I have read that the treasure room of the Hermitage requires a special ticket and/or a guide. My husband and I will be visiting in early July and would really like to see the treasure room, but are afraid the tickets might be sold out, or that we need to get a guide. If you've been to St. Petersburg recently and visited the treasure room, can you tell me what you needed to do to get in? Thanks!
Darby
Posted by
Ottawa
1446 posts
There are two "treasure rooms" in the Hermitage: The Diamond Room highlights jewels and the Gold Room highlights gold pieces, especially Scythian gold. Both require a special ticket and your admittance is with a small group with a guide.
I went in low season - April 2012. There were no line-ups to buy tickets to get in. Once past the ticket booth at the entrance, there is another desk in the lobby where you can buy a scheduled entrance to either of these special exhibits. There are several time slots, with different language guided tour options. I suspect that the outside lines in July would be very busy, just to enter, and that spots would go very fast for the Diamond and Gold Room tickets
I did not get the impression that these tickets can be booked in advance for individuals, but I could be wrong about this. I ended up joining a German language group for the Gold Room tour. Although I didn't understand any of the commentary, I got to stay within 'eyeball' distance of the guide and had enough time to really appreciate the pieces on display.
For the Diamond Room, I was with an English-speaking tour and, frankly, I don't remember any of the guide's commentary at all. Even in low season, I had to be flexible as far as the availability of the slots that I could get.
I spread my visit over two days, by buying a "Two Day Entrance Ticket" online. I had to exchange my voucher at the entrance booth and I think that, in the busy season, there is a shorter line for voucher holders.
https://www.hermitageshop.org/page.php?pagename=tickets
It's entirely a matter of preference for choosing one over the other. There was a greater diversity of objects in the Diamond Room, but the Scythian Gold entranced me.
The Gold Room is down a further corridor from the main part of the Hermitage. On my way back, I detoured into a side gallery and was alone in visiting several rooms with very unique items from Altaic nomad burial mounds (Steppes). Stuff I had never come across before - superbly preserved for over 2,000 years plus (fully dressed horse mummies, very fine wool and leather items, etc.). Despite being a history buff, I was completely ignorant of the rich ancient civilizations from this part of the world.