Jump to content

St Petersburg - is 2+ hours in Hermitage enough?


Kathy with a K

Recommended Posts

I have been looking into tours in St Petersburg and get the impression that visits to the Hermitage are generally only 2 to 3 hours. That doesn't seem like much.The Hermitage and Catherine's Palace are our priorities. Are all the other parts of the tours worth the time allocated to them?

 

Can any past cruisers comment please?

 

Thanks,

Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's very hard to judge without knowing you -- it's like asking if two hours is enough for the Louvre, or the Prado or any other really large museum. There will be some who will say that it was more than enough, and others who will wish that they would have had two days there. It is huge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would agree with the other posters. I have been there twice and each time would have like to have spent more time there.

If you love art and history, I would allow at least 5 or 6 hours for the Hermitage. It is also advantageous to have a guide who knows the museum to be sure you see all the important exhibits and the areas that many people miss because they don't even realize they are there.

 

Enjoy and take your camera. You can take pictures with no flash of everything except the Da Vinci's. (or at least you could when I was there 10 years ago. It may have changed.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is enough time to see the highlights. There are so any exhibits that it literally would take weeks to see everything. My advice is to take a private tour that has no more than 8 to 10 people. That way you can personalize it and move around quicker. Ship tours are always waiting for stragglers so they waste previouse times. Much cheaper too.

 

Be sure to see Peterhof, the summer palace. It is beautiful. It is usually included on 2 day private tours. I would pass n the ballet. The good companies are touring that time of year so can't guarantee you will see the really great artists. I would also pass on the night tours as they will just take you to a so so dinner and or show unless you wish to try the quisine..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been looking into tours in St Petersburg and get the impression that visits to the Hermitage are generally only 2 to 3 hours. That doesn't seem like much.The Hermitage and Catherine's Palace are our priorities. Are all the other parts of the tours worth the time allocated to them?

 

Can any past cruisers comment please?

 

Thanks,

Kathy

Are you going to book a two-day escorted tour either through the ship or with one of the private tour operators? I found that my two-day tour was a "whirlwind" overview of the highlights of St. Petersburg and each site was a bit rushed. The Hermitage museum seemed particularly rushed; I would have liked more time, but we were on an escorted tour.

 

If you are planning a small private tour you could tell the guide what your interests are and the guide would likely modifiy the itinerary if given advance notice. My group tour had about 20-25 persons on it and we moved from one spot to another for two days, and spent some time stuck in local traffic. We enjoyed ourselves, but we did have an exhausting two days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's very hard to judge without knowing you -- it's like asking if two hours is enough for the Louvre, or the Prado or any other really large museum. There will be some who will say that it was more than enough, and others who will wish that they would have had two days there. It is huge.

 

This is so right!

 

The Hermitage has some really beautiful exhibits and I saw several of them. If you are an art buff, you could easily spend all day there.

 

But I've been to many of the famous museums and I am sort of "museumed out." For me, one hour was long enough - mainly because the Hermitage is not air conditioned and we were there on a very hot day. After seeing Catherine's Palace on the same day, I had had enough.

 

Our guide had foreseen that the Hermitage might be too hot for some and she had arranged a meeting place and time for those who wished to leave her tour.

 

I went outside and found a place with a little breeze (sitting on one of the steps outside). I spent a pleasant hour watching the people and the river traffic and talking to people - there were lots of others waiting for friends still inside..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We booked a driver and guide for three days in St Petersburg and had a wonderful visit. Can make your own schedule and small private tours go right thru the small door into the Palaces and no waiting in the long cruise lines. Book independently at about 1/3rd of the ship's price witht the sam ecompany they use.We had a great time and were in somewhat contol of our own destinations and time spent and where we would eat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been looking into tours in St Petersburg and get the impression that visits to the Hermitage are generally only 2 to 3 hours. That doesn't seem like much.The Hermitage and Catherine's Palace are our priorities. Are all the other parts of the tours worth the time allocated to them? Can any past cruisers comment please? Thanks, Kathy

 

Don't know if they still offer it but had a private tour in St Petersburg. The cruise line (Royal Caribbean) offered a tour in a private car, driver and english speaking guide. We are not art lovers but found the Hermitage almost converted us. You can easily spend days their but we spend about 2 hours and then went to one of the summer Palace's. Because of distance and construction we only able to see one of the them. Had to allow time for lunch.

 

On day 1, (St Petersburg was day 2) we took the ecurision to Moscow. Expensive and long day but worth it. It was interesting seeing the Kremlin, Red square, Gum's Department store (Really a small shopping mall) etc.

