Museums and galleries in Saint Petersburg

Museums and galleries in Saint Petersburg

1. SeeCastleCenter

   Tauride Palace

   Tavrichesky dvorets, Таврический дворец

   Firstly commissioned by Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauridia to his favourite architect, Ivan Starov. Empress Catherine the Great gave Potemkin the land and the title of Prince of Tauridia for his services in conquering ancient Tauridia (now the Crimean Peninsula). Catherine II later bought the Palace, to be used as her summer townhouse. Much later yet (1906), it was transformed into the seat of the first Russian parliament, the Imperial State Duma. Immediately after the February Revolution of 1917, Tauride Palace housed the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet. The abortive Russian Constituent Assembly held its meetings there in 1918. Since the 1990s, Tauride Palace has been home to the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS). Take a Parliament tour in Tauride Palace: During the tour, guests will make a walk in three state rooms and other spaces of the Tauride Palace, learn the history of its inhabitants, visit the magnificent Duma Hall - the place of the State Duma of the Russian Empire, to see an exhibition on the history of Russian parliamentarism. Duration: 60 min. Only possible by prior arrangement with a passport.

   Mon-Fri from 10:00 to 16:00 only by prior arrangement (2-3 days earlier)·RUB 3000/group; for locals RUB 2000/group max 20 person · Heritage listed · Built 1789

2. SeeCastleCenter

   State Hermitage Museum

   Государственный Эрмита́ж, gosudarstvenny ermitazh,Зимний дворец, zimniy dvorets, Winter Palace

   A massive palace-museum showing the highlights of a collection of over 3,000,000 pieces of international art, primarily western European art. Hosted in the Winter Palace, the former main residence of the Russian tsars. The Hermitage is truly one of the world's great museums, with an imposing setting displaying priceless works by Rembrandt, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens and more, including many pieces that were looted from Central and Eastern Europe by the Red Army during World War II. Getting a tour guide is recommended: the additional information they impart can be well worth the price, and they can readily take you directly to the items you want to see. Large bags aren't allowed in the museum, and a massive cloakroom downstairs (no charge, as usual in Russia) exists to assist with jackets and bags. Drinks or liquids are not allowed in the museum after an incident in 1985 when a protester vandalized Danaë, a Rembrandt painting, with sulfuric acid. In some rooms and in all temporary exhibits, photography is prohibited. However, at other times the museum can limit the admission rate because of the numbers already in the museum. In this case having purchased your tickets in advance won't save you as much time. There are also ticket machines just before you get to the cash desk which have much shorter lines. The museum has a cafe and large shop near the entrance, and numerous small shops throughout the galleries. Audio guides are available in English, and most signs in the gallery are in English and Russian.

   Tue-Sun 10:30–18:00 (Wed till 21:00)·Tickets can be purchased online with accepted forms of payment. Scan the QR code at the stated turnstile for entry. Students of all nationalities get in for free with student photo ID. Entry fee is RUB 500 to RUB 700, depending on the museum; free for students of all nationalities with student photo ID; free on the first Thursday of the month. Guide books: RUB 300 · Wi-Fi · Wheelchair accessible

3. SeeMuseumCenter

   Saint Isaac's Cathedral

   Isaakievskiy Sobor, Исаа́киевский Собо́р

   It was built in 1818, in the style of transition from classical to modern, and is a major attraction in the city. This is the most significant creation of Auguste Montferrand. The plan is a huge square building with a four-columned portico crowned by a large dome and four small bell towers at the corners. Three sculptures, depicting each of the 12 apostles, stand on the pediment portico. The building is interesting in technical terms too - it was the first use of a metal dome unit, and also the first time electroplating was applied to sculptures. Some scientists believe that the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral was the archetype of the dome of the White House in Washington, D.C. St. Isaac's Cathedral is a now museum-monument, open to visitors daily, except Wednesdays (ticket office closes at 18:00). For an additional fee you can visit the colonnade of the central dome (ticket office closes at 17:00). Photos and videos are charged separately. The view from the colonnade (observation deck) is one of the best views of the city, for those who are willing to climb 400 steps.

