Rules & Recommendations for visitors

People often ask us about the current rules for museum visitors. Let us give brief answers to some of the most common questions.

1. The best way to visit the museum is to buy e-tickets ahead of time on our website. This will save you time: e-tickets allow visitors to enter the museum buildings quickly during a certain time slot. A time slot is a 30-minute period (for example from 15:00 to 15:29 p.m.) during which you can enter the museum. Please save your ticket to your electronic device ahead of time to avoid problems with poor Internet connectivity at the museum entrance. You can also print out your ticket, if you like, yet using e-tickets helps to protect the environment. Tickets go on sale 2 weeks before and can be bought even on the date of your visit. Discount and free tickets are also available on the site. If your plans change, you can return your e-ticket at any time before the date of your visit (until 11:59 p.m. of the previous day).

2. Tickets can also be bought at the museum box office on the day of your visit. Here, tickets are sold one per person on a first-come-first-serve basis only for the same day.

3. The museum offers discounts for different visitor categories (see the full list of discount visitor categories to see if you qualify). If you buy a discount ticket, don’t forget to bring a document confirming your right to the discount along with you to the museum: you will be asked to show it at the entrance.

4. The museum offers free admission on certain days for select categories of visitors: on Tuesdays for members of families with three or more children and on Wednesdays for children, young people and students on Thursday visitors aged 60 years and over. Such visitors can acquire the free tickets on the museum’s website to avoid standing in line on the day of the visit.

5. Visitors with disabilities of the I and II categories, visitors aged 70 years and over, and other visitor categories are entitled to rapid museum entry and priority service at the museum box office. The full list of categories is given in the visitor rules and regulations. These visitors can enter the Main Building from Kolymazhny Lane and the Gallery through its main entrance on Volkhonka Street.

6. Expositions are accessible only during the museum’s opening hours. Please consult the opening hours of museum buildings on the date of your visit. Visitors who are planning to spend a lot of time at the museum should come during the day and choose e-tickets with early time slots. As the museum’s opening hours are subject to change, visitors should consult the crawler on the museum’s website and notices on the buildings’ webpages.

7. It is best to visit the museum on weekdays, as the number of visitors is a lot higher on weekends and holidays as well as during school vacations and on the first and last days of exhibitions. Museum rooms are less crowded and tickets are cheaper on weekdays.

8. You can visit the museum’s permanent collection or temporary exhibitions with a regular guided tour (tour tickets go on sale on the museum’s site four weeks before the date) or order an individual tour for a convenient time and date by filling out the electronic form.

9. Visitors who prefer to take a self-guided tour can take advantage of free apps or audio guide rental.

10. We are always happy to welcome families with children! Consult the special page on our website for tips on preparing for visiting the museum with a child. Please note: both the child and the accompanying adult must buy entry tickets. Children aged 6 years and under are entitled to free admission, yet they must have the corresponding tickets that can be acquired on the website or at the box office and presented at the entrance.

Information on additional museum visitor rules and services is provided below.

If you didn’t find an answer to your question, please write us by using the contact form.

- • to touch works of art, show-windows and elements of interior
  • to take pictures with a flash or selfie-stick
  • organize any photography sessions without obtaining prior consent from the Museum administration
  • to trespass installed barriers
  • to enter museum halls in bulky outerwear
  • to drink or eat in museum halls
  • to loudly talk or listen to your audioguide on speaker
  • to pollute museum territory
  • to talk on the phone in exposition
  • to be in intoxicated state
  • to smoke (including electronic cigarettes)
  • to move around on skates, scooters or any similar transportation
  • to provide guided tours without permission (excursion voucher)
  • to engage in commercial, advertising or any other activity without prior
  • agreement with the museum
- On the territory of the Museum:
  - any type of weapons, pyrotechnics or gas cartridges
  - bikes, skates, scooters or any other types of transportation
  – any animals (with an exception of guide-dogs)
  
