | Price |
| Visits to the Main Museum Complex and the General Staff Building are open to all citizens on March 8, February 23, May 18, and December 7 of each year. | Free |
| Tickets under the Pushkin Card program: personalized admission permits, available in limited quantities. | 300 ₽ |
| Discounts for pensioners: visit to the Main Museum Complex | Every Thursday of the month – free, other days – 300 ₽ |
| Discounts for pensioners: visits to the General Staff Building and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum | Free every day |
| Special discounts for certain groups: students, graduate students, etc. – admission to the Main Museum Complex | 300 ₽ |
| Special discounts for certain groups: children aged 14 to 18, students, postgraduates, etc. – admission to the General Staff Building and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum | Free |
| Tickets for children under 14 years old – admission to the Main Museum Complex, the General Staff Building, and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum | Free |
| Discounts for special categories: disabled persons of groups I and II, wheelchair users, disabled children, employees of museums of the Russian Federation, etc. – admission to the Main Museum Complex, the General Staff Building, and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum. | Free |
| Discounts for participants in the SVO and their family members | Free |
Free admission days
There are four dates when all citizens can visit the Hermitage for free:
- February 23;
- March 8;
- May 18 – International Museum Day;
- December 7 – Saint Catherine’s Day.
In addition, every third Thursday of the month, you can take advantage of discounts and also visit the exhibitions for free.
Work schedule and sessions
Tickets to the Main Museum Complex are sold every 30 minutes, offline ticket offices close one hour before the complex closes, and the optimal time to spend in the museum is two hours.
Opening hours of the Main Museum Complex, Winter Palace, and General Staff Building:
- Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00, last session at 16:00
- Tuesday, Friday, Saturday from 11:00 to 20:00, last session at 18:00
- Closed on Mondays, January 1, and May 9
Menshikov Palace opening hours:
- Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00
- The last tour starts at 16:00.
- Closed on Mondays, January 1, and May 9.
Opening hours of the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00, last admission at 17:00
- Saturday from 11:00 to 19:00, last admission at 18:00
- Closed on Mondays, January 1, and May 9
Opening hours of the Old Village Center
- Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Closed on Mondays, January 1, and May 9.
Visiting rules
The following are prohibited in the Hermitage:
- smoking
- bringing in and consuming food and drinks
- photography with flash
- visiting with animals
Large bags and luggage are not allowed in the museum, and outer clothing must be left in the cloakroom.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, you can, but there are likely to be queues, so we recommend buying online.
Refunds are possible no later than 3 days before the date of your visit to the museum. To do this, open the electronic ticket that was sent to your email after purchase and select the “Return ticket” option at the bottom of the order.
Unfortunately, in this case, the ticket will be canceled and is non-refundable.
No, the ticket is only valid on the selected date.
Audio guide distribution points are located at the entrance to the Jordan Staircase and on its second floor, in the Small Hermitage Manege, and in the General Staff Building opposite the ticket offices.