Gosudarstvenny Ermitazh (The State Hermitage Museum), St. Petersburg

The Hermitage is one of the top 5 must see sites in St. Petersburg. Buy and study a good travel book before your visit so you can map out the top 10 things you want to see in the museum, as like most people, you probably can't devote little more than 1/2 a day to visit the Hermitage. The Palace is in many ways the most impressive part of the visit. The Grand Staircase, the mosaic, the gold leaf . . . the display of opulence is overwhelming. There are so many works of art, that a good visit plan is essential. You are allowed to take photographs inside, for an extra price. You cannot bring in jackets, umbrellas, bags, backpacks, etc. - - but they do offer a free bag check just inside the entry. Directly in front of the Hermitage, on the river Neva, are boats that will take you down the Neva and across the Bay of Finland to Peterhof, which is another must see during your St. Petersburg visit. If you have a short time in St. Petersburg, I recommend taking a morning visit of the Hermitage and then taking the boat down to Peterhof or visa-versa. The Hermitage is packed first thing in the morning, but we found the crowds manageble for the first couple hours. Then we ran into the tourist groups which made some rooms packed shoulder to shoulder.