  Inside Museum Buildings:
  - large items, bigger than 30x40x20cm, including bags, backpacks and umbrellas-canes
  - outerwear
  - food and drinks
  - flowers
- Entrance to the museums and ticket sales end 1 hour before the closing time, the exhibition rooms close 15 minutes prior to Museum closing.
- Information about opening hours is on our website. Museum reserves the right to make changes to opening hours of the museum or separate halls, as well as temporarily restrict entrance to certain halls in case of overflow of visitors, absence of free places in wardrobes, absence of free places for an event or in case of an emergency.
- Individual entrance to the museum or to an event is granted upon purchase of a ticket online or on the spot.
- Entrance to the museum and purchase of a ticket are carried out on the first-come first-serves basis. Fast track service is available for certain categories of visitors. Fast track entry is available through entrances on the right side of each Museum building.
- All privileges are provided upon presenting official certified documents. If you forgot necessary documents at home, the museums could be still visited on general terms.
- More information on tickets and privileges
- The museum has in place its security measures such as metal detectors along with personal search by police officers or museum security staff. Please take a look on the list of prohibited items and do not take them with you.
- Entering museum halls in bulky outerwear and taking it in with you is prohibited. Such security measure is due to outer clothes absorbing dust and moisture, and these two factors negatively affect the integrity of art works. Outerwear includes coats, furs (including vests out of fur), jackets, raincoats, windbreakers etc.
- When you are planning your visit, please take note that during cold times of the year, especially during weekends and holidays, a que to the wardrobe could take some time. You could retrieve your outerwear ahead of the line. To avoid confusion we place one coat per place.
- For security measures large items, including backpacks, that exceed 30x40x20cm, should be placed in lockers.Your valuables could be taken with you, for that purpose museum staff could provide you with a free bag. While visiting the exposition, smaller backpacks should be carried in front. To carry your backpack behind is forbidden due to it being a danger to the works of art or other visitors.
- Lockers are for large bags, backpacks, umbrellas, food, drink and other items from the list of prohibited items. Size of lockers are 25x40x40cm. Other special places for luggage or other large-sized objects are not provided by the museum. During periods of high influx of visitors (weekends and holidays, as well as free events and popular exhibitions) all lockers could be occupied. We recommend you not to take large items or to take into account the waiting time for the locker when you are planning your visit.
- The museum permits amateur photography and video filming in the permanent exhibit halls without the use of flash equipment, tripods or monopods (selfie sticks). Photography and filming at temporary exhibitions may be restricted or completely prohibited in accordance with the requirements of the museums or individuals that have provided art objects from their art collections. Please pay attention to signs prohibiting photos/videos at the entrance to the exhibition halls or near specific exhibits.
- Museum allows its visitors to take picture with art works, but without selfie stick and maintaining reasonable distance from a painting or a sculpture. Be careful — in search of a perfect angle you could accidentally disturb an art piece or other visitors. Please be respectful towards wishes of other visitors to admire works of art and not the ones who are taking pictures with them.
- Any photo shoot (wedding, costume, staging, fashion, etc.) without an Agreement with the Museum is prohibited. You can read about the differences between amateur and professional shooting in the Rules of visiting the Museum. Photography is an increasingly popular practice in the Museum, which has begun to disrupt the unique atmosphere our visitors seek to experience. Consequently, photography sessions are not allowed in the Museum’s halls. The main purpose of a Museum visit is to see the exhibits and discover art works, not to take photographs. Museums are not simply a background for photographs.
- If you would like to have a professional or commercial staged photography session in the Museum, send your request to yulia.tarnovskaya@pushkinmuseum.art
- It is allowed to sketch works of art on paper (format A4 or smaller) without using portfolio stand. It is not forbidden, but not recommend to draw in halls during large flux of visitors. Please be respectful and do not obstruct the view for other visitors of our museum.
- Thanks to new technologies, your mobile device becomes more and more useful during visits to the museum. In The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts several kind of apps could be used. "izi.TRAVEL" will permit to listen to audioguides covering permanent collection and exhibitions. "ARTEFACT" would add to your visit to the museum an augmented reality experience too. Moreover, the technology of "LinkRay" would help you find more information on the art work if it has LED lighting.
- Museum has its own free Wi-Fi network "Museum_free". It requires SMS-verification to gain access to. Please note that some halls in the museum are not covered by Wi-Fi network.
- Out of respect of other visitors and museum workers please visit the museum as well as other events on the premises in a quiet manner:
- Please mind your surroundings. While looking at your phone, you could not notice another visitor, stairs or art work, that way not only potentially hurting yourself, but also others.
- Children are very curious and active by nature: they run around and like to touch everything, as well as expressing very loudly their emotions. However, we remind parents that our rules regarding visits for adults apply to children too. For security purposes and out of interest of others, parents and accompanying adults must inform children about the rules in the museum and are responsible for children's compliance with them.
- Children under the age of 12 are allowed to enter the museum or participate in events for children or families only if they are accompanied by adults. Children above the age of 10 can participate in events for children in lecture halls outside main expositions without adult supervision.
- Children can access events for adults with parent's consent. Age restrictions on expositions (16+; 18+) are recommendatory, i.e have non-obligatory nature.
- If you are visiting the Museum with children under 3, you can bring a stroller, but the Museum may limit stroller access to certain exhibition areas (due to the stroller size or space limitations). For your visit you may borrow a stroller at no charge – with our small stroller you can visit any exhibition room with no restrictions. If you require a stroller, feel free to ask a staff member at the Information Desk on the day of your visit.
- There is no stroller parking area in the Museum. We apologize for any inconvenience.
- More information about visiting the museum with children
- If you have mobility difficulties, for your visit you may borrow mobility aids, including canes, seat canes, walkers, and wheelchairs, which can be used in the exhibition rooms. If you require mobility aids, you are welcome to ask a staff member at the Information Desk on the day of your visit (the number of devices is limited).
- A mobile tracked stair climber for wheelchair users is available.
- We recommend to notify about your visit in advance at +7 (985) 863-39-84, or by e-mail museum4all@arts-museum.ru.
- More information about accessible museum
- There are guided tours for groups in the museum, as well as combined tours out of individual visitors. Number of participants on tours, as well as number of excursions in one hall of the museum are limited for security measures.
- To book a guided tour call +7 (495) 697-74-12
- Conduct of a guided tour by a non-museum worker could be done with prior agreement with the museum and with an excursion voucher. The tour must take place strictly on the date and time on the voucher and cover prior agreed theme.
- Where can I park near the museum? Is Wi-Fi available for visitors? How can I share feedback about the museum? Learn about the extra services and facilities for visitors.

Full version of the Rules for Visitors of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts