hermitage vs peterhof
 

We are arriving in St Petersburg on a Princess cruise ship for 2 days this summer. We want to do an evening performance and see the city lights and a walking tour that lets you ride the subway and go to the market.
We think we will then have to choose between the Hermitage and the Peterhof for the 2nd day unless the cruise has different start times that will enable us to do both. Has anyone done the 2 day stop from this cruise ship? Suggestions?

Definitely look into the day of the week that this will take place- both are very impressive, but not seeing the Hermitage is a sin. Even if you can squeeze in an hour there, it is worth every last kopeika.

I speak from personal experience- we were misinformed about when the Hermitage was open when my sister visited me in Russia- and now she has never seen it. Big regret of mine. She did, of course, love Peterhof and the hydrofoil, etc... but she's an art major now. Oops.

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I didn't see the Peterhof, so I can't compare, but the Hermitage is a remarkable palace with some beautiful interiors and one of the world's finest collections of art. Your choice should depend on your interests, but the Hermitage was my main reason for going to St. Petersburg. Hope that helps!

The Hermitage. It is one of the finest art collections in the world. The Peterhof is a fine reconstruction (it was on the battlefield line during W.W.II), but simply does not compare.

Given an either/or choice for a casual tourist, I would see Peterhof. This is despite the fact that I am quite interested in the visual arts, my wife has had an exhibition at the Hermitage, I have been a supporter of the Hermitage for several years, and consider the head of the Hermitage as one of the leading cultural figures in the world today. Sorry, Mikhail Borisovitch!

The Hermitage is one of the world's leading museums, and is important as both a storehouse and advocate for the arts. Peterhof, though, would stick in your memory--the first memory I have of Russian culture was from a news program in the early 1970's showing the then-reopened fountains of Peterhof (since they were destroyed during WWII and took nearly 30 years to be restored). I consider the fountains at Peterhof to be superior to those at Versailles (although the palace and outlying buildings are not as interesting).

That all said, I would recommend the Hermitage over a ride in the Metro and a walking tour of St. Petersburg.

I've done the two day cruise stop and the tours offered were staggered so that if you were really keen you could do one morning, one afternoon and one evening on the first day and one morning and one afternoon on the second. If your cruise line is the same you should be able to do Peterhof and the Hermitage and your other two tours.

I didn't go to Peterhof so I can't compare it with the Hermitage, but I don't think you should miss the Hermitage.

It depends on your interests. Someone would visit Hermitage, someone Peterhof and someone would find a pub (club) and drink beer there.
In summer I would prefer Peterhof . You can go there by hydrofoil from St. Petersburg. Have to admit that after Peterhof, the foutains at Versailles didn't impress me at all.

Having been on very, very poor cruiseline tours, I decided to be a little more pro-active when I planned my trip to Russia. This included hiring a private guide in St. Petersburg. It was worth every penny and then some!! With a private guide I got to see numerous sites that I wanted and on a time line that suited me. I don't see why you should have to choose between two incredible sites when there is a highly practical option.

PS- my guide said skip the interiors at Peterhoff if you need to shave some time off your plans. I felt she was correct but then I saw quite a few palace interiors.

Thank you...everyone. I am enthused about the possibility that the cruise ship tours might make it possible to see both.
My friend and I both love getting to mingle with the people and we thought that the Metro ride and going to the market would provide some of that experince.
Lots to ponder!!!!
Thanks again.
Sycamore

Will you be visiting Moscow at all? The metro system there is much more impressive.

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Another vote for the Hermitage.

you should try and visit both, but personally I would take Peterhof in a heartbeat