Non-local passenger: “Tell me, is Tsarskoye Selo getting off here?”
Local passenger: "Yes, get out faster, it's Pushkin!"
Information stand on the platform: "Children's Village".
(Overheard conversation in the St. Petersburg train)

“We wanted to see the amber room,
and for some reason he leads us to Catherine Palace…»
(Whispers of intelligent grandmothers on an excursion to Tsarskoye Selo)

Tsarskoe Selo is one of the most visited and at the same time difficult sightseeing sites in St. Petersburg. Visited - because the famous Amber Room is located here. Difficult - because Tsarskoye Selo in the minds of the layman, there are many myths, both historical and cultural, and everyday. Therefore, I highly recommend visiting Tsarskoe Selo accompanied by a professional guide (i.e. me). But if you decide to go to Tsarskoye Selo yourself, get acquainted with the main mistakes of independent tourists and do not make them.

Let's go to Tsarskoe Selo today! Now let's see where it is on the map ... " You will not find Tsarskoye Selo on the map. Since 1937, it has been called "Pushkin" (in 1937, the centenary of the death of Pushkin, who studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, was celebrated). If you go by train, then the railway station will be called "Children's Village" (as Tsarskoye Selo was called in the Soviet period until 1937)

“Let's go and see the Amber Room. And then, maybe, we’ll go to the royal palace…” The Amber Room is one of the rooms of the Catherine's (in honor of Catherine I, the first owner) palace. In addition to this room, about two dozen halls are now open in the palace. Therefore, it is impossible to get into the Amber Room, bypassing the Catherine Palace. However, since last year it has become possible to get into the Catherine Palace and not visit the Amber Room (you will simply be taken to another part of the palace - the rooms of Pavel Petrovich), so be careful.

“The guidebook says that the palace is open from 10:00 to 17:00. Let's go to the opening, so as not to stand in line ... " Individual visitors during the summer season and holidays are launched from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 17:00. The rest of the time, the entrance is open only to custom groups from the opposite side of the palace.

“Here is the palace. Everything is empty, there is no one. And they said there would be a queue ... " This is the Alexander Palace (yellow-white). You can also go here, but you will not see any luxurious interiors. Here is an exhibition dedicated to the life of Nicholas II and his family. The Catherine Palace with the Amber Room further, it is white and blue (they say it is painted in the color of the eyes of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna).

“Here is the white and blue Catherine Palace. But here is the ticket office to the park. But we don’t need to go to the park, we need to go to the palace.” The palace can only be entered through the park. Don't lose your park tickets! They will again need to be presented at the entrance to the palace.

“Yeah, here we are in the park. And where is this huge queue? Your vague, unpleasant suspicion did not let you down - this is the queue at the Catherine Palace. Get up and wait. You have to wait an hour and a half. At this time, you can send your wife and children for a walk in the park.

“Well, we entered the palace. I hate everyone drenched in sweat)! Now what?" Now buy palace tickets by showing park tickets. This can be done in three cash desks, and not just in the one where everyone is crowding. If you have outerwear, a bottle of water and a large bag, they must be left in the cloakroom. Take your camera and camera with you - included in the ticket price.

“What nonsense? Another queue? I was already standing!” Yes, you have to stand again. But not for long (10-20 minutes) and indoors. This is the queue for the entrance turnstiles.

“I went through the turnstiles. Damn this palace! Now we quickly look for the Amber Room, take pictures of it and go to the restaurant. I want to eat!” Not so simple. Visiting the museum - only as part of a group with a guide. You cannot visit the museum on your own. Taking pictures in the Amber Room is also not allowed, but you can in all other halls.

