Hermitage Museum
I am not a great fan of museums but The Hermitage museum is simply a must see. It is housed in the winter palace on the waterfront and the façade is beautiful and very prominent. It was built in mid 18thcentury and declared a museum in 1917. Every Friday, entrance is free but the queues are very long and the waiting time can be more than 3 hours. However, since I was a guest at Marriott, I could use the special entrance without any waiting time. To do real justice to the vast collection at The Hermitage, one needs days. We had 2 hours and we could barely finish few sections on couple of floors.
But whatever I saw was very impressive. To see the full museum, you have to be on your feet for hours. Also, the exhibits/rooms are not organised in a linear way, one room can have 2 or more exits into another room with exhibits. Hence, you need a map to ensure you have covered all that you wish to see.
Exhibit Exhibit One of the ornate halls The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
One can book tickets online or take up a guided tour, though that can be cost more for a shorter duration of time.
Ballet at Mariinsky theatre is very enjoyable even for novice
A visit to St. Petersburg is incomplete without watching atleast one ballet or opera, depending on your interest. Plenty of theatres to choose from, with few of them having been constructed in the 20thCentury. I watched a ballet at Mariinsky II theatre which is a new theatre. The foyer was fabulous, with one side of the wall cladded with colorful Onyx stone. The interior of the theatre too was very impressive.
Cheaper ticket are available to locals only
I booked tickets online with one ticket costing about 7000 roubles in the stall boxes. The prices vary, depending on the seat position. I was told locals get concessions and pay much less. The performance, lasting 2.5 hours with a half hour break, was flawless.
The Onyx stone interior inside Mariinsky II theatre
After the performance, while looking for a taxi, I chanced upon an Indian restaurant. Post dinner, they were kind enough to book an Uber for us, saving me a fair bit of money.