St Petersburg Shore Excursion: Private Hermitage Museum and Treasure Gallery Tour

When your cruise ship docks at the port in St Petersburg, meet your guide and then hop inside a private minivan to the Hermitage Museum. As you travel, hear how the iconic complex was founded in the late 18th century, when Catherine the Great used it to contain her private art collection. Since becoming a public museum in 1852, the Hermitage has blossomed into one of the world’s great art museums, housing more than 3,000,000 works of art and cultural artifacts.

On arrival, plug into your headset (if you have more than six people in your private group) to ensure you can hear your guide’s commentary clearly during your tour, and then head inside to explore the Hermitage’s highlights.

With your guide leading the way, stroll through the lavish state rooms and chambers of the famous Winter Palace — a former residence of Russia’s Romanov Tsars — and get up close to masterpieces by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso and Rubens as you tour the Western European art collection. If you see anything you'd like to know more about, just ask your guide. One of the many benefits of a private tour is that the commentary can be entirely tailored to your interests.

Then, join up with one of the Hermitage’s very own guides and head into the Treasure Gallery, where you’ll find the museum’s wondrous collection of jewelry and precious metal. Wander through either the Gold Rooms or the Diamond Rooms, admiring magnificent pieces that belonged to the Tsars, and hear how the collection dates back to the days of Peter the Great. See jewel-encrusted snuffboxes and watches, and admire other treasures such as Scythian gold, some of which dates back to the 7th century BC.

After a short coffee break Proceed to General staff building facing the Winter palace to see a recently opened part of the Hermitage collection - key works of Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, Gauguin, Seurat, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso, to name but a few.
The immense building created for the General Staff and for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs perfectly fits into the ensemble of the Palace square. The majestic monumental arch with a span measuring 17 m incorporates the idea of the victory in the Patriotic war of 1812 against France; it is topped by a six horsed cart, warriors and a statue of Glory.

After roughly 5 hours exploring the Winter Palace and Treasure Gallery, return to your minivan and travel back to the port, where your tour concludes.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:We will ensure your timely return to the St Petersburg port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.