If Peterhof is about fountains and Tsarskoye Selo about gold, Gatchina is about character. There are no mirrored halls here. Instead you find pale stone walls, lakes and hunting grounds, and the strong personality of the emperors who chose to live here rather than simply receive guests. It is also much quieter than the better-known residences.
The palace was built by Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigory Orlov. After Orlov’s death Catherine II bought it back and gave it to her son, the future Paul I, who turned it into something close to a castle of the Knights of Malta. Later Alexander III lived here almost permanently and governed the empire from Gatchina.
The drive. About an hour by car from the centre, which leaves enough time for both the palace and the park.
The Great Gatchina Palace. The restored state rooms, including the Marble Staircase, the Greek Gallery and the huge Arsenal Hall, and the private apartments of Alexander III’s family. The palace was badly damaged in the war, and its first rooms reopened only in 1985. From the cellars an underground passage leads to the Echo grotto on Silver Lake, where the walls repeat whatever you call out.
The park. This was the first landscape park in Russia, part of a reserve of more than 550 hectares. You cross the Humpbacked Bridge, see the water maze on White Lake and the Birch House with its deceptive “Mask” entrance, pass an oak about 240 years old, and walk up to the Pavilion of Venus on the Island of Love.
The Priory Palace. On Black Lake stands Nikolai Lvov’s castle made of compressed earth, built in three months and still standing in its third century.
Your guide also explains Gatchina’s surprising list of firsts: Russia’s first electric street lighting, the testing of the world’s first series-built submarine, and the country’s first military aerodrome.
Travellers who have already seen Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo, anyone who prefers parks and quiet to crowds, and history lovers interested in Paul I and Alexander III.
By arrangement
| People | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1 | $306 |
| 2 | $164 |
| 3 | $116 |
| 4 | $92 |
| 5 | $78 |
| 6 | $69 |
| 7 | $62 |
| 8 | $57 |
| People | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 9 | $53 |
| 10 | $50 |
| 11 | $47 |
| 12 | $45 |
| 13 | $43 |
| 14 | $42 |
| 15 | $40 |
| 16 | $39 |
| People | Free places | Price per person |
|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | +1 | $43 |
| 15–24 | +2 | $35 |
| 25–34 | +2 | $28 |
| 35–39 | +3 | $26 |
| 40+ | +4 | $25 |
Group rates apply from 10 people.
Skim across the Gulf of Finland by Meteor hydrofoil in forty minutes, then walk Peterhof's Lower Park with its 147 fountains. Boat and park tickets included.
A three-and-a-half-hour drive through the centre, ending on Hare Island where the city was founded in 1703, with entry to the Romanov burial cathedral.
A private two-hour walk through the Mikhailovsky Palace: a thousand years of Russian art, from medieval icons to The Ninth Wave and Repin's Barge Haulers.
Visit the Konstantinovsky Palace at Strelna, a working state residence that hosted the G8 and G20 summits, by car with a guide and entry arranged.