The Hermitage began in 1764, when Catherine the Great bought a collection of paintings from a Berlin merchant, and opened to the public in 1852. Today it spans six historic buildings on the Neva, above all the Winter Palace, former residence of the tsars, facing Palace Square. It holds works by Leonardo, Rembrandt, Raphael and Titian, and the gilded eighteenth-century Peacock Clock.

We arrange your visit with a private guide in the first hours, and choose a route to fit your time and interests: the museum cannot be seen in a single day.