   Thu-Tue 11:00-19:00·RUB 450 · Limited wheelchair access

4. SeeArt museumCenter

   Russian Museum

   Государственный Русский музей, Mikhailovskiy Palace, Михайловский дворец, former Ру́сский Музе́й Импера́тора Алекса́ндра III

   An extensive collection of Russian paintings and sculpture, works by Andrei Rublev, Dionisius, Fedot Shubin, Dmitry Levitsky, Vladimir Borovikovsky, Karl Brullov, Fidelio Bruni, Orest Kiprensky, Alexander Ivanov, Ilya Repin, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ivan Shishkin, Valentin Serov, Mikhail Vrubel, Pavel Antokolsky, Boris Kustodiev, Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, Pavel Filonov, Marc Chagall, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and many other artists. The main building, the Mikhailovskiy Palace houses the main exhibits, and the Russian Museum also oversees the permanent and temporary exhibits, tickets to each can be purchased separately or as a universal pass.

   Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00·From RUB 450, depending on museum

5. SeeMuseumVasilievsky Island

   Kunstkamera

   Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Кунсткамера, Музей антропологии и этнографии

   This museum, hosted in the Baroque building constructed in 1714-1728, is primarily famous for its one-room freak show collection of 300 year-old deformed foetuses in formaldehyde (of which you are not allowed to take pictures). But the Kunstkamera is also an etnography museum, and most of its collections display the artifacts of indigenous peoples from various parts of the world. It also hosts a collections of historical scientific instruments,like compasses and experimental generators. It is the oldest state museum in Russia, established by Peter the Great in 1704 to host his personal collection,with objects collected during his travels across Europe. A significant part of it has been purchased from Dutch merchants.

   Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, closed every last Tue of the month·RUB 400

6. SeeMuseumPetrograd Side

   Peter and Paul Fortress

   Петропа́вловская кре́пость, Petropavlovskaya Krepost

   The Fortress, occupying the entire island, is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, built during the first half of the 18th century, now a museum. It is dominated by the Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712-1732) with its 123 m high spire. Regular guided tours to the belltower and the viewing platform are provided from May to September.

   Closed · opens 10 am tomorrow·You can go to the complex for free, but to enter the church and exhibitions you need tickets. Combo ticket costs RUB 1000; Tickets to individual attractions cost RUB 200-RUB 700 each

7. SeeMuseumCenter

   Mikhailovsky Castle / St. Michael's Castle

   Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineers' Castle, Миха́йловский за́мок, Mikhailovsky zamok, Inzhenerny zamok

   Each one of its façades is different. Surrounded by a moat with drawbridge, built by Paul I who feared for his life - in fact he was murdered here inside, in his bedroom. Nowadays a branch of the Russian Museum, its Portrait Gallery, is housed here.

   Closed · opens 10 am Wednesday

8. SeeMuseumCenter

   Marble Palace

   Мраморный дворец, Constantine Palace

   This is an architectural monument of the 1760s. There is the combination of sumptuous ornamentation with rigorously classicizing monumentality. The palace takes its name from its opulent decoration in a wide variety of polychrome marbles. A rough-grained Finnish granite on the ground floor is in subtle contrast to polished pink Karelian marble of the pilasters and white Urals marble of capitals and festoons. Panels of veined bluish gray Urals marble separate the floors, while Tallinn dolomite was employed for ornamental urns. In all, 32 disparate shades of marble were used to decorate the palace. The plan of the edifice is trapezoidal: each of its four facades, though strictly symmetrical, has a different design. The palace court is dominated by a sturdy equestrian statue of Alexander III of Russia, or Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov (10 Mar 1845–1 Nov 1894) who was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Prince of Finland, the most famous work of sculptor Paolo Troubetzkoy; formerly it graced the obelisk's spot at Vosstanya Square, before the Moscow Railway Station. In 1843, Grand Duke Constantine Nikolayevich decided to redecorate the edifice, renaming it Constantine Palace. An adjacent church and other outbuildings were completely rebuilt, while the interior of the palace was refurbished in keeping with the eclectic tastes of its new owner. Only the main staircase and the Marble Hall survived that refacing and still retain the refined stucco work and elaborate marble pattern of Rinaldi's original decor. Former Lenin Museum, now, the palace accommodates permanent exhibitions of the Russian State Museum, notably "Foreign Artists in Russia (18th and 19th centuries)" and the "Peter Ludwig Museum at the Russian Museum", featuring canvases by Andy Warhol and other Pop Art idols.

