Your complete guide to all buildings of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg

Alexandra Guzeva

Apr 23 2025

This St. Petersburg museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian fine art in the world. We tell you how not to miss its main masterpieces and not to get lost in the many palaces and buildings of the museum.

Important info:

The State Russian Museum is NOT OPEN on Tuesdays.
On the Virtual Russian Museum website, you can take a digital walk around the museum buildings and view the entire digitized collection of paintings, graphics and sculptures.
You can buy a complex ticket for permanent expositions at all palaces and buildings on the museum's website. This ticket costs 1,500 rubles (approx. $18) for citizens of the Russian Federation and the EAEU (Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic), and 2,100 rubles (approx. $25) for other adults.

Mikhailovsky Palace, Inzhenernaya Street, 4

What’s inside? This is the main building of the museum, where the main exposition is located. The palace once belonged to Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and was built by architect Carlo Rossi in the first half of the 19th century.
Ancient icons and famous large-scale paintings of Karl Bryullov's ‘The Last Day of Pompeii’, Ilya Repin's ‘Barge Haulers on the Volga’, Ivan Aivazovsky's ‘The Ninth Wave’ and many other paintings by the stars of Russian art can be found there. In addition, the palace has preserved the interiors and decorations of tsarist times.

How to get there? It’s about a 5-10-minute walk from ‘Nevsky Prospekt’ or ‘Gostiny Dvor’ subway stations.
How much does a ticket cost? A ticket costs 450 rubles (approx. $5.50) for citizens of the Russian Federation and the EAEU and 1,000 rubles (approx. $12) for other adults on weekdays. On weekends, it costs 550 rubles (approx. $6.60) and 1,200 (approx. $14.50) rubles, accordingly. You can also buy it online at ticket.rusmuseum.ru.
The main building has audio guides available in Russian, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Korean. You can also go on a guided tour in both Russian and English.

Benois Wing, Inzhenernaya Street, 2-4

What’s inside? The permanent exposition of the building is devoted to Russian art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It houses paintings by Boris Kustodiev, Nikolai Roerich, Konstantin Korovin, Valentin Serov, while several rooms are dedicated to Russian modernism and avant-garde (from Kazimir Malevich and Wassily Kandinsky to David Burliuk), Soviet and contemporary art. In addition, it is in the Benois Building that large-scale temporary exhibitions take place.
How to get there? It’s about a 10-15-minute walk from ‘Nevsky Prospekt’ or ‘Gostiny Dvor’ subway stations.
How much does a ticket cost? Tickets are sold separately for each exhibition. They cost from 500 (approx. $6) to 1,000 (approx. $12) rubles. They can also be purchased on the museum's website.
The Benois Wing also has audio guides available in Russian, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Korean. And you, too, can go on a guided tour in both Russian and English.

The Stroganov Palace, Nevsky Prospect, 17

What’s inside? The elegant pink palace was built in the 18th century by architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the Baroque style for the Count Stroganov family. The Russian Museum organizes temporary exhibitions in the palace. In addition, there is a permanent exposition devoted to Russian decorative and applied arts of the 19th century, and an exhibition devoted to imperial sets.
How to get there? It’s about a 5-minute walk from ‘Nevsky Prospekt’ or ‘Admiralteyskaya’ subway stations.
How much does a ticket cost? Open from April 26. Check the latest prices on the website.

Marble Palace, Millionnaya Street, 5/1

What’s inside? The palace on the Neva embankment was built by architect Antonio Rinaldi at the request of Catherine the Great. The Classicist building was intended for the empress' favorite, Count Grigory Orlov. Since 1992, the building has been a branch of the Russian Museum.
Today, the exposition includes a collection of paintings, graphics, sculpture and decorative-applied art by St. Petersburg collectors Rzhevsky brothers, as well as international art of the second half of the 20th century, including works by Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. Large temporary exhibitions are also held here.
How to get there? It’s about a 15-20-minute walk from ‘Nevsky Prospekt’ subway station.
How much does a ticket cost? Check the latest prices on the website.

St. Michael's Castle, Sadovaya Street, 2

What’s inside? Do not mix up Mikhailovsky Palace (the main building of the museum) and Mikhailovsky Castle (Michael's Castle). The castle is primarily interesting as an architectural monument, built in the late 18th century for Pavel I. The emperor, who suffered from persecution mania, ordered canals to be dug around the castle and install fortifications. However, he lived only 40 days in his new shelter and was killed in his bedroom. The interiors of the castle, the collection of 18th and 19th century sculpture and paintings are the main things to see there.
How to get there? It’s about a 10-15-minute walk from ‘Gostiny Dvor’ subway station.

How much does a ticket cost? A ticket costs 700 rubles (approx. $8.50) for citizens of the Russian Federation and EAEU and 1,200 rubles (approx. $14) for other adults. You can also buy it online at ticket.rusmuseum.ru.
Michael's Castle has audio guides in both Russian and English. And you can also go on a guided tour in both Russian or English.

Cabin of Peter the Great, Petrovskaya Embankment, 6

What’s inside? The wooden House of Peter the Great is the oldest building in St. Petersburg and the first “palace” of the emperor in the new city, surprisingly modest in size and decoration. The lodge displays Peter the Great's personal belongings: a red cloth uniform, an Oriental cane, an armchair and other memorial exhibits from his time.
How to get there? It’s about a 10-15-minute walk from ‘Gorkovskaya’ subway station.

How much does a ticket cost? A ticket costs 500 rubles (approx. $6.00) for citizens of the Russian Federation and EAEU and 800 rubles (approx. $9.70) for other adults. You can also buy it online at ticket.rusmuseum.ru.