Visitor Guidelines

APPROVED

by Order No. 41 of the General Director of the Russian Museum

6 February 2026

 

RULES FOR VISITING EXHIBITIONS

Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture

“The State Russian Museum”

 

1. These Rules establish the procedure for visiting, as well as for taking photographs and making video recordings by visitors at the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture “The State Russian Museum” and its branches (the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Benois Wing, the Marble Palace, St Michael’s (Engineers’) Castle, the Stroganov Palace, the Cabin of Peter the Great, the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Summer Garden, the Mikhailovsky Garden, the Western Pavilion of St Michael’s Castle, and the Eastern Pavilion of St Michael’s Castle) (hereinafter – the Museum).

2. The opening hours of the Russian Museum and its Lecture Hall are established by the Museum Administration in accordance with the approved calendar schedule.

3. The terms of admission to temporary exhibitions may differ from the terms applicable to the permanent collection.

4. Admission to the exhibition halls is granted:

4.1 For the Museum visitors, upon presentation of:

• a standard admission ticket purchased at the Museum ticket offices on the day of the visit;

• an electronic admission ticket;

• a group admission ticket (a tour voucher) for 2 (two) or more persons;

• an admission ticket entitling the holder to the discounted rate.

The list of categories of persons entitled to admission at the discounted rate is established by the applicable laws of the Russian Federation and by local regulations of the Russian Museum, and is brought to the attention of interested parties by being posted in the Museum’s ticket office areas, on the website, as well as on official online resources and social media.

4.2 For non-staff individuals conducting educational or research activities relevant to the Museum’s profile in the exhibition halls (excluding filming, photography, copying works, and press shooting) – upon presentation of a pass.

• a single-use pass, issued by the Registration Department, valid on the day of issue;

• a fixed-term pass, valid on the days and during the hours of exhibition opening, issued by the Automated Access Control Department.

4.3 Filming, photography or copying works, as well as reportage shooting in the exhibition halls require a special permit, issued by the State Registration Service for the Museum Collection and valid for the days and hours specified therein.

4.4. For persons invited to the opening of new exhibitions or to other ceremonial events held in the exhibition halls – upon presentation of an invitation.

The invitation shall specify the name of the event, the date and the time of its holding.

4.5. For members of the Friends of the Russian Museum Club – upon presentation of their membership cards, on the days and during the hours of the exhibition opening or event.

4.6. For members of the Meetings at the Russian Museum Club – upon presentation of standard-issue tickets during the Museum’s regular opening hours.

4.7. For members of the Art Lovers Club, Student Club and Young Art Lovers Club – upon presentation of standard-issue tickets, on the days and during the Museum’s regular opening hours.

5. Persons entitled to reduced-price admission and reduced-price services at the Museum shall present the relevant documents at the ticket office, as well as upon request by the Museum staff or authorised persons at the entrance.

Persons who present a reduced-price ticket at the entrance but do not hold documents confirming their entitlement to such concessions shall not be admitted to the Museum, and their tickets shall not be refunded or exchanged.

6. Free admission tickets for concessionary categories of visitors are provided subject to availability for the selected time slot.

To ensure the safety of visitors and the preservation of the artworks, exceeding the maximum capacity in the exhibition halls is not permitted. The maximum number of visitors for each exhibition space shall be calculated individually.

7. Each ticket entitles the holder to visit the Museum facility and/or specific event (including temporary exhibitions) indicated on the ticket, for a specific session on a specific day and time.

8. A combined ticket entitles the holder to visit the permanent and temporary exhibitions at the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Benois Wing, St Michael’s Castle, the Marble Palace and the Stroganov Palace, with the exception of the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Cabin of Peter the Great and the Western and Eastern Pavilions of St Michael’s Castle, within two calendar days. In the event that the date of the visit falls on Tuesday, the combined ticket shall be valid on the following Wednesday.

9. Visitors are obliged to check their change at the ticket office, in the presence of the cashier who issued the ticket, without leaving the counter.

10. To expedite passage through the entry checkpoint, the Museum has introduced a group ticket for visits.

11. The price of all types of admission tickets shall be established by order of the General Director of the Museum.

12. When entering the Museum, visitors are obliged to observe order, queue as required and follow the instructions of the authorised Museum staff responsible for checking tickets and entry documents.

13. When moving through the exhibition, visitors are advised to maintain a distance of 1.5 metres. Responsibility for compliance with this requirement rests with the visitor.

