With over 200 museums, thousands of galleries and a UNESCO-protected centre, St Petersburg is a cultural hub. It is also a testament to the history of the Russian empire, having once been at the centre of it, and a combination of sophistication and opulence not often encountered. We’ve picked our top museums to help you get the most out of St Petersburg’s thriving cultural scene.

The renowned State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and most prestigious museums in the world, and a cultural highlight of St Petersburg. Containing over three million works of art in its 350 rooms – among them paintings, graphic works and sculptures – as well as particularly impressive numismatic and archaeological collections.

The main collection of the museum is housed in the Winter Palace, a work of Baroque art in itself and former home to Russian emperors, while other parts are scattered around palaces and grand venues throughout the city. The museum has a great and varied collection of art, but is perhaps best-known for its Western European collection – works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, El Greco, Picasso and Matisse decorate the walls of this extravagant palace. Continue reading →