The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral
The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral, St. Petersburg
The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral
The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral
4.5
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
About
This gold-domed, ornate, 19th-century cathedral is the third largest domed cathedral in the world, and offers visitors a 300-step climb to a spectacular view of the city.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Admiralteisky
How to get there
- Admiralteyskaya • 7 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
6,203 within 3 miles

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Attractions
2,051 within 6 miles

Saint Isaac's Square
207
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181
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12
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5
457 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks

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3
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Zerkalny Dvorik
2
457 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
10,314 reviews
Excellent
8,003
Very good
1,919
Average
330
Poor
45
Terrible
17
B1714D
Belgrade, Serbia13,456 contributions
Apr 2021
St. Isaac's is still the world's largest Orthodox Shrine (the bigger future one in Bucharest is not yet finished) and the fourth largest Cathedral in the world.
It was built in 1858 by aristocracy funding in honor of Isaac the Dalmatian who was a patron saint of city founder Peter the Great. They didn't spare which is visible from outside and specially inside.
The exterior is adorned with a huge golden dome (which later inspired the US Capitol) and a total of 112 single hewn pink granite columns (you can see a movie and a model of building inside).
The interior is simply amazing, so lavish and rich it's hard to say what's more beautiful.
As all others in Russia it was banned for religion during the Communist regime and converted into a museum. Interesting fact is that St. Pet citizens refused being a Church again on a referendum, so it's still a museum (an outstanding one) with only occasional Church services.
As in any museum there's an entry fee, with a separate fee if you want to climb the dome, which I strongly suggest for great views.
It was built in 1858 by aristocracy funding in honor of Isaac the Dalmatian who was a patron saint of city founder Peter the Great. They didn't spare which is visible from outside and specially inside.
The exterior is adorned with a huge golden dome (which later inspired the US Capitol) and a total of 112 single hewn pink granite columns (you can see a movie and a model of building inside).
The interior is simply amazing, so lavish and rich it's hard to say what's more beautiful.
As all others in Russia it was banned for religion during the Communist regime and converted into a museum. Interesting fact is that St. Pet citizens refused being a Church again on a referendum, so it's still a museum (an outstanding one) with only occasional Church services.
As in any museum there's an entry fee, with a separate fee if you want to climb the dome, which I strongly suggest for great views.
Written May 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
milespointstravelkom
Redlands, CA1,252 contributions
May 2019
The line in front of the St. Isaac’s cathedral was about 20 minutes long as the tour buses had started to arrive by now. Tickets were 350 Rubles/person. The interior of the St. Isaac’s Cathedral is very impressive and not to be missed. There are a lot of amazing mosaic artwork pieces inside as well as very beautiful paintings.
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Srishti Misra
Dubai, United Arab Emirates56 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
If ever in SPB, please visit this museum especially those who dig for beautiful art. I would also highly recommend to take up the stairs to the rooftop from where the entire beautiful city of SPB can be viewed. It can be a bit tiresome but absolutely worth the climb. I would let the pictures speak for themselves.
Written January 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Wolfgang
Moscow, Russia6 contributions
Apr 2021
Simply amazing... the labor behind it... the paintings inside had to be transformed to mosaic stones (which took decades) due to the high humidity... def. a must see in St. Petersburg
Written May 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
RSsydney
Sydney, Australia989 contributions
Aug 2019
We paid a quick visit to this Cathedral Museum as part of our 2 day tour of St Petersburg. The mosaics are reproductions of paintings which were deteriorating in the cold & damp conditions inside the cathedral. Really worth a look!
Written July 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mark_Dornoch
Dornoch, UK1,502 contributions
Nov 2019
A too brief a visit with Alla Tours who I highly recommend. Built in 40 years in the 19th century. St Isaac was the patron Saint of Peter the Great. Phenomenal pink and grey granite columns surround the cathedral hewn from single blocks. each weighing about 100 tons. Beautiful. External bronze doors are based on and reminded me of the Baptistry in Florence. The main central dome influenced the design of the US Capitol dome.
Plenty of amazing mosaics inside including the resurrection of Jesus which you can make out in my photo. Beautiful columns of malachite and Lapis Lazuli lead towards the high altar. Gilt adorns much of the iconostasis.
Highly recommended
Plenty of amazing mosaics inside including the resurrection of Jesus which you can make out in my photo. Beautiful columns of malachite and Lapis Lazuli lead towards the high altar. Gilt adorns much of the iconostasis.
Highly recommended
Written October 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Travel Expert
Cyprus49 contributions
May 2019
I have visited St. Isaac's cathedral with collonade last May. From outise this cathedral impreses with it's size and you expect to see inside dark interior with few decorations,but to my surprise it was stunning.Marble,gold,paintings was definately worth to see when visiting St Petersburg.
