Itinerary

1. 
   

   Start your fascinating culture-fueled journey by travelling with your guide from your hotel in St.Petersburg to Gatchina.Visit the Gatchina Estate Museum and Reserve and see the majestic Gatchina Emperor Palace with its luxurious marble interior, grandiose exterior and the mysterious underground tunnel.Proceed to the wonderful Prioratsky palace made by means of the rare building technology.Enjoy the scrumptious nature of Russia while passing the Venus Pavilion.
   
   Delve deep into the marvelous parks of Gatchina and admire the beauty of the Sylvia and the Menagerie landscape parks.Arrive at the delightful Palace park and explore the rare trees and charming flower meadows of the English, Dutch and Botanical gardens.
   

   
   

2. 
   

   Your next stop is the splendid Pavlovsky cathedral, built in the traditional Russian style where you will learn more about the Russian religious customs.
   As a grand finale visit two of the finest museums in Gatchina, the Museum of the History of Aviation Engine that possesses full-scale models of turbojet, aircraft, turboprop and turboshaft engine and the historical “House of the nurse of A.S.Pushkin” museum.

   
   

3. 
   

   The Gatchina Estate Museum and Reserve is an architectural complex that consists of several parts.The first one is the Gatchina Emperor Palace.Luxurious marble interior and grandiose exterior, mysterious underground tunnel and art collection make this place the one you must visit.

   
   

4. 
   

   The next one is the Prioratsky palace, the only building preserved in Russia that was erected with the dirt-hit technology.Its walls are made of the cheapest material – soil, which was compacted in "machine-forms" and reinforced every few centimeters with lime mortar.

   
   

5. 
   

   The Venus pavilion is built at the water's edge on Love island.Its walls are decorated with bright panels, griffins, cupids and other mythological characters are embroidered on an amber background with gold threads.The main decoration of the pavilion is the "triumph of Venus" plafond.It shows the Venus sitting in a gilded chariot drawn by swans.
   
   The "Birch house" pavilion looks like a woodpile of birch firewood, but its facade hides gilded stucco and an abundance of mirrors.A stone portal called "Mask" is hiding the unpresentable appearance of the pavilion.The funny house was a generous gift from Maria Feodorovna to Grand Duke Pavel.
   In the pavilion the wife treated her husband and guests to fresh milk and fruit grown in the Park's greenhouses.

   
   

6. 
   

   Parks are what Gatchina is known for and you will visit several best parks of this area.The first one is the landscape Sylvia park, next is the Menagerie landscape park that was used for Imperial hunting and the last one is the Palace park.It consists of the English garden, the Lower and Upper Botanical garden, the Love island, the Lower and Upper Dutch garden, the Flower hill, a forest and a water maze.
   
   During the water tour you will get acquainted with the numerous islands, admire the magnificent views of the Palace, witness beautiful waterfall under the Carp bridge and throw a coin into the Jordan well in the hope of returning to Gatchina again.

   
   

7. 
   

   The next step is the Pavlovsky cathedral, a splendid cathedral built in the traditional Russian style.Here you have a chance to get close to the religion traditions of this country.If you desire, you can venture inside and explore the ancient icons and relics that cathedral possesses.

   
   

8. 
   

   Museums are also an important part of the Gatchina complex.You will see the Museum of the History of Aviation Engine that possesses full-scale models of turbojet, aircraft, turboprop, and turboshaft engine.Next one is the “House of the Nurse of A.S.Pushkin” museum.This is a unique place, as it is the only museum that is named after a serf woman.It tells everything about life of the person, who was of the most important people to Pushkin.

   
   

9. 
   

   The next step is Pokrovsky cathedral where you can embrace Russian culture and traditions.