   Closed · opens 10 am Wednesday

9. SeeMuseumCenter

   The General Staff building of the Hermitage

   Здание Главного штаба, Zdanie Glavnovo Shtaba

   Designed by Carlo Rossi and built in 1819-1829, this is a building laid out in the shape of an arch, with an arch, in Palace Square. The building consists of two blocks, forming a 580-meter arc. There is a triumphal arch, dedicated to the victory in the War of 1812, decorated with a sculptural composition in the form of a chariot drawn by six horses. In the chariot is the winged goddess of Fame, holding a standard in his left hand, and a laurel branch in the right. The composition is made by sculptors Stepan Pimenov and Vasily Demuth-Malinovsky. Inside is a museum where paintings of many famous artists such as Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir, Monet, and Cézanne each have a separate room.

   Closed on Mondays·RUB 500 · Wheelchair accessible · Built 1829

10. SeeCastleCenter

    Mariinsky Palace

    Мариинский дворец

    Also known as Marie Palace. Built in 1839—44, by architect Andrei Shtakenshneider. In the 18th century, the plot belonged to Zakhar Tchernyshov and contained his mansion. In 1825-39, the Tchernyshov mansion housed a military school. Emperor Nicholas I conceived as a present to his daughter Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia on the occasion of her marriage. Although the reddish-brown facade is elaborately rusticated and features Corinthian columns arranged in a traditional Neoclassical mode, the whole design was inspired by the 17th-century French Baroque messuages. Other eclectic influences are apparent in the Renaissance details of exterior ornamentation and in the interior decoration, with each main room designed in a different historic style. Until 1917, housing the State Council of Imperial Russia, State Chancellory, and Soviet of Ministers. After the October Revolution, the palace housed various Soviet ministries and academies. Later served as a hospital. From 1945 became the residence of the Leningrad Soviet (Ленсовет), succeeded by the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly in 1994.

11. SeeMuseumVasilievsky Island

    Menshikov Palace

    Меншиковский дворец

    This Baroque palace, built for a close associate of Peter the Great in 1710-1714, became the first stone building of the city. Now it is home to a museum run by the Hermitage, which displays art and culture of the early 18th century.

    Tue-Sun 10:30-17:30·Limited wheelchair access

12. SeeMuseumCenter

    Stroganov Palace

    Строгановский дворец

    Now the palace is a branch of the Russian Museum. The palace was built to Bartolomeo Rastrelli's designs for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich Stroganov in 1753-1754. The interiors were remodeled by Andrei Voronikhin at the turn of the 19th century. The main façade of the Stroganov palace faces Nevsky Prospect. Here, Rastrelli rejects the cour d'honneur in the French manner. By this time, Rastrelli has developed his own style based on exploring the impressive façade, which implies the presence of three risolites, the subordination to a single center, rejection of verticalization, and stretching the building horizontally. Rastrelli gives the building a single mass movement toward the center. He skillfully emphasizes this by subordinating the lateral risolites to the central, imposing group of columns of purely decorative, not architectonic, function, deliberately building up tension toward the center of the sculpted front. Rastrelli uses the giant order, the method of visual fusion of the second and third floor windows, typical for the Baroque, and the differentiated arrangement of columns closely adjacent to the wall in order to create a masterful effect and an impressive Baroque façade facing St. Petersburg's main thoroughfare. The facade carries an entrance arch supported by two Corinthian columns. The arch is crowned with a pediment bearing the Stroganov coat of arms. The spaces under the windows on the facade feature a man's profile. There are two practically anecdotal versions regarding this man's identity. According to one version, the man is the first owner of the palace, Baron Stroganov, whom Rastrelli wanted to surprise. However, many historians claim that the famous architect in fact left his own profile on the palace walls.

    Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00 and Mon 10:00-17:00 (ticket office closes an hour earlier).

13. SeeMilitary museumPetrograd Side

    Russian cruiser Aurora

    Крейсер «Аврора»

    Early 20th-century protected cruiser (extensively repaired after WWII and in the 1980s), most famous for her symbolic role in the Russian Revolution of November 1917. It took part in the Russo-Japanese war in 1905. It has long been a museum ship open to the public, moored in front of the Nakhimov Naval School.

    Mon-Fri 10:30-16:00 only for groups·Adults – RUB 300, Students – RUB 100, Photo RUB 50, Video filming RUB 100 · Built 1900

14. SeeMuseumPetrograd Side

    Botanical Garden

    Ботанический сад

    With an arboretum, flower garden, botanical museum and a large complex of greenhouses (greenhouses can only be accessed with a guided tour).

    The greenhouses are open all year round, but are closed on Mondays. The park is open daily from May to October

15. SeeMuseumCenter

    Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, Museum of Mosaics

    Церковь Спаса на Крови, Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi, or Собор Воскресения Христова, Sobor Voskreseniya Khristova, Храм Спас-на-Крови

    A traditional style Russian church built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Built in 1883-1907, in style of Romantic Nationalism. Architecturally, the Cathedral harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The interior is elaborately decorated with over 7000 m² of mosaics. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.

    Thu-Tue 10:00-20:00·Adults/students RUB 250/RUB 150

16. SeeAttractionCenter

    Our-Lady-of-Kazan Cathedral

    Kazansky Sobor, Казанский собор, Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р, Собор Казанской иконы Божией Матери

    One of the largest cathedrals in St. Petersburg. Impressive neoclassical exterior, richly decorated interior. The temple was built by Andrew Voronikhin in the years 1801-1811 and is the best of his creations. Paul I has set the task of the architect to build a cathedral, like the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This is what the prototype he owes his great colonnade facing the Nevsky As planned Voronikhin same Colonnade was to be on the other side, but it was never implemented. By fate just built in 1811, the cathedral became a monument of Russian victories over Napoleonic France in the Patriotic War of 1812. Includes the tomb of Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, hero of the war of 1812. And in 1837, statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly, by Boris Orlovsky, were installed on the square in front of the temple. It is also interesting to note that on the north side of the cathedral (leaving on Nevsky) there is a bronze copy of the "Gate of Paradise" by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the Florentine Baptistery. A copy was made by caster Basil Ekimov. In 1930 the cathedral was closed, and in 1932 a unique museum of the history of religion and atheism was set up here. Now the museum moved into the building on Post Office Street, and once again this is a cathedral church.

    Mon-Fri masses 10:00, 18:00, Sun 07:00, 10:00, 18:00. Kazan Cathedral library Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00·Free entry

17. SeeMuseumCenter

    Faberge Museum

    Established by Viktor Vekselberg and his Link of Times foundation in order to repatriate lost cultural valuables to Russia. Contains more than 4,000 works of decorative applied and fine arts, including gold and silver items, paintings, porcelain and bronze. A highlight of the museum's collection is the group of nine Imperial Easter eggs created by Fabergé for the last two Russian Tsars. Vekselberg purchased the eggs from Malcolm Forbes in 2004 for $100 million.

