Early Admission to Hermitage

When comparing tour excursions, I noticed that Denrus didn't do early admissions to the Hermitage in St. Pete when the other tour companies did. Is there any reason why you wouldn't want to get an early admission to the Hermitage and skip the crowds?

I have read some reviews that did not feel early admission was worth it. We used early admission, and were quite happy with it, since we arrived when the museum was nearly completely empty and left by the time it was quite crowded. I think some reviewers have found even early admission to be crowded, which I guess depends on the day. The one thing I would caution everyone is that each room in the Hermitage has guards stationed to protect the artwork. Not all of the guards start working at the time the museum opens for early admission, and therefore not all of the rooms are open in the beginning. Either my tour guide was not familiar with which rooms are open for early admission, or it changes, since we wasted some time walking around trying to figure out what was open.

Whatever you decide, you should certainly plan ahead of time as to which types of artwork you would like to focus your visit on, since the quality and quantity of art at the Hermitage is amazing!

We had booked our excursions with Alla Tours, which was excellent. We had early entrance to the Hermitage and the guide took us directly to what he was going to show us. It was quite empty when we entered, but becoming very crowded as we were coming out.

Yes, on most tours there's pre-public admission.

And its not to be under-estimated.

Virtually empty not just til its open to the general public, but beyond then for mebbe another hour, since it takes them a while to catch up.

JB :)

I have read some reviews that did not feel early admission was worth it. We used early admission, and were quite happy with it, since we arrived when the museum was nearly completely empty and left by the time it was quite crowded. I think some reviewers have found even early admission to be crowded, which I guess depends on the day.

It seems like you could hit the perfect storm if there's a lot of cruise ships docked on the same day combined with not a lot of rooms open which means that all the early admission tourists are funneled into the same rooms.

Or, according to this blogger, who works or worked for DenRus, wrote:

http://www.baltic-cruise-blog.com/what-does-the-early-opening-to-the-hermitage-museum-really-mean/

The truth is, that the museum will not be empty, and you, and your group will not be the only tourists having the exclusive privacy to view the treasures of different collections. Because the St. Petersburg cruise season is so short, and the total number of summer days limited to maximum of about 110-120 days annually, it simply means crowding for each day, and accordingly there are anything between 3-5 different cruise ships docking in St. Petersburg each day. These generate daily a total of 3.000-7.000 visitors. Traditionally the ships book for their own tours the early opening, and their tour participants are all entering the museum at about the same time, as the tour buses are dispatched from the port. So the crowds are there.

But, I don't think DenRus' solution is a better alternative where they go into the Hermitage at 10:30, 30 minutes after the Hermitage officially opens. All the rooms are open, but you're still dealing with all the early admission tour groups already there.

The problem gets exacerbated because all the tours, regardless of the tour company or what type of tour, all go to the Hermitage on the second day with most of them doing an early admission.

If I ran a tour group, I would zig where the other tour groups zagged. When all the other tour groups were doing early admission to Hermitage on the second day, then I'd do an early admission on the first day to truly avoid the crowds.

There's too much overlap with the different tours where they're going to the same place at the same time which means that they become unnecessarily crowded.

This site can give you a sense of how many the tour buses from cruises will be in St. Petersburg on your date of arrival: http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-st-petersburg-russia.html . This may help you decide which day is likely to be less crowded, although it does not take into consideration the land based tour groups or independent visitors to St. Petersburg.

I'm very wary of anything posted by the blogger mentioned by Hobbess, he (the blogger) has a jaundiced attitude in a number of respects.

On the matter of crowds in the Hermitage:

Firstly there's not 3 to 5 ships docking each day - on average they stay two days so only half that number will potentially visit the Hermitage on a given day.

Secondly, the vast majority of cruisers still take ships' cattle-drive tours, without that early admission.

Thirdly, the Hermitage is huge - spread over four buildings each with two or more storeys open.

Finally, the proof of the pudding - see photos on this website taken by cruisers who experienced empty rooms, same as we did.

BTW, first day or second day makes no odds. Ships' days in port overlap, day one for some is day two for others.

We experienced empty rooms, gradually filling during our time there but not over-crowded by any means, then walking past crowds to exit. And there are plenty who've not had early admission who've complained of cheek-by-jowel, and we've seen the long lines outside of folk who've not had the privilege of early admission or line-busting arrangements.

Early admission is very definitely a boon :)

JB :)

There is so much rumor and mythology concerning early entry.

It was created by the museum as a way of getting the thousands of contractor bus loads of cruise passenger in and out before the walk up visitors arrived. It is available only on days where the ship port agent, in most cases Arctur pays for the opening, paying the staffing for security in each room that is to be opened. Once early entry has been contracted for a particular day, other tour operators can use it also.

It was for the convenience of the contractor and museum, not the visitors because is limited in scope and time, and is often more crowded than any normal day in the museum. For just one alone this month early entry for one tour operator scheduled 670 group members entering the same time as the ship bus tours, making several thousand people are going to be following the same path, in the same limited number of rooms. Most of the museum was empty but visitors were not allowed in them because they were off the path that is contracted and paid for to have security in place.

The museum has 1005 rooms in main buildings and now has the north west wing of the General Staff where the French Impressionists and other western European art of the 19th century and later, have been transferred.

The idea that it is bonus designed for the visitor is strange when you consider the reality. If it was available, it means it was paid for at the morning for the bus tours by the ship contractor, it would not be open if it was not going to be full of ship passengers.

There are two entrances, one for ticketed visitors and one for tour operators, there might be long lines forming in the morning for the public entry, it does not mean the museum is crowded and is not hard to get into by reservation by groups during the rest of the day.

Remember groups, actually all tickets are appointment times. Buy a ticket and you have a 30 minute window to enter or it becomes void. Tour groups only enter at an agreed and approved entry time, and there is almost never any waiting unless the group arrives too early. Each ticket is applied for at a specific time of entry. The museum might alter that to a time when there are fewer groups a few days before the tour, it is not the mad house claimed to enter other times. Experienced guides know the best time to visit in in the afternoon when crowds are the lowest of the day.

Reading description based on one visit with unknown conditions is like having a blind man explaining an elephant, without seeing the whole picture brief encounters to not tell much of the story.

Other museums with controlled appointment times include Church on Spilled Blood, Yusupov Palace and the worst, Catherine Palace.

Catherine Palace has more requests for entries than are permitted per day, which is why walkup ticket purchases are highly restricted in time of availability and quantity. Few tour operators have contracts with these museums so they go to the open market to buy Catherine Palace tickets from agents, tickets stolen from the museum by employees and trading entry times between companies.

That is why it is not unusual for a group to say their guide told them the palace was closed suddenly for some reason and they rescheduled the time for another museum or park.

Don't believe it that contractors are there in the morning? count the motor coaches parked in the area Palace Square, 40 by 9 am is common. There are there for one reason, entering the Hermitage.