Collonade has separate entrace from the cathedral and you need to clim the stairs. Like a lot of stairs but the view which you see from the top is really worth it. It was quite cold on top because of the wind.
Collonade has separate entrace from the cathedral and you need to clim the stairs. Like a lot of stairs but the view which you see from the top is really worth it. It was quite cold on top because of the wind.
Written April 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
mjomidi
Tehran, Iran74 contributions
Jul 2019 • Friends
Magnificent Architecture.
St. Isaac's Cathedral was intended to be the greatest in the Russian Empire. An unusual work of art, with four impotent columned porticos, as the interior of the Cathedral is a profusion of exquisite murals and mosaics, with eye-catching combination of colored marbles, malachite, lapis and gilt.
Take your time and enjoy your visit.
St. Isaac's Cathedral was intended to be the greatest in the Russian Empire. An unusual work of art, with four impotent columned porticos, as the interior of the Cathedral is a profusion of exquisite murals and mosaics, with eye-catching combination of colored marbles, malachite, lapis and gilt.
Take your time and enjoy your visit.
Written June 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Carol W
Johannesburg, South Africa112 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
This Cathedral is just incredible. You could sit all day looking up & around the incredibly beautiful ceilings & walls. Such an honor to be able to sit and take the entire Cathedral in. Totally a visit to admire & appreciate how it was built and how it is still standing. Mind blowing. A must visit.
Written January 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Malgorzata
11,183 contributions
Jul 2019
St. Isaac's Cathedral, completed in 1858 was a Russian Orthodox cathedral until 1931, when it became a museum. It is very interesting both inside and outside and is an example of the Russian neoclassical style. It has a rich and interesting history and is a stunning example of Russian architecture and art. It os the largest Orthodox temple in St. Petersburg and the second largest in Russia , built on the order of Tsar Alexander I. It is 97.6 m wide, 111.2 m long and 101.5 m high. The temple makes an amazing impression. The cathedral with golden domes is located near the Hermitage and the Neva River. This is worth a visit.
Written May 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Alexey_12154
Moscow, Russia4,141 contributions
Всем привет!
Кто-нибудь знает как заставить ТА изменить название странички Исаакия?
В русской версии название Собора совсем отсутствует и остаётся какой-то безликий и непонятный "государственный музей-памятник".
Не пора ли устранить несправедливость?
Виктор З
Yekaterinburg, Russia39 contributions
Согласен
Здравствуйте. Забронировали и оплатили экскурсию трехчасовую на 22 августа в 14.00. но мой аккаунт вскрыт( о чем мне пришло сообщение в почту) и экскурсия отмена. Возврата средств нет. Как быть, мы хотим попасть на экскурсию, она оплачена.
Maxim S
Moscow, Russia28 contributions
Может быть на почте есть подтверждение бронирования? Позвонить и проверить актуально ли оно?
Ольга
Dzerzhinsk, Russia120 contributions
Подскажите, пожалуйста, есть смысл покупать ваучер онлайн или с ним придётся отстоять такую же очередь, как и за билетами ?
Julia1972
Moscow, Russia1,531 contributions
По будням очередей не бывает. В выходные быть может, если в сезон посещать. Но вообще ни разу не видела там очередей. И по-моему, там еще автоматы по продаже билетов стоят, или на них распечатывают уже купленные, честно говоря, сама не пользовалась.
Alex
Vienna, Austria
Gibt es auch Audioguides auf Deutsch?
Sasabougui
Ile-de-France, France68 contributions
oui il y en a dans toutes les langues
swetlana4_15
Москва81 contributions
Скажите пожалуйста, а как проводятся экскурсии? В определенное время?
LV_Pff
Yekaterinburg, Russia4,512 contributions
Добрый день! Экскурсии проводятся через каждые 15 - 20 минут. Я не знаю каким образом их оплачивают, но, по-моему, это даже и не предусмотрено - в билет включено экскурсионное обслуживание. Просто на входе собирается группа + гид и можно спокойно послушать. Я слушала с одной группой и замечательным гидом, никто не прогнал
elena_kellogg
Kirovsk, Russia
когда дни бесплатного посещения для многодетных?
Илья Р
Chernogolovka, Russia234 contributions
Это лучше уточнить у администрации напрямую, ибо насколько мне известно, дни эти "плавающие". Также бесплатно вроде бы можно придти на богослужение. На литургию например.
amelia v
Bangkok, Thailand20 contributions
When is the renovation on the top of cathedral would be complete?
If there is a free concert at the cathedral how early do you need to arrive to ensure you can get in?
Chef T
Paranaque, Philippines115 contributions
Sorry, I can't give you a precise answer for that. As we all know, St. Petersburg isn't only a popular tourist spot, but also a common itinerary of cruiseships. It's a matter of chance I guess. My advise is visit this first before going somewhere else.
Federico B
Turin, Italy381 contributions
Ciao,
gentilmente potresti dirmi i giorni e gli orari di apertura? Grazie molte
manu62_13
Rome, Italy79 contributions
ciao su questo link ottieni tutte le informazioni di cui hai bisogno e puoi anche acquistare i biglietti in anticipo isaak.ticketnet.
Frequently Asked Questions about The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral
- The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral is open:
- Thu - Tue 10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
- Hotels near The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral:
- (0.11 mi) Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg
- (0.09 mi) Anglettere Hotel
- (0.10 mi) Renaissance St. Petersburg Baltic Hotel
- (0.13 mi) Hotel Astoria
- (0.12 mi) Hotel SO / Saint Petersburg
- Restaurants near The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral:
- (0.10 mi) Restaurant Dolma
- (0.05 mi) Sintoho
- (0.07 mi) Percorso
- (0.10 mi) Mansarda Restaurant
- (0.08 mi) Xander Bar