The State Hermitage is introducing temporary rules for visitors. Tickets to visit the museum can be purchased online only for a particular time slot and a particular fixed route. These measures will make it possible to distribute the flows of people and to safeguard the health of both visitors and the museum staff.
Planning your visit
Will the rules for visiting the museum change?
The State Hermitage is introducing temporary rules for visitors that will safeguard the health of both visitors and the museum staff.
The three main rules are:
- Electronic tickets are to be purchased through the site tickets.hermitagemuseum.org.
- A ticket is valid for a single visit to the museum for a particular time slot and one of the available fixed routes.
- All visitors must wear personal protection.
When can I visit the museum?
The Main Museum Complex and General Staff building will reopen to visitors from 15 July 2020.
The Main Museum Complex and the General Staff building will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays the museum stays open until 8.00 pm. Time slots: 11.00 am, 11.30 am, 12.00 pm, 12.30 pm, 1.00 pm, 1.30 pm, 2.00 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.00 pm, 4.00 pm, 4.30 pm and 5.00 pm. Evening time slots on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are at 5.30 pm and 6.00 pm.
Time slots for visits to the Gold Rooms as part of a tour group: from Tuesday to Sunday: 11.00 am, 11.30 am, 12.00 pm, 12.30 pm, 1.00 pm, 1.30 pm, 2.00 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.00 pm, 4.00 pm, 4.30 pm and 5.00 pm. Additional evening time slots on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 5.30 pm and 6.00 pm.
Each time slot is a period of 2 hours from the starting time.
Visitors may enter the display area no later than 45 minutes after the start of their time slot.
Entry to the Main Museum Complex will be from Palace Square through the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace, with visitors exiting onto Palace Embankment. Entry to the General Staff building will be from Palace Square, with visitors exiting near the Choristers’ (Pevchesky) Bridge over the River Moika.
From 1 August 2020 all the separate Hermitage facilities – the Winter Palace of Peter I, Menshikov Palace, Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory and Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre – will also reopen to visitors. The timetable of opening hours for these separate facilities will be published on the museum’s website and social media.
The Gold Rooms of the Treasure Gallery can be visited as part of a guided tour group from Tuesday to Sunday: 11.00 am, 11.30 am, 12.00 pm, 12.30 pm, 1.00 pm, 1.30 pm, 2.00 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.00 pm, 4.00 pm, 4.30 pm and 5.00 pm. Additional evening time slots on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 5.30 pm and 6.00 pm The duration of a visit, including the guided tour and independent viewing of the displays, is 2 hours. We recommend arriving at the meeting point for tour groups 15 minutes before the start of the tour. Ticket-holders who arrive late for the tour will not be allowed into the Gold Rooms but will be able to independently view the display of the ancient and mediaeval art of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Southern Siberia, and the Eastern arms and armour of the 15th–19th centuries for the remaining duration of the time slot for which their tickets are valid.
The Diamond Rooms of the Treasure Gallery can only be visited as part of a guided tour group. From 3 to 15 November, time slots from Tuesday to Sunday: 11.15 am, 11.45 am, 12.15 pm, 12.45 pm, 1.15 pm, 1.45 pm, 2.15 pm, 2.45 pm, 3.15 pm, 4.15 pm and 4.45 pm. Additional evening time slots on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 5.15 pm and 5.45 pm The duration of a visit, including the guided tour and independent viewing of the displays, is 2 hours. We recommend arriving at the meeting point for tour groups 15 minutes before the start of the tour. Ticket-holders who arrive late for the tour will not be allowed into the Diamond Rooms but will be able to independently view the displays to which the ticket gives access.
Will I be able to see the whole museum?
A visit to the Main Museum Complex or the General Staff building will be limited to a period of two hours and will follow one of the available fixed routes. Movement around the halls will be strictly one-way to avoid intersecting streams of people from opposite directions. These new rules are intended to safeguard the health of both visitors and the museum staff.
The Hermitage has devised several fixed routes that allow people to acquaint themselves with the museum’s displays and the masterpieces of its collections, but each have a different emphasis for viewing.
Some of the halls, where we cannot meet public health requirements will be closed to visitors, but they can be viewed by making a virtual visit on the Hermitage website and also in the social networks in the format of an online guided tour.
What will I be able to see in the museum?
When buying a ticket, you will have the choice of one of the available fixed routes, depending on what exactly you would like to see in the museum. All the new routes reflect the universal character of an encyclopaedic museum, the breadth and variety of its collections.
- Fixed Route No 1 around the Main Museum Complex (starting in the direction of the Jordan Staircase).
This route primarily features the state rooms of the Winter Palace and the displays in the Old and New Hermitages. It is the best choice if you want your visit to concentrate on viewing Western European fine art and the Hermitage picture gallery, as well as acquainting yourself with the museum’s Classical Antiquities.
You can view a plan of the route here.
- Fixed Route No 2 around the Main Museum Complex (starting in the direction of the Church Staircase).
Choosing this route will primarily give you access to the halls of the Winter Palace: palatial interiors and living apartments of the imperial family, the permanent displays of Russian culture and of the countries of the East, as well as British and French art. On the second part of the route, you will also be able to view some of the Winter Palace state rooms (beginning with the Armorial Hall), the Picture Gallery and the art of the Ancient World. Please note that most of fixed route No 2 is not equipped with lifts (elevators) and stair-lifts.
You can view a plan of the route here.
- Fixed route for the General Staff
building
Choosing this route, you will see one of the world’s finest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings: the Sergei Shchukin and Morozov Brothers Memorial Gallery, which also features masterpieces by Matisse, Picasso, Maurice Denis and many others. The route includes the Carl Fabergé memorial halls, the Museum of the Russian Guards and the display of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You will also be able to acquaint yourself with art of the 20th and 21st centuries and view the temporary exhibition “Studio 4. The Enfilade”.
You can find a detailed description of the route here. -
The Gold Rooms and Gems of the Archaeological Collection
From 23 July, the State Hermitage is offering the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Gold Rooms, part of the museum’s Treasure Gallery, and also to view gems of the Hermitage’s archaeological collection and artistic arms from the East.
On a tour of the Gold Rooms, visitors will see the Siberian Collection of Peter I, treasures of ancient and mediaeval nomadic peoples. masterpieces created by craftsmen of Classical Antiquity and the lands of the East.
After the guided tour, participants can independently view the displays on the ground floor of the western wing of the Winter Palace (part of the Main Museum Complex). This is the location of the “Eastern Arsenal” and its famed collection of Eastern arms and armour from the 15th–19th centuries; the celebrated murals from ancient Penjikent and exhibits from Zoroastrian Sogdiana; works of art and cultural artefacts from the ancient state of Urartu; the world’s oldest surviving artistic carpets and fabrics from the Pazyryk burial mounds in the Altai mountains.
Visits to the Gold Rooms are only possible as part of a tour group of no more than 5 persons, in time slots 30 minutes apart (from 12 noon to 2.30 pm, then from 4 pm to 7 pm).
The total length of each time slot, including the guided tour and independent viewing of the other displays, is 2 hours.Entry to the museum is through the Saltykov Entrance from the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace. We recommend arriving at the meeting point for tour groups 15 minutes before the start of your tour.
Ticket-holders who arrive late for the tour will not be allowed into the Gold Rooms but will be able to independently view the display of the ancient and mediaeval art of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Southern Siberia, and the Eastern arms and armour of the 15th–19th centuries for the remaining duration of the time slot for which their tickets are valid.
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Diamond Rooms of the Treasure Gallery
On show in the Diamond Rooms are unsurpassed masterpieces of the jeweller’s art from ancient times through to the early 20th century. Unique creations of ancient craftsmen, the works of Byzantine, Western European and Russian jewellers from the Middle Ages, outstanding pieces by masters of the jeweller’s art from the 18th–20th centuries, including works of Jérémie Pauzié, who was employed by three empresses, and products of the celebrated House of Fabergé; pieces of jewellery from the collections of members of the Romanov family and private St Petersburg collections; works of ecclesiastical art and diplomatic gifts received by the Russian court.