14. Guided tours at the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Stroganov Palace, the Marble Palace, St Michael’s Castle and the Benois Wing are provided for groups of visitors – adult citizens of the Russian Federation, pensioners, students, schoolchildren and preschool children – in groups of 20 persons, upon presentation of an excursion voucher.

For preschool groups and primary school groups (grades 1–4), two accompanying persons are permitted; for groups of schoolchildren in grades 5–11, one accompanying person is permitted.

15. Guided tour as part of the Museum’s educational program “Hello, Museum!” at the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Stroganov Palace, the Marble Palace, St Michael’s Castle, the Benois Wing and the Summer Garden are provided for the following categories of visitors:

• preschool groups of up to 15 persons, including two accompanying persons;

• school groups (grades 1–11) of up to 25 persons, including two accompanying persons;

• groups of adult citizens of the Russian Federation of up to 12 persons;

• mixed groups of up to 15 persons.

16. Guided tours in the Summer Garden are provided for groups of visitors – adult citizens of the Russian Federation, pensioners, students, schoolchildren and preschool children – in groups of 15 persons, upon presentation of an excursion voucher.

For preschool groups and primary school groups (grades 1–4), two accompanying persons are permitted; for groups of schoolchildren in grades 5–11, one accompanying person is permitted.

17. Guided tours at the Summer Palace of Peter the Great and the Cabin of Peter the Great are provided for groups of visitors – adult citizens of the Russian Federation, pensioners, students, schoolchildren and preschool children – in groups of 15 persons, upon presentation of an excursion voucher.

For preschool groups and primary school groups (grades 1–4), two accompanying persons are permitted; for groups of schoolchildren in grades 5–11, one accompanying person is permitted.

18. Guided tour services (tours, classes, workshops under the subscription programmes and other forms of work with visitors) at all the Museum facilities shall be carried out by full-time staff of the Lectures and Excursions Department, as well as by staff of the Development and Public Relations Service and staff of the research departments, subject to approval by the heads of the respective units (services, departments, sections).

Non-staff personnel holding an authorization document may conduct guided tours at Museum facilities on the basis of a service contract with the Museum, upon presentation of an excursion voucher obtained by the order number in the electronic excursion log.

19. Persons who are not full-time employees of the Museum may conduct guided tours provided they hold a service contract with the Museum for the provision of excursion services and/or hold an authorization document entitling them to conduct tours in Russian and/or foreign languages, upon presentation of an excursion voucher.

20. An authorization document for guided tours at the Museum shall be issued to:

• guide interpreters of travel agencies having a contract with the Museum. The authorization document entitles guide interpreters to conduct tours for foreign tourists in a foreign language at the Museum facilities (with the exception of temporary exhibitions), based on a request from the travel agency and the assignment of an order number in the electronic excursion log;

• employees of travel agencies having a contract with the Museum, who have received an authorization document to conduct tours in Russian upon completion of the required training courses;

• employees of organizations (colleges, lyceums, institutes, universities) having a cooperation agreement that regulates the conduct of guided tours by instructors of said organizations at the Museum facilities, provided they hold the relevant educational qualifications and professional standing (art history and/or pedagogy).

Upon request by the Museum staff or the Museum security service, persons holding an authorization document are required to present it together with the excursion voucher upon first request for the purpose of verifying the legality of the tour.

21. Organized group visits shall be conducted in accordance with the Museum’s opening hours and the schedule of temporary exhibitions in effect on the day of the tour.

22. Admission of organized groups to the exhibition premises shall be granted on the basis of:

• an excursion voucher issued to a travel agency in exchange for an order (voucher) presented at the Museum ticket office, indicating the name of the travel agency, contract number, order number in the electronic excursion log, category and number of visitors, and the topic of the excursion;

• an excursion voucher issued to the customer on the basis of the order number in the electronic excursion log;

• an excursion voucher issued to a representative of an organization that has signed an agreement with the Museum for excursion services at the Museum facilities, on the basis of the order number in the electronic log.

23. Persons accompanying organized groups are required to bring the provisions of these Rules to the attention of each member of their group.