“Well, now the tour, thank God, is over. But now I know in what luxury the Russian tsars lived. It is clear why the revolution happened ... ”Not a single Russian tsar lived in the palace that you were shown, because:

• All this has been done in the last 50+ years. After the war, almost nothing remained of the palace. The Amber Room is a post-war reconstruction, the location of the real amber panels is unknown.
• Different interiors of the palace were restored for different periods. The main staircase - for the era of Alexander II, the Great (Throne) Hall - for the era of Elizabeth Petrovna, the Green Dining Room - for the era of Catherine II. Most of the paintings on the walls (except for the Picture Gallery) did not hang there. They were written for other pavilions. And it is completely absurd to imagine that all the order services could be put up in the Cavalier's dining room in one day.
• The interiors that you will be shown are front rooms. They were intended for ceremonial events (dinners, balls, theatrical performances, receptions). The personal rooms of the emperors have not been restored to date.

And here we are again returning to the Catherine Palace in Pushkino, where the famous amber room is located. You can read about how we got to Tsarskoye Selo on our own.

When we walked past the Palace for the first time (and it was around 11 am), we were frightened by the line that was waiting to open to get inside. Therefore, it was decided to start walking along the wonderful

However, when we got here after 2 hours, the queue did not decrease at all. But it seemed impossible for us to go to Tsarskoye Selo and not visit Catherine's palace. Therefore, it was decided by all means to get inside.

For those who are going to visit the Catherine Palace for the first time, I will describe how this can be done in practice. The cash desks of the Palace are located inside the building. But in order to get inside, a long line is built on the street. The "throughput" of the palace is very low. Therefore, how often and how many people get inside, no one can say in advance.

At the same time, numerous tourist groups pass without a queue. Therefore, those who want to visit the palace on their own have to skip them.

The tail of our line ended near the front porch. Here.

As a result, we had to stand for about 40 minutes. As we were told, this is not very long. “For example, on Monday this week, the line stretched to the very entrance to the park. And people had to stand for more than two hours,” a security guard near the museum told us in confidence. Therefore, this must be taken into account, and additional time should be allowed for the queue.

Once inside we had to spend some more 30 minutes to various organizational activities. This time we spent on solving a lot of problems.

1. Purchasing tickets. Inside there are several checkout windows. But when about 100 people are launched, then a queue forms for each of them. At the same time, it is required to present entrance tickets to the Park. If you do not have them or they are lost, you will have to pay extra. Ticket prices can be found at the end of the article.

2. Ticket checks and individual screening. Almost like at the airport. Some even left water bottles here. But no one warned about this and we were not required to post them.

3. Group formation. Otherwise, they are not allowed inside the palace. In a small room, special headphones and a radio are distributed in order to listen to the guide's story. The guide itself, the tour and shoe covers for each visitor are included in the ticket price.

All these actions, of course, did not add joy. It was very busy and crowded. There is very little space near the entrance. Plus, there are souvenir shops here and a lot of people who are just going to or have already finished visiting the museum accumulate.

It’s very good that we were “on the positive” and relaxed in a good way after a 2-hour walk around. Therefore, they were calm about everything that happened. And they perfectly understood that Catherine could not count on so many visitors to her Palace! 🙂

Well, perhaps enough of the technical details, it's time to start exploring Catherine's palace.

Excursion to the Catherine Palace

The Catherine Palace was built in the 18th century.

The outer blue façade wonderfully blends with the color of the sky, and the golden decoration shimmers festively in the sun, which makes the Catherine Palace unexpectedly light and airy. And this, despite its huge size!

The facade of the building is decorated with numerous figures of Atlanteans, caryatids and lions.

In the time of Catherine, all this was covered with gold. As the guide said, it took about 100 kilograms of gold to gild the exterior and interior decorations of the palace.

It must be said that the interior decoration is no less impressive than the external splendor.

And here we are standing near the marble stairs. The guide begins his story, and we gradually move to a completely different era and begin to feel a different rhythm of life.

Climbing up the wide front staircase, we find ourselves in a large hall with chic paintings on the walls and ceiling.

Huge windows and mirrors, elegant lamps, light oak parquet floors, gilded finishes - all this together makes a stunning impression.

The height of the ceilings is 8 meters, and the total area of ​​this front hall is 800 square meters. Huge windows are located on two opposite sides, which makes the room unusually light and airy.

And you can admire the painted ceiling and look at it for hours.

And in this vast space you feel completely different: somehow more majestic and free.

Numerous carved compositions are located in the corners of the room.

Striking front enfilade. This is a long through passage through numerous rooms. For the abundance of gilded carvings, it received the name "Golden Enfilade".

The uniqueness of the Golden Front Enfilade in the Catherine Palace lies in the fact that for the first time the length of the front rooms was equal to the length of the entire building.

The concept of adjoining rooms is well known to us now. But how different it is from what they began with in the Catherine Palace and how they ended in Russian Khrushchevs. 🙁

Together with our guide we move from room to room. Everywhere has its own style, its own colors. Each room has a minimum of furniture, which adds even more free space.

Each room has multi-tiered tiled stoves with cobalt painting. If you take a closer look at it, you can see on it a variety of ledges, niches and columns. Can you install such a battery in your apartment? 🙂

We pass several dining rooms. The front tables are set, as if they are waiting for guests. Luxurious porcelain services, crystal glasses and silverware.

And, of course, one of the wonders of the world (as the museum modestly states) is the famous Amber Room. The magnificence of this place is indescribable. This is a colossal piece of jewelry!

You can enlarge these secret photos by clicking on them. Don't tell anyone what you saw! Filming was done with a hidden camera, as photography is prohibited here. 🙄

Surprising are the many shades of amber and how they are matched in color. As well as amazing sculptures carved from this stone.

The scale of the work is impressive. To recreate all this beauty, the restorers worked for 24 years! And since 2003, the Amber Room of the Catherine Palace has amazed and delighted all visitors. It is here that I want to stay longer and not take my eyes off this amazing man-made MIRACLE!

After passing through all these wonderful rooms, we again find ourselves on a marble staircase. Amazing vases and jugs are displayed on the walls.

Our tour is coming to an end. But we still have an exhibition of photographs waiting for us, which allows us to appreciate the scale of the tragedy of the Catherine Palace during the Great Patriotic War, and the colossal work that the restorers had to do over the years so that we can now touch our Russian history again.

The sad story of Catherine's Palace

Here are just a few photos of how in an instant you can destroy what has been created for centuries.

The building was almost completely destroyed

more than 80% of the interior and exterior decoration was lost. Even many trees in the park were cut down.

By 2014, 32 out of 58 halls had been restored.

Part of the facade is still closed, restoration work is underway there. Of course, this contrast is impressive. Especially after the luxury we just saw.

The tour lasted about 40 minutes. After that, we handed over our microphones and headphones, which were then packed in bags to pass on to the next group. Well, at least the shoe covers were disposable. 🙂

With this, our wonderful walk almost ended. On the street, we again saw a queue standing in the Catherine Palace. Its length has even increased a little.

Opening hours and ticket prices

Entrance opens at 12 noon. The day off is Tuesday.

The ticket price is 400 rubles. (preferential 200 rubles). Prices are for summer 2014.

I have an idea! On the website of the Museum of the Catherine Palace and Park there is an opportunity to purchase tickets online: tkt.tzar.ru/ru/billboard/1

The cost is 670 rubles. includes entrance to both the park and the palace. As a result, it turns out a little more expensive (this kit cost us 520 rubles). But it is likely that these tickets will be able to get everywhere without a queue, since a limited number of them are sold per day: only 100 pieces. If someone tries this option for themselves, write in the comments how it works!

I propose once again to take a virtual video tour of the Catherine Palace and Park in order to feel the atmosphere of this historical place.

Well, we had to get to the city of St. Petersburg. There were no problems with the bus. After interviewing several passers-by, we easily found a stop. And having paid 35 rubles each, after 35 minutes we were in the city. The bus dropped us off near the Moskovskaya metro station.

