Catherine Palace is situated in Tsarskoye Selo or the town of Pushkin. It is a beautifully decorated Summer palace constructed in baroque style. Its sky-blue and white facades with whimsical gilded moldings create the atmosphere of brightness, wealth and luxury.

The palace was constructed in the 18th century for the daughter of Peter the Great, Russian Empress Elisabeth I, by architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli – the Genius of baroque, as they called him.

The interiors are richly decorated with mirrors and gilded carvings. It took 30 kilos of gold to decorate the rooms. The Palace displays a wonderful collection of furniture, porcelain and pieces of applied art.

The most famous room of the Palace is the Amber Room. It is absolutely unique – the only room in the world where the whole surface of the walls is decorated with natural amber panels.

After the tour of the Palace you can take a stroll in the Catherine Park. It is a picturesque park with a vast lake and a lot of charming park pavilions.

Usually, the tour to Catherine Palace takes about 4 hours. If you have more time, we can add a visit to:

• Alexander Palace – the palace which was constructed for the Grand Son of Catherine the Great, Alexander I. Later it was redesigned for the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II and now it displays wonderful interiors in Modern Style. It was in this palace that Nicholas II and his family were kept under house arrest after he signed the abdication in 1917.
• The Lyceum – a famous school, organized by the Royal family for the noble boys. The famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was among the first 30 graduates of this school.
• The Monument to the Defenders of Leningrad – a memorial that was built to commemorate the heroism of the citizens of Leningrad during the siege of 1941-1944. Apart from the memorial itself it also has a museum of the Siege of Leningrad in the basement.
• Pavlovsk – the former residence of Paul I, the son of Catherine the Great. The beautiful classical palace and park are located about 10 minutes drive from Catherine Palace.