As I recall we left the ship at about 7:30 or 8:00 AM and returned almost Midnight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the July sailing to the Baltic. After looking at all of the tours, we are so glad we chose the ship's two day tour. We spent enough time in the Hermitage to see the highlights. Some thought it was too much, others thought it wasn't enough. We were the first tour group there, and greeted by a band. We didn't have any problems because we were a large group. The bus was comfortable and we could leave things on it. (It often rains in the mornings.) Our lunch was a typical Russian meal with vodka and caviar. Then off to St. Isaac's. The day was jammed packed, getting a little time to shop. The second day was just as wonderful, being the first tour group at Catherine's Palace. The lunch was fantastic, typical Russian meal with some folk dancers/musicians. Then off to Peterhof Gardens. Again just a little time to shop. The ship did have to wait for us as traffic was heavy. Our guide was very knowable. I recommend this tour. Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On our Baltic cruise, we spent three hours at the Hermitage, and the museum was closed to the general public during the first hour we were there. I could have easily spent a week in that museum but there were too many other things to see during the two days we were in St Petersburg. My husband and I plan to take another Baltic cruise, where we spend at least three days in St Petersburg, and go back to the Hermitage at that time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's hard to comment on how much time one needs at The Hermitage. Most good guided tours get you in before the museum is open to the general public. The tour guides know their way around the building and will take you to see the "best of the best" I think we did it in 3 hours last summer. We were on a river cruise.

 

There are many private tour companies that will arrange a tour specifically to your own needs. Since we were there last summer, we didn't want to see the usual tour so we contracted with Alla Tours and we are having a two day personal tour that's been mutually planned and agreed upon. We will see what we asked for and probably some more.

 

Go check out Saint Petersburg on Trip Advisor and look for "tours" there are tons of tour providers who will work with small groups.

 

Last summer, while at Peterhof, we came across a very sad woman who was on a shore excursion with Princess and the group had lost her. She was searching for them for over an hour and no one seemed to realize she was missing. :eek:

 

We have found that it's worth the effort to arrange private tours, which are generally less expensive than what the cruise line offers.

 

Have you checked the roll call for your cruise? Many people on the roll call boards will put private tours together and you might be able to join.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think we spend about three hours at the Hermitage, with about 20 minutes to shop at the end. Our tour started before the public was allowed to enter, but it was still crowded. The tour moved too fast for me during the Impressionist section, but we did see quite a lot.

 

I visited the Louvre on my own once and after about four hours, we were museum maxed out. There is a saturation point for most people. I would have liked about four hours at the Hermitage, but our river cruise tour was on a schedule.

 

Catherine's Palace is a must, as is the main house of Peterhof.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Catherine's Palace is a must, as is the main house of Peterhof.

 

Catherine's Palace is just incredible. If I had been a Russian peasant, I'd have rebelled, too, at the opulence displayed there.

 

Our river cruise only went to the gardens at Peterhof so we will do the interior of the palace on the Baltic cruise. The gardens are pretty amazing. It was very hot when we were there, even though it was early July. It was a Sunday and there were families with young children who frolicked in the fountains. Fabulous time.

 

The only thing I didn't like about Russia was the food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One way to tell how long you'd like there is to study their website. The virtual tour is outstanding.

 

Before our cruise to SPB I figured out what was most important to us. Then I began communicating with a private tour operator, Alla Tours, and she incorporated our wishes in her proposed itinerary. We considered the ship's tours but in the end for just a tiny bit more money, we had a private guide for the 2 days. It was a good decision for us because we were able to set our own pace and make changes according to our whims.

 

There are many very reputable private tour groups and I believe they're all reliable. This is such a special experience - you are wise to start planning now. Personally I'd choose a private or semi-private tour over a group tour if you have special interests.

 

The museum stores at both the Hermitage and Catherine's Palace are outstanding. I collect small boxes and found one at the Hermitage made of malachite, reminiscent of the malachite room. At Catherine's Palace, I bought one with an amber top. Great treasures from a spectacular visit.

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Catherine's Palace is just incredible. If I had been a Russian peasant, I'd have rebelled, too, at the opulence displayed there.

 

Our river cruise only went to the gardens at Peterhof so we will do the interior of the palace on the Baltic cruise. The gardens are pretty amazing. It was very hot when we were there, even though it was early July. It was a Sunday and there were families with young children who frolicked in the fountains. Fabulous time.

 

The only thing I didn't like about Russia was the food.

Some of the food was very good. We did get tired of having dill in everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would recommend to make an arrengement with Russian tour co. Find on CC boards 2 more couples, sharing the same interest in sightseeing. Tell the tour guide whatsite you would like to spend more time, that way you will be on your own pace. That is what I will do.

It might cost a bit more, but it will worth it. Hermitage is not to be missed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did a 2 day private tour in a group of 12 when we were there. It really was a highlights tour with seeing all the big sites - St. Issac's, Church on Spilled Blood, Peterof, Catherine's Palace with the Amber room, Peter and Paul's fortress and the Hermitage. While it was an absolutely brilliant tour and I felt we saw so much more than the ship tours. I did feel rushed through the hermitage. We were really ushered to specific things they want to show you. We walked by a whole row of paintings that I could have stood and looked at for awhile. On the other hand we did see the diamond room which was amazing.