It was quite easy to get to our temporary dwelling. But the cultural program for this day is not over yet. In the evening there was a visit to. And it was necessary to prepare for this event, because someone had been waiting for it all their lives!

Our visit to the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) took place on June 27, 2014. On the map of places in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, which have already been visited.

Write in the comments which palaces you visited and which of them made the strongest impression.

Already 1.5 months have passed since we returned from St. Petersburg, and I just now got around to write about visiting Tsarskoye Selo in the city of Pushkin. I can't help but write about this amazing and very beautiful place. So, in order.

The State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoe Selo" is located 25 km south of St. Petersburg in the city of Pushkin at the address. Sadovaya, 7. It is very easy to get there on your own in several ways - choose which one is more convenient for you:

1. By electric train from Vitebsk railway station to the station "Tsarskoye Selo" and then bus No. 371, 382 or fixed-route taxi No. 371, 377, 382 to the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoye Selo".
2. From the metro station "Moskovskaya" in St. Petersburg:
   Shuttle taxi No. 286, 287, 342, 347 and 545 to the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve.
3. From the metro stations "Zvezdnaya" or "Kupchino" in St. Petersburg:
   Bus number 186 to the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoye Selo".
4. From the metro station "Kupchino" in St. Petersburg:
   On minibuses K-545a, K-286, K-287, and K-347a.

We traveled from metro station "Moskovskaya" by bus. Travel time is 40 minutes, then walk to the entrance.

To enter the territory, you must first buy tickets to the park. There are few cash registers, but there are a lot of people. If you want to buy tickets faster, you need to walk 300 meters ahead along the fence to the red building "Hermitage Kitchen" and buy tickets to the park there. There are practically no people in this box office. At first, a ticket is bought only for the territory of the park; in order to get into the Catherine Palace, one must stand in a separate queue. In summer it is very large, people stand for 4 hours. You can’t immediately buy tickets to enter the park and the Catherine Palace, you have to stand in two lines.

Entrance to the park is paid only from April 25 to October 20 from 9 to 18-00. The rest of the time the entrance is free. From September to April, the park is open from 7 am to 9 pm.

Park ticket prices:

adults - 120 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia, cadets, conscripts - 60 rubles.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus - 30 rubles.

Tickets to the Catherine Palace are sold upon presentation of an entrance ticket to the park (from April 25 to October 20, 2016). A ticket to the Catherine Palace Museum is valid for entry to the exposition for one hour after the sale.

Entrance fee to the palace:

Adults (preferential rate - for tax residents of the Russian Federation) - 500 rubles.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus - 290 rubles.
Cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 290 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students - 290 rubles.
Visitors under 16 years old - free of charge.

We bought tickets and went to the park. I must say right away that we didn’t get to the Catherine Palace, since there was a huge queue, so we decided next time to go with a tour, and this time take a walk in the park and visit various exhibitions and expositions, of which there are many in Tsarskoye Selo.

Walking in the park, you can visit exhibition “Agate Rooms. The path to revival.

Exhibition ticket prices:

Adults - 300 rubles.


Visitors under 16 years old - free of charge.

They provide an audio guide for free.

The exhibition is open in the Cold Bath pavilion.

The Agate Rooms are the apartments of Empress Catherine II, which have preserved their original historical decoration to this day. In the 1780s, the court architect Charles Cameron created unique exquisite interiors on the second floor of the Cold Bath pavilion - rooms for recreation and entertainment, which became the empress's private chambers, in which she looked through state documents in the morning hours, answered letters, and was engaged in literary works . On the first floor there were rooms for water procedures. The exhibition opened in 2013 after a 3-year restoration.

After visiting this exhibition, you can further walk through the park and see the gardening art. The park is very magnificent, with many flower beds, beautifully trimmed trees and shrubs, a neat lawn. In good weather, it is very pleasant to walk on it.

