CATALINA PALACE
Founded in 1717, during the reign of Catherine I. In the following years, it passed to the empresses Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II and was rebuilt several times. In 1752-1756 The Grand Palace of Tsarskoye Selo was rebuilt by the architect B.F. Rastrelli in the late Baroque style. It is this superbly reconstructed architectural ensemble that can be seen today. The palace is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Catherine’s Palace in Tsarskoye Selo suffered serious damage during the Great Patriotic War: the interiors were looted and the building burned down. The last large-scale restoration was completed in 2015.
Now the completely restored halls are open for visitors:
- Big room;
Portrait room;
Image room;
Amber room;
Alejandro I Chinese Hall;
Cavalry dining room;
White front dining room;
Small white dining room;
Green dining room;
Waitress
Pantry
Raspberry and Green Pillars;
Front staircase;
Stasovskaya ladder.
Please note that the apartments of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (“Cameron Halls”), Maria Alexandrovna’s dressing room, Arabeskov, as well as the rooms in Lyon are undergoing restoration.
Amber Room at the Catherine Palace
Perhaps the most famous room in the palace can be called the Amber Room. The amber panels were donated to Peter I by the Prussian king Frederick I c. 1717 and installed in the Human Chambers in the Summer Garden of St. Petersburg. By order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, architect B.F. Rastrelli and teacher A. Martelli in 1770 moved the Amber Cabinet to Tsarskoye Selo and created the famous hall.
Unfortunately, this 18th century architecture masterpiece was lost during the Great Patriotic War. For many years, an investigation was conducted to find the lost room, but it was not possible to find it. In 1981, large-scale work began to restore it, which was completed only in 2003: the exhibition opened for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Kaliningrad amber was used for reconstruction, the work was funded by the Russian and German parties.
Ticket prices for the Catherine Palace in Pushkin
- Entrance ticket (for citizens of the Russian Federation) – 700 rubles;
Entrance ticket (regular fare) – 1000 rubles;
persons of retirement age (citizens of Russia and Belarus) – 350 rubles;
cadets, military personnel, members of Russian art unions: 350 rubles;
people from 16 years, as well as students: 350 rubles;
under 16 years old – free of charge.
From April 27 to October 21, tickets for the Catherine Palace are sold only with an entrance to the park.
The entrance ticket to the Catherine Palace includes a group tour with a Russian-speaking guide. For foreign citizens, an audio guide service is available in four foreign languages. The cost of the audio guide is 200 rubles + 1000 deposit rubles.
For preferential groups of visitors, the cost of excursion services is 3000 rubles per group of 10 to 30 people. Telephone information service of the Catherine Palace: +7 (812) 465-20-24.
Cost of tickets for Catherine Park:
Entrance ticket – 150 rubles;
16-year-old people, as well as students, cadets, military personnel, members of Russian art unions – 80 rubles;
persons of retirement age (citizens of Russia and Belarus) – 40 rubles;
under 16 years old – free of charge.
Opening hours of Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo in 2019
The opening hours of the museum vary according to the season:
September: the ticket offices are open every day, except Tuesdays, from 12:00 to 17:45 (entrance to the exhibition until 18:00);
From October to April, weekends are Tuesday and the last Monday of the month.
During the fall, winter and spring school holidays, tickets are sold from 12:00 to 16:45 (admission to the exhibition until 17:00).
Opening hours of Catherine Park:
from September to April: from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
in May and June, from 7:00 to 23:00;
in July and August, from 7:00 to 22:00;
The park ticket offices are open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Excursions to the Catherine Palace
The excursion service in the museum is divided into general and thematic.
A general tourist tour is included in the price of the entrance ticket. During it, visitors become familiar with the history and interiors of the palace, visit the halls and learn about real life and the court.
Thematic visits are organized in the Catherine Palace for groups organized by reservation (from October to April).
A complete list of thematic tours on the Catalina Palace website
How to get
Catherine Palace is located in Pushkin, 25 kilometers south of St. Petersburg, at the address: Sadovaya Street, house number 7.
From the center of St. Petersburg, it can be reached by car in about an hour. You can rent a car or look for travel companions in the BlaBlaCar.ru service.
The route from Gostiny Dvor to Tsarskoye Selo on the map – Google Maps
You can get to Pushkin by public transport, which goes from the metro stations:
of art. Moscow – fixed route taxis No. 286, 287, 342, 347 and 545;
of art. “Estrella” or “Kupchino” – bus number 186;
of art. Metro Kupchino – fixed route taxis No. K-545a, K-286, K-287 and K-347a.
The subway in St. Petersburg is highly developed, allowing you to quickly reach from almost any area.
To avoid waiting in traffic jams, you can use the rail. An electric train travels from Vitebsk station in St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo station in Pushkin. The schedule can be found here.
From Tsarskoye Selo train station to Grand Tsarskoye Selo Palace, you can take buses No. 371, 382 or minibuses No. 371, 377, 382.
To order a taxi, use the mobile applications: Yandex.Taxi, Maxim, Uber and Gett.
From Pulkovo International Airport to Pushkin can be reached by car in 20-30 minutes.
The most convenient way to get from the airport to Tsarskoye Selo is by transfer. The car can be ordered through the KiwiTaxi service. An experienced driver will meet you at the airport and wait in case of flight delay. On the company’s website, you can request child seats and locks for large cargo.