Located south of St Petersburg, this calm town houses the grand Catherine Palace and Alexander Palace. Its parks and gardens create a relaxed setting away from city life.
Just 24 kilometers south of St. Petersburg lies Pushkin, where you'll walk through the same halls where Alexander Pushkin wrote his first poems at the Imperial Lyceum, explore the amber-covered walls of Catherine Palace's famous Amber Room, and stroll through 107 hectares of 18th-century English gardens. This former imperial residence, previously called Tsarskoye Selo, holds UNESCO World Heritage status.
Getting to Pushkin from St. Petersburg
Take a direct train from St. Petersburg's Vitebsky Rail Terminal to Tsarskoye Selo station. The journey takes 30 minutes, and trains run every hour from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Alternatively, catch bus 371 or 382 from Moskovskaya metro station, or take a marshrutka (shared taxi) from Kupchino metro station.
The Catherine Palace
Walk through the grand halls of Catherine Palace, rebuilt in 1743-1756 under Empress Elizabeth. The blue-and-white façade stretches for 325 meters, topped with golden domes in Russian Baroque style. Inside, architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli created a sequence of ceremonial rooms, including the famous Amber Room where amber panels cover entire walls, accented with gold leaf decorations.
Catherine and Alexander Parks
Explore the 107-hectare Catherine Park's two distinct areas. The Old Garden (1717-1720) follows geometric patterns with straight paths and symmetrical flowerbeds. Cross the ponds to reach the English garden (1760-1796), where winding paths lead to architectural surprises like the marble Grotto, the secluded Hermitage pavilion, and the columned Cameron Gallery.
Religious Architecture
Walk down Sadovaya Street to see Orthodox churches with copper-green onion domes next to the angular spires of Lutheran churches. The white-columned Catholic church on Nabereznaya Street represents the town's multi-religious past, when imperial Russia welcomed architects and artists from across Europe.
The Imperial Lyceum
Step into Alexander Pushkin's classroom at the Imperial Lyceum, established in 1811 to educate Russia's future statesmen. The museum maintains the original layout of classrooms, dormitories, and the library where Pushkin studied from 1811 to 1817. See the poet's personal belongings, original manuscripts, and learn about daily life at this prestigious school through exhibits of student uniforms, textbooks, and examination papers.