You can also go to many exhibitions and expositions located in the pavilions of the park.

An interesting exhibition is shown in Pavilion "Hermitage".

4 times at 12-00, 12-30, 15-00 and 15-30 when visiting this pavilion, the operation of the lifting table is shown. The mechanism of the lifting table was designed so that the servants do not interfere with the owners and guests to rest, and do not go back and forth.

Visit cost:

Adults - 350 rubles.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 180 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students - 180 rubles.

If without lifting table demonstration:

Adults - 300 rubles.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 150 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students - 150 rubles.
Visitors under 16 years old - 100 rubles. (excursion service)

We did not get to the demonstration, but we did not want to wait for the next excursion and went for a walk further.

We managed to get into a demonstration of unique acoustics.

We listened to a performance by a group of choral singers called Antem. They were just on tour in St. Petersburg and demonstrated their skills and wonderful room acoustics in the Grotto.

Group "Antey"

When the weather is good, you can have a very good time in the park. It is so big that a day is not enough to go around it and see everything, so we will come here again.

We invite you to visit Pushkin ("Tsarskoye Selo") - an outstanding example of world architecture and landscape art, included in the UNESCO list.

Our tour will begin with a tour of the monument to A. S. Pushkin and the Lyceum (outwardly), where the poet studied. Further, accompanied by an experienced guide, you will visit the pearl of Russian baroque and the favorite summer residence of Catherine II - Great Catherine Palace with his world-famous Amber room(*work to recreate the room after the war took 24 years), and you will also walk along the white marble main staircase and through the main halls of the palace: the Great Hall, the Anti-Chambers, the Portrait and Picture Halls, the White Front Room and the Cavalier's Dining Room. You will see tiled stoves made according to Rastrelli's sketches. At the end of the tour, you will get acquainted with the unique photographs of the palace during the Great Patriotic War, as well as the course of its restoration after the war.

In the second part of the program, you will Pwalk in one of the first landscape parks (~ 30 min.), where you can see garden and park sculpture, ponds, bridges, artificial channels, famous places, such as Cold Bath with Agate Rooms, "Hanging Garden", Cameron Gallery, Hermitage, Grotto, Concert Hall, Admiralty, Lower and Upper Baths, Granite Terrace, Pyramid, Chinese Gazebo, Turkish Bath, "Girl with Jug" statue, Chesmenskaya Column.

Why choose this tour:

Our modern tourist buses will delight you with their comfort, and large panoramic windows will allow you to see the beauty of the city and its suburbs.

- Professional tour guide will give you the maximum interesting information. Among our requirements for a guide is not only a license, but also a great love for St. Petersburg. In the palace, the tour is accompanied by an experienced museum guide (~1 hour 30 min.)

- The optimal route which will allow you to see the main attractions of Pushkin: palace, amber room, park.

A great opportunity to take unforgettable pictures while walking in the park.

All entrance fees included in the cost of the tour.

Welcome aboard City Bus!

Your trip will take place on a comfortable, modern and safe tourist class bus with large panoramic windows, soft comfortable seats with seat belts. Availability of all necessary licenses.

Check out our rRecommendations for excursions to Pushkin:

• Comfortable shoes and clothes according to the weather. We also recommend bringing an umbrella or raincoat with you. *In Pushkin you can buy a raincoat.
• There is no free or organized time for meals on this tour. We recommend bringing something with you or scheduling lunch before/after your trip.
• The palace has a free toilet. There will be time to visit.
• Some rules of the museum that will be useful to you: - the backpack and umbrella-cane will need to be handed over to the museum wardrobe (*you can only bring a small folding umbrella and a small bag with you to the palace); - in the palace you can take pictures in all rooms (without flash), except for the Amber Room (any pictures are prohibited there); - Water bottles are not allowed in the palace.

We hope this information will be useful to you on your trip. We are glad to see you aboard the City Bus!