    Daily 10:00-20:45·RUB 500; Guided tours RUB 1000 · Wheelchair accessible

18. SeeNature museumVasilievsky Island

    Museum of Zoology

    Зоологический музей

    One of the largest natural history museums in the world. It's in a 19th-century warehouse, and hosts an enormous collection of animals preserved in various ways, stuffed and mounted, pinned, stored in alcohol or as skeletons, with about 30,000 specimens on display. A must-see for any natural history buff, though perhaps not for defenders of animal welfare. It began as a part of the Kunstkamera and steadily grew into its enormous state. Particularly rich are the collections of insects (6,500 species) and birds (2,500 species). There is a complete blue whale skeleton (27m/ 89 feet long) as well as the world's only stuffed mammoth, recovered from permafrost in 1901.

    Wed-Mon 11:00-18:00·Limited wheelchair access

19. SeeMuseumCenter

    Russian State Arctic and Antarctic Museum

    Музей Арктики и Антарктики

    It was established in November 1930 as part of the Soviet Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, but was not opened until six years later. The museum is located in Avraam Melnikov's Neoclassical church from the 1820s and remains the largest museum dedicated to polar exploration in the world.

    Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00, Ticket office -17:30; Sun 10:00–17:00- Tickets -16:30·RUB 200 · Wheelchair accessible

20. SeeMuseumCenter

    Suvorov Museum

    Музей Суворова

    Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (1730-1800) was one of Russia's most outstanding generals, a military strategist and army commander during the reign of Empress Catherine the Great and Emperor Paul I. The museum features military memorabilia from Suvorov's times: weapons, banners, uniforms, models and large graphic recreations of historic battlefields. Two large mosaics decorate its façade. Both are based on historical events; the left-hand one features "Suvorov Crossing the Alps" and the right-hand one illustrates "Suvorov leaving home for the campaign of 1799".

    Thu-Tue 10:00-18:00, closes Wed

21. SeeHistory museumVasilievsky Island

    Krasin

    Ледокол-музей «Красин»,

    Built in England in and overhauled in the 1950s, is a Russian/Soviet icebreaker with a distinguished career in polar exploration and rescue operations. Since the 1990s she has been moored as a museum ship in front of the Mining Institute.

    Closed · opens 11 am Wednesday·Built 1916

22. SeeMuseumSouth

    Narva Triumphal Arch

    The gates are installed in memory of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, and inaugurated in 1834. The arch is 30 m high, decorated with figures of warriors and chariots of Fame. Architect: V.Stasov. In the upper part of the door is a museum which is a branch of the Museum of City Sculpture.

    Open now · open 24 hours·Built 1834

23. SeeMuseumCenter

    Ethnographic Museum

    Российского этнографического музея

    An interesting and educational display of the traditions and costumes of various ethnic groups found in the lands of the former Russian Empire, the vast territory between the Baltic Sea in the West and the Pacific Ocean in the East. The collection provides some marvelous insights into the history, culture and lifestyles of all those peoples, Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, peoples and tribes of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia. Impressive collections of ancient Afghan armours and Chinese and Japanese traditional clothes and crafts.

    Tue 10:00-21:00, Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00, Day off Mon & the last Fri of the month·From RUB 450 · Entry 450 RUB

24. SeeCastleCenter

    Anichkov Palace

    Аничков дворец, Санкт-Петербургский городской Дворец творчества юных

    Formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira, takes its name from the nearby Anichkov Bridge across the Fontanka. Designed for the Empress Elizabeth of Russia in a dazzling Baroque style, the palace came to be known as the most imposing private residence of the Elizabethan era. Built in 1754. There was extensive renovations and the palace got the newly-fashionable Neoclassical style, which was effected in 1778 and 1779. Simultaneously a regular park was laid out by an English garden architect, William Hould. After 1917, this was nationalized and designated the St. Petersburg City Museum. Since 1934, when it was converted into the Young Pioneer Palace, the palace has housed over hundred after-school clubs for more than 10,000 children. While a small museum inside is open to the public at selected times, the edifice is normally not accessible to tourists.

25. SeeMuseumPetrograd Side

    Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps

    Артиллерийский музей, Кронверк

    Housed in the crownwork (an external fortification) of the Peter and Paul Fortress and surrounded by a moat, it shows a huge collection of weapons of various ages and countries, from missiles to knives. Labels in Russian only.

