The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral

The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral

The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral
4.5
Speciality MuseumsChurches & Cathedrals
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.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Admiralteisky
How to get there
  • Admiralteyskaya • 7 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles10,345 reviews
Excellent
8,033
Very good
1,918
Average
331
Poor
46
Terrible
17

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Alexander_Kudrin
Samara, Russia13,701 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2022 • Family
Every time I am in St. Petersburg, I try to come here, but the last time I was inside was in 1986.
The cathedral impresses with its size; it is the largest Orthodox cathedral in the city.
We admired the beauty of the interior, the stone cladding of marble in different colors and the stunning mosaics.
Now several examples of mosaic panels are displayed below, so you can see them up close.
I was impressed by the iconostasis made of white marble, malachite, lapis lazuli and quartz.
We first looked around with a guided tour, which is included in the ticket price, and then walked around the cathedral on our own.
We got to the wedding and realized how good the acoustics are here.
Separately, you can climb the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Climbing a spiral staircase to a height of 43 meters above the ground is wide and comfortable, although the last door is very narrow.
Here is an observation deck with a 360-degree view. In continuous mode, there is an audio tour of what can be seen from a bird's eye view.
The colonnade includes 24 columns, each of which weighs about 67 tons. You can also see huge sculptures of saints mounted on the roof from the back.
It is convenient that the ascent and descent are carried out on different stairs
Written 28 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Travel Expert
Cyprus49 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
Written 10 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RSsydney
Sydney, Australia1,151 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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 25 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carol W
Johannesburg, South Africa114 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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 25 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mjomidi
Tehran, Iran74 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 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.
Written 20 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ridos
Krasnodar, Russia3,930 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
Indescribable grandeur and beauty. The building is magnificent from the outside, but the inside is absolutely breathtaking, it’s indescribable, you definitely need to see it with your own eyes.
Be sure to buy an entrance ticket and a separate ticket to the colonnade, you will be able to take a closer look at the sculptures installed at the top and enjoy the panorama of the city.
The ticket price includes a tour with a professional guide, a museum employee.
Avoid intermediaries, buy tickets at the box office, or better yet on the official website, and save money and nerves.
Google
Written 23 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Светланка🧜‍♀️
Moscow, Russia16,628 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Friends
It turned out funny, but really wanting to get to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, I only managed to do it on my fourth visit to St. Petersburg! 🤷😂
The cathedral was built in 1858. The author of the project is Henri Louis Auguste Ricard de Montferrand. A majestic building! You need to visit it with a guided tour, which is actually included in the ticket price. Those. Every 15-20 minutes a group gathers and a tour is given. Participation is optional. But if you are lucky with a guide, they will tell you the history of the temple in a very interesting way.
St. Isaac's Cathedral is the largest church in St. Petersburg and the fourth largest domed church in the world! What a majestic and beautiful building! I have seen many beautiful temples, but this one is simply mesmerizing. Of course, it is already more of a museum and attraction than a church. But the services are going on.
For an additional fee, you can climb the colonnade of the cathedral and look at the city from a not-so-bird's-eye view)) Not very high to offer any stunning views, but still interesting.
Google
Written 15 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark_Dornoch
Dornoch, UK1,490 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
Written 23 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wolfgang
Moscow, Russia9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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 17 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Malgorzata
12,083 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 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 8 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The State Museum St. Isaac’s Cathedral, St. Petersburg

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