On the way to the tour of the Diamond Rooms, ticket-holders ascend the Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace, pass through the grand Field Marshals’ Hall and the Ministerial Corridor, visiting one of the museum’s most beautiful rooms, the Pavilion Hall, home to the famous Peacock Clock, and go down the Council Staircase to pass through the displays of the art of Classical Antiquity – the Twenty-Column Hall, Augustus Hall and Hall of the Hellenistic Era.
The duration of a visit, including the guided tour and independent viewing of the displays, is 2 hours. After the guided tour, ticket-holders can independently view the displays of the art of Classical Antiquity and Ancient Egypt, and also visit those halls that are part of fixed route No 1 (entry by way of the Jordan Staircase), following the direction of movement determined by the museum.
Visits to the Diamond Rooms are only possible as part of a guided tour group of no more than 5 persons by time slots.
All the new routes reflect the universal character of an encyclopaedic museum, the breadth and variety of its collections.
Will I only be able to follow a set path?
Within the fixed routes visitors are able to make individual choices, deciding which halls to view in greater detail and which to pass by. At certain points, you will be able to decide which way to continue – depending on that choice, you will only be able to see particular halls. For visitors’ convenience information signs have been installed accordingly. Members of the Hermitage staff will also be stationed at the junction points along the routes and be able to direct you to the hall or exhibit that particularly interests you.
The main purpose of the routes we have devised is to avoid flows of people meeting each other from opposite directions, but you will be able to shape your journey through the museum based on your interests and preferences.
How much time will I be able to spend in the museum?
A visit to the Main Museum Complex or General Staff building will be limited to a period of two hours for one of the fixed routes. Before opening to visitors and between time slots, the halls will be cleaned and aired.
We recommend arriving at the museum 15 minutes before the start of your time slot. Visitors will be allowed to enter the display area no later than 45 minutes after the start of their time slot. After that moment, a ticket is no longer valid and the money paid for it will not be refunded.
How will I know that my time in the museum is over?
Museum security staff may ask you to show them your ticket, and, if your time slot is approaching the end, they will direct you towards the exit.
Will it be possible to view the temporary exhibitions?
The Hermitage has extended the runs of some temporary exhibitions that are located along the fixed routes.
The route for a visit to the General Staff building includes the temporary exhibitions “Studio 44. The Enfilade” and “Conquest of the Irrational. Books illustrated by Salvador Dali from the Collections of Mark and Pavel Bashmakov.”
The routes around the Main Museum Complex include the following exhibitions:
- “For Service and Bravery”. 250 Years of the Military Order of St George
- Leather. Artworks from Old Europe
- The Treasure of a Persian Princess: A Chinese Porcelain Dish from The Al Thani Collection
The exhibition entitled “Antiquities of the Tapan Museum in the Hermitage” could be visited with a ticket to the Gold Rooms.
Will I be able to have a guided tour of the museum?
From 23 July, the State Hermitage is offering the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Gold Rooms, part of the museum’s Treasure Gallery, and also to view gems of the Hermitage’s archaeological collection and artistic arms from the East.
On a tour of the Gold Rooms, visitors will see the Siberian Collection of Peter I, treasures of ancient and mediaeval nomadic peoples. masterpieces created by craftsmen of Classical Antiquity and the lands of the East.
After the guided tour, participants can independently view the displays on the ground floor of the western wing of the Winter Palace (part of the Main Museum Complex). This is the location of the “Eastern Arsenal” and its famed collection of Eastern arms and armour from the 15th–19th centuries; the celebrated murals from ancient Penjikent and exhibits from Zoroastrian Sogdiana; works of art and cultural artefacts from the ancient state of Urartu; the world’s oldest surviving artistic carpets and fabrics from the Pazyryk burial mounds in the Altai mountains.