    Open Wed-Sun, closed the last Thu of the month·Wheelchair accessible

26. SeePetrograd Side

    Saint Petersburg Mosque

    Главная Санкт-Петербургская Соборная мечеть, المنزل مسجد سانت بطرسبرغ

    Opened in 1913, huge and ornate. The interiors are unavailable to non-Muslims, except for guided visits arranged through the State Museum of the History of Religion, but it is worth seeing from the outside. Three storey building, for 3000 pilgrims.

27. SeeCastlePetrograd Side

    Yelagin Palace

    Елагинский дворец

    The Yelagin Palace (1785-1790), hosting a museum and surrounded by a landscape park with a network of interconnected ponds, which occupies the entire island. It is possible to rent a boat there.

    Tue,Thu-Sun 10:00-18:30, Wed 12:00-20:00, Mon closed·RUB 150, RUB 100 reduced

28. SeeMuseumPetrograd Side

    The Cabin of Peter the Great

    Домик Петра I

    The wooden summer house of the Russian tsar dating from 1703. Enclosed within a more recent protective brick pavilion (so what one sees from the outside is not the original construction), it is the oldest building in the city, hosting a small museum. The quay in front of the cabin is decorated with two authentic Chinese stone lions brought from Jilin City in 1907.

    Wed-Mon 10:00–18:00, closed last Mon of each month

29. SeeMuseumCenter

    Naval Museum

    also Bourse, Здание Биржи, Военно-морской музей

    The Naval Museum, one of the largest in the world, contains historical displays of the Russian navy from its founding to the present day, including weaponry, models of ships, and even some original mastheads. Extensive World War II display, and also (not directly related to Naval history) a diorama box of the storming of the Winter Palace in 1917.

    Wed-Sun 11:00-18:00·RUB 450 · Wheelchair accessible

30. SeeCenter

    Catholic Church of St. Catherine

    Saint Catherine of Alexandria Roman Catholic Parish, Католическая церковь Святой Екатерины, Костёл святой Екатерины

    This is the oldest Catholic church in Russia, and the only church in Russia with the title of minor basilica. On October 7, 1783, the church was completed. Because the Empress at the time was Catherine II of Russia (also known as Catherine the Great), the church was named after St. Catherine of Alexandria. Under the Soviets, the activities of the church were repressed. For 30 years, the building was used only as storage space for the nearby "Museum of History of Religion and of Atheism" located in former Our Lady of Kazan Church. Since the 1980s the government used the building as offices and apartments. In 1992, city authorities decided to return the building to the Catholic Church. The restoration of the church was completed in 2008. The building is in the shape of a Latin cross. The transept of the church is crowned by a large cupola. The temple is 44 m in length, 25 m in width, and 42 m in height. The sanctuary has room for about 2,000 people. The main facade of the church has a monumental arched portal, which rests on self-supporting columns. Above the facade is a high parapet, with the figures of four evangelists and angels on top. Above the main entrance is an inscription from the Gospel of Matthew (in Latin): "My house shall be called the house of prayer" (Matthew 21:13) and the date the church was completed.

31. SeeArt galleryCenter

    Manege, former riding academy

    Конногвардейский манеж

    Built for the Imperial Horse Guards fronting on Saint Isaac's Square, in 1804-07 to Quarenghi's austere Neoclassical design. The Horse Guards Boulevard takes its name from the building. The Manege is a low, rectangular block with arched openings and lunettes. Look like a 'mimics a 5th-century BC Athenian temple with a portico of eight Doric columns bearing a pediment and bas reliefs'. The marble statues of the Dioscuri standing beside their horses were patterned by sculptor Paolo Triscornia after the Fontana dei Dioscuri in Rome. Until to the late 1970s, the Saint Petersburg Manege has housed the city's main exhibition hall.

    Closed · opens 11 am tomorrow·Built 1807

32. SeeMuseumVasilievsky Island

    Russian Academy of Arts

    Российская академия художеств

    Russia's largest center for advanced study in the arts, until the 20th century the only school of its kind in Russia. The impressive neoclassical building was built in 1764-1788.