24. The following visitors shall not be admitted to the Museum:

• visitors carrying firearms, traumatic weapons, cold steel, as well as their replicas (or souvenir models), or laser pointers;

• visitors under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or toxic substances, or who are in any way disturbing public order;

• visitors carrying suitcases and travel bags (the dimensions of which shall not exceed 50×50×30 cm), backpacks, oversized sports equipment (bicycles, roller skates, skateboards, scooters, ice skates, sledges, skis, trekking poles, etc.), umbrellas, musical instruments, flowers, kitchen utensils, or metalware; visitors with disabilities and other persons with reduced mobility may use canes and crutches;

• visitors carrying piercing, fragile, flammable, explosive, poisonous or toxic substances, or any items that may soil or damage Museum property;

• visitors with any animals or birds, with the exception of guide dogs accompanying visitors with visual impairments, upon presentation of documents confirming their special training and guide dog status;

• It is prohibited to bring the following items in the exhibition spaces:

- backpacks with dimensions exceeding 30×25×7 cm;

- umbrellas (unless stored inside bags or backpacks), umbrella sticks;

- foodstuffs and chewing gum;

- unmanned aerial vehicles (drones, remote-controlled toys).

25. The following are prohibited at the Museum and on its territory:

• disturbing public order;

• entering exhibition halls and displays wearing outerwear (except at the Cabin of Peter the Great and the Summer Palace of Peter the Great);

• stepping beyond the barriers or entering staff-only areas;

• touching exhibits, marble cladding or elements of the decorative and artistic interior (paintings, mosaics, sculptures, walls, murals, gilding, etc.), placing objects on or leaning against windowsills, pedestals, interior fittings or opening windows;

• bringing in and consuming water, alcoholic beverages or other drinks, or consuming food in the exhibition halls, except in designated areas (the foyer, restaurant or café);

• making inscriptions or affixing notices, posters or other informational materials;

•  making sketches of paintings using paints or easels (pencil sketches of paintings on paper no larger than 30×30 cm are permitted at the permanent exhibitions);

• trading or distributing tickets or any other goods, conducting tours or engaging in any other revenue-generating activities without the prior written consent of the Museum Administration;

• using mobile phones or other communication devices in the exhibition halls, or using audible signals on mobile phones or other communication devices in the exhibition halls, as well as singing, dancing, playing musical instruments or carrying out artistic work with specialized equipment without prior authorization from the Museum Administration;

• taking photographs or making video recordings at temporary exhibitions using professional photographic or video equipment;

• taking photographs or making video recordings at the permanent exhibitions using a tripod, additional lighting (including flash) or any other auxiliary devices, including selfie sticks;

• interfering with tours or other Museum events;

• leaving preschool-aged children unattended by adults;

• smoking on the Museum premises, including electronic cigarettes, or using open flames (matches, lighters, firecrackers, fireworks, etc.);

• littering the Museum grounds or discarding rubbish in unauthorized places;

• behaving disrespectfully toward the Museum’s staff or violating generally accepted rules and standards of conduct (use of profane language, aggressive behaviour, etc.);

• the use of strollers in the exhibition halls of the Benois Wing, the Stroganov Palace and the Marble Palace is prohibited owing to the architectural features of these buildings and the need to ensure comfortable viewing of the exhibitions and displays for all categories of visitors.

Strollers shall be left in the entrance area (cloakroom); visitors are advised to use a baby carrier (sling) instead.

The Museum reserves the right to limit stroller access to certain exhibitions and displays, depending on the size of the halls, visitor capacity, exhibition equipment and the fragility of the exhibits.

26. Visitors to the Museum are required to:

• comply with the requirements of these Rules;

• notify the Museum staff of the presence of suspicious objects or unattended items, the detection of smoke, fire or the commission of an offence;

• comply with the lawful instructions of the Museum staff and security personnel;

• in the event of an emergency, act in accordance with the instructions of the authorized Museum staff, security, police or emergency services personnel.

27. Employees of the Russian Museum shall have the right to verify permits held by persons engaged in professional photography and video recording, as well as excursion, educational and commercial activities on the Museum premises. In the event of a violation of these Rules (including paragraph 19), the agreement for the provision of Museum services with such visitor may be terminated by the Museum unilaterally. In such a case, the visitor shall be obliged to leave the Museum exhibition premises immediately upon the request of the Museum staff. The use of images obtained during photography or video recording for commercial purposes shall be subject to a separate agreement with the Museum.

28. Any person causing damage or material loss to the Museum shall compensate for such damage in an amount determined by an expert commission. In the event that the person refuses to compensate for the damage caused, the Museum shall pursue its claim through legal proceedings.

29. The prevention and suppression of possible offences, as well as the enforcement of these Rules, shall be carried out by the relevant departments of the Museum (the Palace and Park Security Service, the Exhibition Security Service, departmental security services in cooperation with the departments responsible for visitor services) and state law enforcement authorities.

30. The Museum employees shall issue a warning to any visitor who violates these Rules.

31. In the case of a gross violation of these Rules or a disturbance of public order, the visitor shall be escorted from the Museum premises by security personnel or the police, without a ticket refund.