Visits to the Gold Rooms are only possible as part of a tour group of no more than 5 persons, in time slots 30 minutes apart (from 12 noon to 2.30 pm, then from 4 pm to 7 pm).
The total length of each time slot, including the guided tour and independent viewing of the other displays, is 2 hours.
Entry to the museum is through the Saltykov Entrance from the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace. We recommend arriving at the meeting point for tour groups 15 minutes before the start of your tour.
Ticket-holders who arrive late for the tour will not be allowed into the Gold Rooms but will be able to independently view the display of the ancient and mediaeval art of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Southern Siberia, and the Eastern arms and armour of the 15th–19th centuries for the remaining duration of the time slot for which their tickets are valid.
Will the Peacock Clock be wound on Wednesday evenings as before?
The famous Peacock Clock, located in the Pavilion Hall, is part of fixed routes No 1 and No 2 through the Main Museum Complex. Unfortunately, so far there are no plans to wind the Peacock Clock for visitors so as to avoid breaches of the rules on physical distancing between people. All the temporary measures will be constantly adjusted depending on the epidemiological situation in the region. Follow our announcements on the website and in the social networks.
Tickets
How do I buy a ticket and how much will it cost?
Tickets are sold through the State Hermitage’s official website tickets.hermitagemuseum.org. Each ticket costs 500 roubles.
The price of an electronic guided tour ticket to visit the Gold Rooms and the archaeological collections in the Main Museum Complex is 600 roubles.
Diamond Rooms of the Treasure Gallery and a visit to the displays of the Main Museum Complex following fixed route No 1 (entry by way of the Jordan Staircase) (in a group of up to 5 persons) – 1000 roubles
The electronic ticket is valid for the chosen facility (Main Museum Complex/General Staff building), the chosen time slot and route only on one particular day.
At present, tickets are on sale on the website for visits to the museum from 15 to 31 July 2020 only. This is because the new rules will be subject to constant adjustment depending on the epidemiological situation in the region. The Hermitage is open to suggestions and will take account of feedback when making changes to the arrangements for visiting the museum.
You can print out your ticket or store it in electronic form on a mobile device. To enter the museum, you will need to present the barcode to the reader at the turnstile. If you have any problems with the reader, you should consult the administrator on duty.
We recommend arriving at the museum 15 minutes before the start of your time slot. Visitors will be allowed to enter the display area no later than 45 minutes after the start of their time slot. After that moment, a ticket is no longer valid and the money paid for it will not be refunded.
If you have questions about buying or returning tickets, you should contact us by telephone +7 (812) 710 99 60 during the museum’s working hours, or by e-mail: tickets@hermitage.ru.
So if I don’t have a computer or a smartphone I can’t visit the museum?
While the coronavirus epidemic continues, the sale of tickets online enables us to minimize contacts between visitors and museum staff and also to keep track of the number of visitors in the museum at any one time.
The new rules will be subject to constant adjustment depending on the epidemiological situation in the region.
If I am planning to come to the museum with a child, will he/she be allowed in free of charge?
On 23 July 2020, and after that on every third Thursday of the month, the museum will be providing entry free of charge to those categories of citizens who have the right to acquire unpaid tickets under current Russian Federation legislation, which includes children under 18 and large families (with three or more children under 18).
Concessionary categories of citizens wishing to visit the Hermitage need to make a reservation through the special ticket-sale website tickets.hermitagemuseum.org. When completing the order on the web page, they should give details of the document that gives them the right to the concession. Before the start of their chosen time slot, these visitors will then need to exchange the reserved order for entry ticket(s) at the museum ticket office while presenting the documents they specified when ordering.
If the intention is for someone in a concessionary category to visit the Hermitage together with another person (e.g. a child with a parent or other relative), that other person should obtain an entry ticket for 500 roubles at the ticket office in addition to the concessionary order. Each visitor with a concessionary ticket can be accompanied by only one paying visitor who buys a ticket at the ticket office.
