Can you buy Hermitage or Tretyakov Gallery tickets online from abroad?
Yes. Both hermitagemuseum.org and tretyakovgallery.ru sell timed e-tickets online, delivered by email, and as of 2026 the sites usually open from abroad. The catch is payment: the checkout takes Russian-issued cards or the Russian payment network, so a card from global payment methods is usually rejected and you need a card that works in Russia, such as PayInRussia.
Updated September 2026
Where the official tickets are sold
The Hermitage sells through hermitagemuseum.org, with separate tickets for the Main Museum Complex on Palace Square and the General Staff Building opposite. The Tretyakov Gallery sells at tretyakovgallery.ru, where the historic building on Lavrushinsky Lane and the New Tretyakov on Krymsky Val are ticketed separately. As of 2026 both sites usually load from abroad and have an English version, though a few screens stay in Russian.
Tickets are timed: pick a date and an entry slot, and the e-ticket with a QR code arrives by email. Show it on your phone at the entrance. Resellers such as Yandex Afisha (Яндекс Афиша) and Kassir.ru sell the same tickets, often with a fee and the same Russian-only payment methods.
- Check which building the ticket is for before you pay
- Pick a date and an entry slot — both museums are closed on Mondays
- If the site lists a separate ticket for foreign citizens, choose that one — staff may ask to see your passport at the entrance
- Popular slots in summer and on weekends can sell out days ahead, so book early
Paying when your foreign card is rejected
At checkout both museums offer Russian bank cards and the Russian payment network. Since March 2022 a card from global payment methods issued abroad does not work in Russia, online included; Apple Pay and Google Pay are not offered. The block is on the network, not on your card, so trying again will not help.
Two ways round it. Where the checkout lists the Russian payment network, choose it and pick Промсельхозбанк (PayinRussia / Плати в России) in the bank list: the PayInRussia app opens on its own and you confirm with one tap. Where a site asks for card details instead, the number, expiry and CVV shown in the app behave like a Russian-issued card. The basic card holds up to 15 000 ₽.
Buying at the door instead
The ticket desks (касса) at both museums take cash in rubles and Russian-issued cards; foreign cards are declined there too.
The downside is the queue. At the Hermitage in summer and at the Tretyakov on weekends it can run to an hour or more, the best entry slots go to online buyers first, and desks usually stop selling before the museum closes. Buying from home before you fly is the quieter option.
