The Hermitage is one of the most famous museums in the world and the largest one. It has over 3.000.000 items in it. If you spend only one minute in front of each piece of art which is on exposition you will need 3 years. If you are restricted in time it’s better to take a guided tour.
Only the main building in the museum – the Winter palace , which used to be the main residence of the Romanov family, has more than 1000 rooms in it and 117 staircases. We, guides, like to say: “If you are lost here you are lost for ever!” Of course it’s a joke but it’s one more reason to have a guide with you during your first visit to the museum.
This tour which usually is around 3 hours will give you a very general idea about the Hermitage. You will walk through four of five buildings of the main museum complex. You will see reception halls of the Russian tsars as well as some of the living rooms. I will show you the high lights of the collection - paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Velazquez, Goya and Rembrandt. At the end of the tour usually we go to the third story to see one of the very best collections of French impressionists and post impressionists in the world.