The private guides will work with you, so if you'd like to stay somewhere longer they'll rearrange the schedule. For example you could cut out St. Issac's to spend more time at the Hermitage. It's really a matter of what's more important seeing all the sites or spending more time at one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did a 2 day private tour in a group of 12 when we were there. It really was a highlights tour with seeing all the big sites - St. Issac's, Church on Spilled Blood, Peterof, Catherine's Palace with the Amber room, Peter and Paul's fortress and the Hermitage. While it was an absolutely brilliant tour and I felt we saw so much more than the ship tours. I did feel rushed through the hermitage. We were really ushered to specific things they want to show you. We walked by a whole row of paintings that I could have stood and looked at for awhile. On the other hand we did see the diamond room which was amazing.

The private guides will work with you, so if you'd like to stay somewhere longer they'll rearrange the schedule. For example you could cut out St. Issac's to spend more time at the Hermitage. It's really a matter of what's more important seeing all the sites or spending more time at one.

 

I think one other important thing about a private tour is that they use smaller vehicles. The traffic in St. Petersburg is terrible and the big coaches like the ship's tours have are more likely to get stuck in traffic thereby wasting precious sightseeing time.

 

One recommendation, if I might. If you have the time, climb the rotunda at St. Isaac's. I does cost some rubles, but it's wort it. It's not a bad climb at all and the views of the city are absolutely wonderful. You can actually see the entire facade of the Winter Palace from there. Some of my best photos of the city were taken from there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been fortunate to have been to St. Petersburg twice.

You cannot do justice to The Hermitage in a week much less a few hours. Your guide will give you just a taste of the treasures within.

I had an extended tour (several days in fact) while there one March and it was crowded even then so prepare for crowds during a summer cruise/tourist season. The massive museum gets very hot in summer and don't be surprised to see open windows within feet of a Raphael.

On our stop there while cruising, and my second visit to the city, I arranged with our SPB guide to start our tour with the grand masters. Our Roll Call group was well versed in art and had prioritized our itinerary. The suggestion to go online and familiarize yourselves with the museum is a very good starting point. Pick the exhibits you wish to view and arrange this with your guide if you are using a private tour company - which is the very best way to see the most sites in St. Petersburg.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure how people that took private tours can say that theirs was better than the ship tour. We saw everything. The bus did not have any problems getting through the traffic. The lunches we had were interesting. Both days traditional foods, different menus, and entertainment. Thought the food was good. The tour guide was terrific. As I said, we had two filled days, no waiting in lines, no waiting for bathrooms, felt like we saw as much as we could in two days. So don't knock the ships tours unless you were on it! Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure how people that took private tours can say that theirs was better than the ship tour. We saw everything. The bus did not have any problems getting through the traffic. The lunches we had were interesting. Both days traditional foods, different menus, and entertainment. Thought the food was good. The tour guide was terrific. As I said, we had two filled days, no waiting in lines, no waiting for bathrooms, felt like we saw as much as we could in two days. So don't knock the ships tours unless you were on it! Cheers!

 

We didn't take a ship tour through the Hermitage, but we saw several groups that were given that "forced march" type of group experience. No time or opportunity to ask questions, linger with key art treasures, set your own pace, focus attention on your personal priorities/favorites, etc., etc. Below are some visuals samples as proof and real evidence for why we viewed in St. Petersburg a private tour to be the "best" for many different, specific and tangible reasons. In a large group, you can "see" things, quickly, but what will be the true and honest "experience"?

 

A personal guide can work well in some key ports, especially if you can have pre-tour communications and establish that "connection" for what you need and seek to fit your travel style and personal interests. We love having a "CONVERSATION" with our guide. I like to ask lots of questions. Take many pictures. Those factors make all of the positive difference to enjoy and experience things in the best, personal manner. I like to learn the history, how real life works there, the current events, etc. A personal, custom guide/tour is much better than being "forced marched" through a great museum or place in a group of 25-35 people with a guide barking out a big bunch of details to us as we walk quickly by these great treasures. Also, in a large group, it can be hard to hear and understand everything that is being shared, asked. But, personal tours/guides are not always possible, affordable, needed, etc., for all port stops. If you have done your "homework" ahead of time, doing it on your own can work very well, too. It's all "personal" based your needs, interests and budget.

 

Will share more on Catherine's Palace. Kind of spectacular, too!!

