Gatchina Day Tour

Among the many former Romanov residences around St. Petersburg, Gatchina stands apart. More European medieval fortress than baroque palace, it was never intended as an imperial residence — yet became one from the end of the 18th century.

Gatchina lies about 42 km south of St. Petersburg, and 25 km from Tsarskoye Selo. First recorded in the 15th century as the village of Hotchino, the land passed to Sweden and returned to Russia under Peter the Great. In 1765 Catherine the Great gave the estate to her favourite, Grigory Orlov, who began a hunting palace beside a landscaped English park. The architect Antonio Rinaldi built it from local limestone — two wings joined by a central gallery, resembling a restrained European fortress rather than a palace. After Orlov’s death, Catherine gave Gatchina to her son Paul I, under whom it gained city status and was grandly developed by his court architect Vincenzo Brenna.

Itinerary

• Meet your guide at your hotel and travel about an hour to Gatchina, around 42 km south of the city.
• Tour the Great Palace — its austere, fortress-like limestone façades and richly restored state rooms.
• Descend the Underground Passage, a 130-metre limestone tunnel built as an 18th-century folly that runs from the palace to the Silver Lake and ends at the famous Echo Grotto.
• Stroll through the Palace Park, laid out around the White and Silver Lakes, and see the Island of Love with its delicate Venus Pavilion.
• Visit the Priory Palace, built in 1799 for the Knights of Malta — the only surviving rammed-earth building in Russia, set on the shore of the Black Lake.
• Travel back to St. Petersburg.

What’s included

• Great Palace and Palace Park admission tickets
• Priory Palace admission
• Professional licensed guide
• Transfer in an air-conditioned vehicle
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off

What’s not included

• Food and drinks
• Gratuities

Good to know

• Start time is 10:00 and may vary slightly.
• The estate and park involve a fair amount of walking, so comfortable shoes are recommended.
• Offered in English; other languages are available on request — let us know when booking.
• Please share your hotel address when booking so we can arrange transport.
• Museum opening days vary, so we’ll confirm availability for your date when you book.

You may also like

• See how the royals lived on our Tzar Village & Catherine Palace tour.
• Wander the fountain-filled gardens of Peterhof.
• Visit the Hermitage Museum, one of the world’s most famous art galleries.