What concessions are available to museum visitors?
Under the present circumstances, the Hermitage has been obliged to temporarily restrict the number of categories of visitors accorded the right to visit the museum at a reduced rate or free of charge. These measures are dictated by sanitary safety rules – direct inspection of documents confirming the right to a concession increases the risk of infection for both visitors and staff. As soon as the situation permits, the museum will be gradually returning to its previous social policy.
Under current legislation of the Russian Federation only Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Members of the Order of Glory irrespective of citizenship have the right to visit the museum without queueing and with a ticket issued free of charge.
On 23 July 2020, and after that on every third Thursday of the month, in accordance with current legislation of the Russian Federation the right of entry with a ticket issued free of charge will be granted to:
- persons under the age of 18
- those following a main course of professional education – students (military cadets), pursuing a course of secondary vocational education, a bachelor’s degree course or a specialist master’s degree course
- families with three or more children under 18.
Concessionary categories of citizens wishing to visit the Hermitage need to make a reservation through the special ticket-sale website tickets.hermitagemuseum.org. When completing the order on the web page, they should give details of the document that gives them the right to the concession. Before the start of their chosen time slot, these visitors will then need to exchange the reserved order for entry ticket(s) at the museum ticket office while presenting the documents they specified when ordering.
In order to provide free entry without queueing to Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Members of the Order of Glory irrespective of citizenship, we request that persons in these categories contact the museum ahead of their visit by telephone +7 (812) 710 99 60 during the museum’s working hours, or by e-mail: tickets@hermitage.ru.
Will there be a day when entry to the Hermitage is free of charge?
On 23 July 2020, and after that on every third Thursday of the month, in accordance with current legislation of the Russian Federation the right of entry with a ticket issued free of charge will be granted to:- persons under the age of 18
- those following a main course of professional education – students (military cadets), pursuing a course of secondary vocational education, a bachelor’s degree course or a specialist master’s degree course
- families with three or more children under 18.
Concessionary categories of citizens wishing to visit the Hermitage need to make a reservation through the special ticket-sale website tickets.hermitagemuseum.org. When completing the order on the web page, they should give details of the document that gives them the right to the concession. Before the start of their chosen time slot, these visitors will then need to exchange the reserved order for entry ticket(s) at the museum ticket office while presenting the documents they specified when ordering.
If the intention is for someone in a concessionary category to visit the Hermitage together with another person (e.g. a child with a parent or other relative), that other person should obtain an entry ticket for 500 roubles at the ticket office in addition to the concessionary order. Each visitor with a concessionary ticket can be accompanied by only one paying visitor who buys a ticket at the ticket office.
Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Members of the Order of Glory irrespective of citizenship have the right to visit the museum without queueing and with a ticket issued free of charge.
Visitors with tickets issued free of charge will have to present documents confirming their right to the concession at the entrance to the museum.
If you encounter difficulties with acquiring tickets, please contact us by telephone +7 (812) 710 99 60 during the museum’s working hours, or by e-mail: tickets@hermitage.ru.
In order to provide free entry without queueing to Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and Full Members of the Order of Glory irrespective of citizenship, we request that persons in these categories contact the museum ahead of their visit by telephone +7 (812) 710 99 60 during the museum’s working hours, or by e-mail: tickets@hermitage.ru.
More details on the rules for acquiring concessionary tickets can be found here. (in Russian)
How can I visit the Hermitage with a free-of-charge ticket on 23 July 2020?
The State Hermitage is declaring 23 July 2020 a day of free-of-charge entry for those categories of citizens who have the right to this under current Russian Federation legislation.
On that day, free-of-charge entry tickets will be available to:
• persons under the age of 18
• those following a main course of professional education, students and military cadets, specifically
- students pursuing a course of secondary vocational education, in colleges, technical colleges or lyceums, irrespective of whether full- or part-time
- students following a course of higher professional education in a state or private institution of higher education, whether full-time, part-time or extramural, taking a bachelor’s, specialist or master’s degree course
- military cadets studying in institutions of secondary or higher education
• families with three or more children under 18.
