Location: St. Petersburg
Top Things to do in St. Petersburg
Top Restaurants in St. Petersburg
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Top 10 Art Museums in St. Petersburg, Northwestern District
The second largest city in Russia, St. Petersburg is the country’s cultural heart. View splendid architectural gems like the Winter Palace and the Kazan Cathedral, and give yourself plenty of time to browse the world-renowned art collection of the Hermitage. Sprawling across the Neva River delta, St. Petersburg offers enough art, nightlife, fine dining and cultural destinations for many repeat visits.
Restaurants in St. Petersburg
1. The Shadow Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 327 reviews
"Shadow Museum" is a unique art space where modern art objects in the style of shadow art are represented. All the art works are connected in a unified exposition, the excursion "St. Petersburg of shadows" is provided in Russian and English. The museum also has a creative kitchen where all the visitors have a chance to enjoy a cup of tea and share their impressions or create their own art works.
Reviewed By Hicksy77 - Andover, United Kingdom
The Shadow Museum displays a style of art that I have not seen anywhere else. We were given a guided tour, in English, of the artwork some of which was very clever. It is not the longest tour ever, we were there a little under an hour, but for less than a fiver a head, it is well worth a visit!
2. Museum of Architectural Ceramics Keramarch
3. The State Hermitage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26,562 reviews
One of the most famous art museums in the world, this museum is housed in the Winter Palace, and contains over 2.7 million exhibits including some of the world's greatest works of art.
Reviewed By MKSSA - Chantilly, United States
All it takes is a look outside the Winter Palace and you're hooked. What lovely buildings there are in St. Petersburg, and this one is enchanting. We were on a tour so saw the highlights of the museum. That's probably the best way to go, as the museum is large and can be overwhelming. Though the Hermitage is a famous art gallery, I was really there for the Winter Palace, with its gorgeous, luxurious interiors and history of Peter the Great and his family. It is truly beautiful. Be aware this place is packed with people. Arrive early in the day just before it opens.
4. The Menshikov Palace
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 258 reviews
A vision in yellow, this majestic palace - now housing Russian cultural artifacts - once belonged to Alexander Menshikov, ruler of Russia for two years until accused of treason and exiled to Siberia.
Reviewed By Alan186346 - Thirsk, United Kingdom
The story behind the building is remarkable and shows the power play of Peter the Great's friend - Menshikov was lucky to keep his life!. The building grew over time and it stood, originally, right next to the river. It is more of a home than a grand palace and reflects the styles of the different periods of construction. Artefacts are a curiosity, of course, but it was the building itself that held my interest. The information cards, hand held, were well written and thoughtful.
5. Russian Academy of Fine Arts Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 32 reviews
Learn about the history of art education in Russia and view works by students and teachers from the famous Academy of Fine Arts, from which many of the most prominent Russian artists graduated.
6. Applied Art Museum at the Stieglitz Academy
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 124 reviews
This jewel of a museum, hidden inside the Artistic Industrial Academy, is worth a visit both for the magnificent building that houses it and for its treasure trove of glass, ceramics, furniture and other fine arts and antiques.
Reviewed By 738friedaf - St. Petersburg, Russia
A true must! It reminded me of a miniature version of the V&A. I stopped by on a Saturday at around 1pm only to find out that the only way to visit the museum is via a guided tour. Fortunately a group was convening in the hall of the main lobby so I was able to join right in the nick of time. But beware the tour is in Russian, and lasts a good two hours. Had plenty of time to take photographs and take in the very beautiful rooms. Our guide opened up a variety of cabinets and secret rooms which are typically kept under lock and key. My suggestion is to call in advance and to find out when the daily tour takes place, and if there is an English speaking one. Even if there isn’t, you can still enjoy this gem of a museum and just read up on the collector-Stieglitz-and his exquisite and rare collection. Interestingly the guide didn’t tell us much about who he was, or mention his execution by the Bolsheviks. The museum was used during the Blockade to train future art restorators, in view of news filtering in about extensive damage to palaces outside the city (Peterhof, Pavlovsk, Gatchina). Many of its graduates took part in the post war restoration of the city’s destroyed palaces.
7. The General Staff Building
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,136 reviews
Reviewed By Scenic797753
An impressive collection of an impressive range of great art including examples of works by Van Gogh, Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec, Dégas, Matisse, Picasso, Monet and others. Wonderful. Equals or surpasses any collection you are likely to see anywhere in the world...
8. Erarta Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,175 reviews
Erarta is the largest private museum of contemporary art in Russia. Its five floors host the permanent collection display, temporary exhibitions, a cafe, a restaurant, and stores. The museum’s permanent collection comprises more than 2,800 works by artists from all across Russia. Every year, Erarta stages dozens of exhibitions alternately focusing on painting, sculpture, video art, fashion and design. Erarta Museum was repeatedly mentioned as a top choice tourist attraction by the world’s leading Lonely Planet guidebooks and TripAdvisor travel website, was spotlighted as one of the ‘5 cultural gems in St. Petersburg’ by National Geographic, and became the country’s first contemporary art museum to be featured on Google Art Project.
Reviewed By FrederickWentworth - Rouen, France
Well appointed ultra-modern museum in a grand neoclassical building, very easy to reach by trolley bus from Nevsky prospect (lines 10 &11 if I remember correctly). Sadly enough no tourists. A nice change after the kitsch horrors in the touristy galleries around Nevski. Loved Alexander Kabin's "Northern Railway Station" and above all Alexander Kompaniets' s "Galoshes" but those are only my favourites--plenty more to see. There is a very quiet café serving delicious cakes (and a restaurant). Recommended.
9. Rosphoto State Museum and Exhibition Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 55 reviews
The activities of The State Russian Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSPHOTO, founded in 2002, embrace exhibitions, scientific research and educational programs. The Centre exhibits works of well known national and international masters of photography, as well as young talented artists working in the genres of contemporary art closely connected with photography: video art, photographic installations, animation, experimental cinema.
10. Museum of Urban Sculpture
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Museum exposition treasures unique pieces of memorial art in Alexander Nevsky monastery. In the XVIII century Necropolis you will see tombstone monuments to contemporaries of Peter the Great - outstanding figures in Russian history, science and culture, St. Petersburg architects, famous noblemen. In the Masters of Arts Necropolis, there is a collection of memorial headstones.