    Closed · opens 11 am Wednesday

33. SeeMuseumPetrograd Side

    State Museum of the Political History of Russia

    Gosudarstvennyy Muzey Politicheskoy Istorii Rossii,

    Hosted in two remarkable former mansions built in the beginning of the 20th century, the museum exhibits various items related to the Russian politics since the 18th century.

    Closed every Thu and last Mon of each month

34. SeeMuseumSouth

    Russian Railway museum

    The museum moved to Baltiiskiy Railway Station in 2017. Samples of railway equipment (mainly the locomotives and wagons) built in Russia and the USSR, and others made in Germany, the USA, Austria and Finland.

    Closed · opens 12:30 pm Wednesday·Wheelchair accessible

35. SeeArt galleryVasilievsky Island

    Museum of contemporary art Artmuza

    Музей современного искусства Артмуза

    Museum of contemporary art and the largest creative cluster in St. Petersburg. In 2013, the premises of the former musical instruments factory "Muzdetal" turned into an association of creative people in the field of painting, sculpture, design and interior, transforming the industrial building into a cultural place for creativity and recreation.

    Closed · opens 11 am tomorrow·Free

36. SeeMuseumSouth

    Interactive Museum Grand - Layout Russia

    Features a giant scale model of Russia, very popular, especially among children.

    daily, 10h - 20h

37. SeeVasilievsky Island

    Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art

    Музей современного искусства Эрарта

    Erarta is Russia's largest private museum of contemporary art (with over 2,800 works in its permanent collection). Every year, Erarta stages more than 40 temporary exhibitions alternately focusing on painting, sculpture, video art, fashion and design. The building features a café (3rd floor), a restaurant, and Erarta Home Stores offering gifts, books, prints, interior décor items, and more.

    Wed-Fri 11:00-23:00·RUB 1,000; Concessions: RUB 700

38. BuyCenter

    The Passage

    Passazh, Универмаг «Пассаж»

    This is an elite department store that opened in 1848. The Passage premises have long been associated with the entertainment industry and remains home to the Komissarzhevskaya Theatre.The name came from a vast gallery between Nevsky Avenue and Italianskaya Street which provided the main passage through the mall. The gallery was covered over by an arching glass and steel roof, thus giving it a claim to being one of the world's first shopping malls. The three-storey building opened on May 9, 1848. It was one of the first structures in Russia to employ gas for lighting. Another innovation was an underground floor, where an electric station would be installed in 1900. Although the store specialized in jewellery, expensive clothes and other luxury goods, crowds of common people flocked to see the most fashionable shop of the Russian Empire. Count Essen-Stenbock-Fermor - the developer - conceived of the Passage as more than a mere shopping mall, but also as a cultural and social centre for the people of St Petersburg. The edifice contained coffee-houses, confectioneries, panorama installations, an anatomical museum, a wax museum, and even a small zoo. To draw even more consumers to the store, the Soleille, one of the largest cinemas in the Russian capital, was opened in the complex in 1908. In 1933, the municipal authorities declared the Passage a "model department store", the only one in Leningrad (former St Petersburg) and one of only three such stores in the Soviet Union. The renovated "palace of Soviet trade" (as the media touted it) opened in 1934 and offered about 30,000 types of goods, all manufactured in the USSR. The Children's World section became especially popular with the inhabitants of Leningrad. - Now privately owned by employees and shareholders.

    Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-21:00

39. SeeMuseumVasilievsky Island

    Museum of Electrical Transport

    It is based at the old Vasileostrovsky tram depot in Saint Petersburg which was built in 1906 - 1908.

    Tue-Sun·RUB 480 · Wheelchair accessible

40. SeeVasilievsky Island

    Narodovolets Submarine D-2

    Д-2 "Народоволец"

    A small museum aboard a World War II submarine, dedicated to the actions of the submarine throughout the war (run by the Naval Museum).

    Wed-Sun 11:00-7:15

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