Hermitage...how much see or what to see ?
 

In looking at the Hermitage site it looks like a person could spend days looking at the museums. Any suggerstions of what is an abosolute must see and what can be passed over. thanks

I spent 2 days there and could easily have spent 4.

So much of one's "must sees" depend upon your preferences and tastes in art. I would focus on the Russian art, as that isn't readily available for viewing outside Russia. The European, Oriental, and Ancient examples...well, fine examples can be found in most major museums. But the Russian art is still mostly in Russia.

The Hermitage was one of the few art museums where I found a guided tour (private guide for our family) most valuable because the guide leads you to the most significant pictures (some of them are very small, e.g. Leonardo's Madonna Benois). When you are on your own, you will need several days indeed.

It is very hard to say what to see in Hermitage. You will see it yourself. Here are a lot of pictures of Hermitage http://www.worldwalk.info/en/catalog/80/. Have a look. Maybe you will understand better what to see.

It is better to discover Hermitage yourself. That place just "must be seen"

The place has over THREE MILLION works of art; not all are on display at the same time.

What you should also realize is that unlike many major museums such as the Rijksmuseum, the Louvre, Prado, etc., the Hermitage ROOMS THEMSELVES are worth seeing, not to mention the stuff hanging on the walls.

I suggest you spend the money and get a guide..ideally if you are in a group..a guide who uses the headphone/microphone system. I say this because unless you are standing very CLOSE to the guide and you are there on a day when it is crowded (often happens) it is HARD TO HEAR.

One of the features of the Hermitage and Winter Palace is art. But it is a general museum as well as an art gallery, with 3,800,000 display items and 1015 rooms open to the public plus ancillary museums in other parts of the city such as the porcelain collection at the Lomonosov Imperial Porcelain Factory, it is doubtful anyone is going to see all it has to offer in a short visit.
What to see? good question, I've been there 100 times or more and have not seen the whole collection, I doubt anyone has.
Most visitors, particularly the cruise ship passengers, want to cram into the same 2 rooms, the French Impressionests and the Rembrandt rooms but they miss the most interesting parts of the display, some in rooms that are empty of visitors. The place can swallow 10,000 visitors without seeming to be crowded if they would just spread out a little. A less over-loved gallery of Russian art with a better Russian art collection is the wonderful Russian Museum walking distance away on Arts Square.
The most spectacular aspect of the Hermitage/Winter Palace is the palace itself, that overshadows the art in many areas. The furnishings and interior of the palace is nothing short of spectacular. Even seeing the detail of the high baroque Rastrelli interior only by peripheral vision is enough to tire someone prematurely from visual over-stimulus so most people visit much shorter lengths of time than they would more traditional museums. Many people make plans to spend 2 days inside for cover their most desired rooms but end up being exhausted in a few hours, walking out glassy-eyed after 1/5 the time they wished.
Pace yourself, go visit the antiquities, uniforms or coin collections(the largest in the world) or whatever to relax a little. Take a break for lunch with a sit-down regular cafe or restaurant....
I doubt there is a more complete museum or cultural city in the world, with more active drama or concert performances, or world class museums, more ballet performances, or more universities/colleges and institutes than anywhere. One of the best parts of this cultural Mecca is that it is all accessible and used by all ages. It is perfectly normal to see teens who might visit the heavy metal concert the night before to go to a classical concert or drama theater. Of the 350 drama theaters most are full every night with people of all ages. This is a city where art and culture are fully integrated into daily life. There is nothing like that to prepare a visitor from North America for that level of community involvement with culture.