 

TIMING: On Kathy's original and very good question, my assumption was that in the roughly two and a half hour we spent at the Hermitage, we would want more and more. BUT, to be honest, we saw virtually all of the key highlights and "top spots" we desired. I did lots of advance reading and research. We could have spent more time, but we honestly felt that we had seen the "best of the best". I have been in lots of the top, top museums around the world and felt very satisfied in what saw and did in that well-focused and organized time frame. Not having big crowds on this Friday, Aug. 1, 2008, date and a great guide made such a big, big difference to achieve an excellent experience.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 95,361 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 77,690 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing and learning more about one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such painting by this artist existing in the whole world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, lessening the crowd battles and adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place/set of five palaces AND museum. It is both! This Madonna and Child was probably painted in Milan, where the artist moved in 1482. The Madonna's tender gaze as she looks at her son, and the tranquillity of the distant mountainous landscape, reflect humanist dreams of Ideal Man and a Harmonious Life. Experts says the painting reveals great beauty in its coloring and composition. The painting came to the Czar's collection and museum in 1865 from the collection of Count Antonio Litta in Milan.:

 

1A-StP-HermitageDaVinciViewing.jpg

 

 

Examining closely one of the highly-detailed tables in the vast Hermitage collection that includes much more than just paintings and sculptures. The Russian skills and craftsmanship for such details is amazing and must be seen “up close and personal”. You cannot just walk by quickly and appreciate fully the expert workmanship!:

 

1A-StP-HermitageTableViewing.jpg

 

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many different and great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility. Even without the art items, these five palaces are so spectacular! This room is adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th-18th centuries, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.:

 

1A-StP-HermitageGalleries.jpg

 

 

One of the two dozen or so paintings by Rembrandt inside the Hermitage. This is his famed Return of the Prodigal Son that was done shortly before his death in 1669. Our guide explained that this painting reflected his normal power of realism, but added more psychological insights and spiritual awareness at this late period period in his personal and artistic history.:

 

1A-StP-Hermt-RemProd.jpg

 

 

Inside the Hermitage, this is the spectacular Grand Staircase as you enter this Winter Palace for the Czars that is now one of the world’s top museums. It was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. Its collections, only a small part are on permanent display, total nearly three million items. Western European art collections include paintings, sculpture, and applied art from the 13th to the 20th century. These art treasures are displayed in about 120 rooms, on the first and second floor of the four main buildings.:

 

1A-StP-HermitageGrandStairs.jpg

 

 

Here is a more contemporary example from the Hermitage. It is by Henri Matisse and it is called ''La Danse'' or The Dance from the late 1909. This large decorative panel, painted with a companion piece, Music, was done for the Russian businessman and art collector Sergei Shchukin, with whom Matisse had a long association. Until the October Revolution of 1917, this painting hung together with Music on the staircase of Shchukin's Moscow mansion. The painting shows five dancing figures, painted in a strong red, set against a very simplified green landscape and deep blue sky. It reflects Matisse's fascination with primitive art. The painting is often associated with the "Dance of the Young Girls" from Igor Stravinsky's famous musical work The Rite of Spring. Dance is commonly recognized as "a key point of (Matisse's) career and in the development of modern painting". Many other late 19th and early 20th Century pieces by Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet are there at the Hermitage. It is more than just the "Old Masters" here at this world-class museum.:

 

HermitageMatisseBodiesBlOrange-1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were earlier questions on Catherine's Palace. YES! Its interiors (and exterior) are a super, must-see for St. Petersburg. On timing, the good news is that for as large as it appears and is, the key interior rooms are fairly simple and easy to do. You go up the stairs, see the large and dramatic reception area. Then, you walk down a series of small rooms, including those with special furniture and art items. The super highlight is the Amber Room. Below are some of my photo samples as a preview for what you can see and experience here.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 95,361 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

As we entered Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band. This Rococo summer residence of the Russian Czars is located in the town of Pushkin, 15 miles SE of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I engaged a German architect to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, Empress Anna found her mother's residence outdated and had her court architect demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and in 1756 the new 325-meter-long palace amazed courtiers, foreign ambassadors and other visitors. During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its lavish exterior, including more than 100 kilograms of gold used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.:

 

1A-StP-WelcomeCath.jpg

 

 

Inside Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg with our personal guide, we view this spectacular reception room, painted ceiling, gold, etc., at our pace and timing schedule.:

 

A-StP-CathPal.jpg

 

 

At Catherine's Palace, here is the spectacular Amber Room when my camera accidentally went off and captured this view.:

 

A-StP-CathPalAmberRm.jpg

 

 

At Catherine's Palace, here is a small sampling of its historic and highly-detailed furniture, plus one of its unique exterior.:

 

1A-StP-CathPalIntFurn.jpg

 

 

1A-StP-InteriorCath.jpg

 

 

1A-StP-CathPalExterior.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rembrandt's Danae was substantially destroyed in 1985 when an insane person threw sulfuric acid on it and then cut it a few times. To appreciate how amazing the restoration of this painting is, you might want to find a copy of the original 1636 painting and compare it with the restored one at the Hermitage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...