Catherine Palace in Pushkin — an azure-and-gold Rastrelli facade stretching 300 metres. Inside you find the Amber Room, the Great Hall and the Picture Hall. In summer the entry queue runs up to two hours; in autumn and winter queues are shorter, but tickets still need booking online several days ahead.
💎 The Amber Room
The best-known room is the Amber Room, reconstructed between 1979 and 2003. The original disappeared in Königsberg in 1945. Photography is prohibited. Guided groups go in timed slots marked on the ticket.
🏛 Great Hall and Picture Hall
The Great Hall is the main ballroom, 850 sq m, with gilt stucco, mirrored piers and a Valeriani ceiling. The Picture Hall is a tapestry-style hang of 130 17th–18th-century canvases wall to wall. Between them run the Antechambers and the Cavalier Dining Room with its restored service.
🌳 Catherine and Alexander Parks
The park is a separate itinerary. The formal part by the palace runs into landscape sections with the Turkish Bath, Chesma Column, Grotto and Hermitage. Alexander Park beyond the Cross Canal is landscape style, with the Fyodorovsky Gorodok, Arsenal and White Tower. In autumn it is one of the best parks around St Petersburg for a long walk.
📚 Lyceum and Alexander Palace
