Has anybody done an Evening Hermitage tour?

[lamb616]

I'm wondering what time this tour might be. If it's like 5-8:00 pm, or more like 8-11:00 pm (too late for us).

 

Also, these evening tours all seem to be 3 hours long, and many mentioned a 50 minute concert at the end, and I also saw comments that the Hermitage was a 30-minute bus ride to/from the ship? So that's an hour in travel time, almost an hour long concert.........does that mean you only get about an hour of museum time? Has anybody done this tour? The one I'm looking at is through NCL, but I wouldn't rule out other tour companies.

[WisRiver]

In May, 2018 we spent four days in St. Petersburg. We had gone through the work of obtaining a visa, so we could come and go as we pleased. We had booked a guide through Adventura Travel, and part of our tour was an afternoon at the Hermitage. The Hermitage was a zoo. We were a small group and able to use some back doors and stairwells to avoid the crowds. The Hermitage tour in the afternoon was not a good experience. Our guide said we should come back in the evening. We would pay another entrance fee, but she said there would be no crowds. We came back on a Thursday evening (we started at about 5 PM) on our own. We had gathered a basic sense of the organization of the museum from our visit the day before. The Hermitage in the evening was extraordinary. No crowds. We had time to stroll and stop without the pressure of groups vying for a good viewing position. We walked by the concert hall as the tour groups were being herded out. I think that once the concert was finished they were back on the bus. Try to see the Hermitage in the evening.

[lamb616]

I was under the impression that the evening tours were after the museum was closed to the public. Maybe not?

 

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[charlie murphy]

wisRiver,

did you tour on your own with your visa, or did you use your guide the entire time. Also, did you do the Hermitage on your own or was it the guide that got you into the museum? we are traveling with our own visa as well and I am beginning to consider the logistics of independent travel in St. Petersburg.

[WisRiver]

The Hermitage is open to the public until 9 PM on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Charlie Murphy. We had a guide from 9 AM to 5 PM. We arranged all our own evening activities including returning to the Hermitage. Our hotel was about a km from the Hermitage, so we walked back after our evening visit. In mid-May sunset is not until about 10 PM (almost white nights). If you want to communicate with me directly, you can reach me at WisRiver2322 at gmail dot com.

[dogs4fun]

Right, the Hermitage is open on Wednesday & Friday until 9 pm. However, the concert program referenced by the OP is only conducted by cruise line tours and, to the best of my knowledge, is not available to those visiting the museum independently.

The tourist hordes & group tours have departed by about 5pm so the evenings are a great time to visit. You can rent an audio guide and set your own pace. I have visited in the evening but was not on a tour.

Edited March 14, 2018 by dogs4fun

[seebaer]

I once went on an evening tour. The museum was closed. The 2 groups from our ship were the only guests in the museum. You really get to experience the art without the crowds. I didn't expect much from the concert for tourists. But in St. Petersberg it's hard to find bad musicians. All young people playing on a very high level. And you get to sit a few feet away in a truly beautiful space. An absolutely amazing experience. Magical. If you get a chance, take this amazing tour.

[lamb616]

Well our evening in St. Petersburg is a Friday so it looks like the museum will likely be open to the public that night. But, open or not, it sounds like an evening visit is the way to go. In fact, now that I think about it I think I would prefer that it was open so we can do it on our own and not be stuck following a "tour".....but should be much less crowds than during the day, so seems like a no-brainer. Thanks.