If you belong to one of the categories of citizens listed above and want to visit the Hermitage with a free-of-charge ticket on 23 July 2020, you need to make a reservation through the special ticket-sale website tickets.hermitagemuseum.org. On the website you can chose one of the available fixed routes and a particular time slot. On this day free-of-charge tickets will only be available for routes around the Main Museum Complex and the General Staff building without guided tours. No more than 4 tickets can be included in a single order.
When you click on the BUY TICKET button, you will be taken to a special window where you need to complete all the fields in the form to reserve the ticket: visitor’s full name and details of the document giving a right to the concession.
Visitors with tickets issued free of charge will have to present documents confirming their right to the concession at the entrance to the museum.
- for those under 18, an appropriate document confirming age is a birth certificate or internal passport
- confirmation of the status of a student of secondary or higher professional education takes the form of a student card of the design approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of the RF
- the status of military cadet is confirmed by an identity card of the design approved by the relevant authority
- the status of large family is confirmed by a certificate of the appropriate design as established by the authorities of each constituent territory of the Russian Federation.
If the intention is for someone in a concessionary category to visit the Hermitage together with another person (e.g. a child with a parent or other relative), that other person should obtain an entry ticket for 500 roubles at the ticket office in addition to the concessionary order. Each visitor with a concessionary ticket can be accompanied by only one paying visitor who buys a ticket at the ticket office.
After completing the reservation online, you will receive an e-mail with an order/reservation in your name that you will need to exchange for a ticket with a barcode at the museum ticket office immediately before the start of your time slot. You can print out the order/reservation or store it on a smartphone. The procedure to exchange this for an entry ticket also requires you to show the document(s) giving the right to the concession as indicated at the time of ordering. Please note that the order/reservation is not an actual entry ticket.
We recommend arriving at the museum entrance at least 30 minutes before the start of your designated time slot. In the entrance zone, an administrator or member of the museum’s Security Service will check that you have a reservation and allow you to proceed to the ticket office, access to which will be in accordance with sanitary health requirements.
At the ticket office you will need to present the order/reservation and document(s) giving the right to the concession. After checking the documents, the ticket-seller will issue the free-of-charge tickets that allow you to proceed into the museum. A person accompanying a concessionary ticket-holder must buy an entry ticket for 500 roubles.
You should proceed through to the museum displays no later than 45 minutes after the start of your time slot. After that point, tickets are no longer valid.
After receiving your entry tickets, follow the markers in the direction of your chosen fixed route to the turnstiles. There you may be asked once again to show the document confirming your right to a concessionary ticket.
We remind you that under the new rules, all visitors to the museum must wear personal protection.
The State Hermitage calls on all its visitors to regard the newly introduced rules with respect and understanding. Patience and politeness to one another will help to make a visit to the museum pleasurable, even under the current temporary restrictions.
I am a member of the Hermitage Friends’ Club. How can I visit the museum?
Members of the Hermitage Friends’ Club can obtain entry tickets (free of charge to Friends) for a particular time slot by contacting the Friends’ Club office in advance, by telephone +7 (812) 710 90 05 or e-mail hermitage.friends@hermitage.ru.
Entry to the Main Museum Complex for members of the Hermitage Friends’ Club will be through the Commandant’s Entrance of the Winter Palace. Entry to the General Staff building will be through the same entrance as for other visitors from Palace Square. You will need to present your valid membership card when entering. The same rule applies to members of the Friends’ Club as to other visitors – all persons entering museum premises must wear personal protection.
Further details of the procedure that holders of personal membership cards of the Hermitage Friends’ Club should follow to reach the museum displays can be found in a special section of the website..
My plans have changed. Can I return my ticket?
Visitors have the right to return tickets that they have purchased no later than three days before the date of their scheduled visit. Payments for electronic entry tickets can only be refunded to the person who paid for them through the museum website.
