Overview

Housed within the opulent Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva River, the Hermitage Museum is not only Russia’s most iconic cultural institution, but also one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. Founded in 1764 by Empress Catherine the Great as a private collection, the museum has since expanded into a vast ensemble of six historic buildings, offering a staggering collection of over three million works of art and artefacts. The grandeur of the museum’s Baroque architecture is matched only by the splendour of its contents — from ancient Scythian gold and Greco-Roman antiquities to Western European paintings, decorative arts, and imperial Russian treasures.

The Hermitage is particularly renowned for its world-class collection of European masterpieces, including works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, and Leonardo da Vinci. One of the highlights is the Hermitage’s suite of 31 paintings by Picasso — one of the largest of its kind — along with Matisse, Monet, and Van Gogh, representing the best of Impressionism and Modernism. But the Hermitage is as much about atmosphere as it is about art. Its grand staircases, gilded halls, and frescoed ceilings transport visitors into the heart of imperial Russia, where each room feels like a throne room and each corridor a royal promenade.

Unlike more contemporary museums, the Hermitage offers a unique combination of art, history, and architecture in a single, immersive experience. It is a living museum — one where you can witness the evolution of civilisations while surrounded by the echoes of tsars and empresses. The sheer scale of the collection and the elegance of the setting make it impossible to absorb in one visit. Yet, even a glimpse of its treasures leaves an indelible impression, reminding visitors that art, like empire, can be both majestic and eternal.

Curated by the World Travel Awards