If you have questions about buying or returning tickets, you should contact us by telephone +7 (812) 710 99 60 during the museum’s working hours, or by e-mail: tickets@hermitage.ru.
How can I return a ticket?
Electronic entry tickets can only be returned by the person who bought them through the museum website – the purchaser.
To return electronic entry tickets, the purchaser needs to open their order by following the link in the e-mail they received after buying the tickets. In the bottom part of the page showing the order there is a button marked RETURN. Click on that button and follow further instructions.
If you have questions about buying or returning tickets, you should contact us by telephone +7 (812) 710 99 60 during the museum’s working hours, or by e-mail: tickets@hermitage.ru.
Public Health Issues
What do I need to do to ensure my safety when visiting the museum?
The State Hermitage has drawn up new visiting rules to safeguard the health of both visitors and the museum staff.
- All persons entering museum premises must wear personal protection. This is in accordance with the city-wide rules for visiting all public places.
- While waiting to enter the museum, when in the vestibule of the entrance zone, by the cloakroom and when going around the halls, please maintain a distance of 1.5 metres from other visitors.
What other measures is the museum taking to safeguard visitors’ health?
In the entrance zone special markings have been placed on the floor to enable you to quickly find the way to the start of your chosen route without getting too close to other visitors. For your convenience and intuitive navigation, information signs have been installed in the museum halls where appropriate. The rules and fixed routes that we have introduced will enable you to view the displays comfortably, avoiding gatherings of people. We also ask people to respect requests from the museum staff, including any aimed at safeguarding public health.
Before opening to visitors and between time slots, the halls will be cleaned and aired. Protective screens have been installed in places where visitors and staff will interact. Surfaces such as door handles with which people make contact are constantly being disinfected. Hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in public areas. The lifts (elevators) will be available only to visitors with restricted mobility.
Anyone who has symptoms of a viral respiratory infection or is running a temperature must avoid visiting the museum.
All our new temporary rules will allow us to safeguard the health of both visitors and museum staff. These rules will be subject to constant adjustment depending on the epidemiological situation in the region. The Hermitage is open to suggestions and will take account of feedback when making changes to the arrangements for visiting the museum.
Infrastructure
Is it possible to stroll in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace?
Entry to the Great Courtyard is restricted to people holding tickets to the Hermitage. Tickets will be checked for the first time at the Main Gates of the Winter Palace. Once in the courtyard, ticket-holders can stroll around while waiting for their time slot, and also visit the open-air café. Please remember to follow the rules about physical distancing between people.
Will the cloakrooms be working?
Yes, the cloakrooms will be working. Visitors’ outer clothing will be hung at a distance from one another. After each visitor, the tokens will be cleaned with disinfectant. Our rules have been drawn up in accordance with the Standard for the Safety of Museum Activities.
Will the toilets be working?
Yes, all the toilets for visitors will be accessible. They will be cleaned more frequently with the use of disinfectants.
Will the museum cafeteria be working?
You will be able to visit the open-air café in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace.
Will I be able to buy souvenirs and books in the museum?
The Hermitage shop selling books and souvenirs located in the ground-floor Public Forum of the General Staff building is open daily from 1 pm to 9 pm (without breaks or days off).
Entry to the shop in the General Staff building is from Palace Square.
Plans for the Future
When will the Lecture Hall begin operating again?
The Hermitage’s season of lecture programmes usually begins in the autumn. We hope that by that time the epidemiological situation in the region will allow us to hold lectures on art, culture and history.
We will endeavour to keep the public abreast of developments and ask that you consult our social media and the State Hermitage website for the latest information.
Will the online broadcasts in the social networks continue after the reopening of the museum?
Yes, the Hermitage Online project has existed for several years now and will continue its regular broadcasts. During the period of restricted visiting at the museum, we will be telling people both about the displays that are included in the fixed routes and those halls that are temporarily inaccessible to visitors.
All the live-streamed broadcasts are recorded and available for viewing at any later time.
