Around St Petersburg

There are several grand imperial palaces and estates surrounding St Petersburg. Peterhof and the palace-park ensembles at Tsarskoe Selo and Pavlovsk are the best and a visit to St Petersburg is not complete without a trip to at least one of them. Be warned that at the height of summer the endless tourist crowds can be frustrating. Moreover, while Peterhof is the most impressive palace, it’s overpriced for foreigners. Tsarskoe Selo is the best value-for-money day trip.

If you have more time, there are several other options, including the charming old Finnish town of Vyborg, the sleepy village of Staraya Ladoga and the monastery town of Tikhvin. For something completely different, head to the relaxing pine forest-backed beaches near Repino.

Explore Around St Petersburg

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Around St Petersburg.

  • Palace

    Grand Palace

    The Grand Palace is an imposing building, although with just 30-something rooms, it is not nearly as large as your typical tsarist palace. From the start…

  • Park

    Lower Park

    One of the greatest attractions outside of St Petersburg is the jaw-dropping collection of gilded fountains, statue-lined lanes and picturesque canals…

  • Palace

    Catherine Palace

    The centrepiece of Tsarskoe Selo, created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796, is the vast baroque Catherine Palace,…

  • Park

    Catherine Park

    Around the Catherine Palace extends the lovely Catherine Park. The main entrance is on Sadovaya ul, next to the Palace Chapel. The park extends around the…

  • Fountain

    Grand Cascade

    Peterhof's uncontested centrepiece is the Grand Cascade, a symphony of over 140 fountains and canals partly engineered by Peter himself. To see the…

  • Historic Building

    Vyborg Castle

    Rising stoutly from an islet in Vyborg Bay, this castle was built by the Swedes in 1293 when they first captured Karelia from Novgorod. Most of it now…

  • Museum

    Hermitage Vyborg

    Housed in a wing of a striking building designed by Finnish architect Uno Ulberg in 1930, this small museum hosts themed exhibitions that are curated from…

  • Palace

    Alexander Palace

    The classical Alexander Palace, built by Quarenghi between 1792 and 1796 for the future Alexander I, is surrounded by the charming Alexander Park…

  • Palace

    Gatchina Great Palace

    Shaped in a graceful curve around a central turret, the Gatchina Great Palace certainly lives up to its name – its enormous (if surprisingly plain) facade…

  • Palace

    Grand Menshikov Palace

    Menshikov’s impressive palace underwent a full restoration and reopened its state rooms in 2014. Most of the interiors are restorations of the 19th…

  • Architecture

    Alvar Aalto Library

    A must-see for architecture fans is the beautifully designed public library, one of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto's iconic designs. After years of…

  • Canal

    Water Avenue

    Criss-crossed by bridges and bedecked by smaller sprays, the Water Avenue is a canal leading from the hydrofoil dock to the palace. It culminates in the…

  • Architecture

    Tsaritsyn & Olgin Pavilions

    Two lovely Italian-inspired pavilions built in the 19th century on islands just south of the palace grounds.

  • Park

    Gatchina Park

    Gatchina Park is more overgrown and romantic than the other palaces’ parklands. The park has many winding paths through birch groves and across bridges to…

  • Palace

    Pavlovsk Great Palace

    One of the most tragic and mysterious characters in the Romanov royal family, emperor Paul I was intensely disliked by his own courtiers, who eventually…

  • Historic Site

    Staraya Ladoga Fortress

    Towards the southern end of the village, and with an excellent view along the river, the 7m-thick walls and stout towers of this fortress are slowly being…

  • Monastery

    Tikhvin Monastery of the Mother of God

    Rising like a fairy tale across the Tabory pond, this complex is about a 1km walk from the train station straight along Sovetskaya ul. At its heart is the…

  • Notable Building

    Monplaisir

    This humble, sea-facing, wood-panelled villa was always Peter the Great’s favourite retreat and it’s easy to see why. It is snug, elegant and peaceful,…

  • Park

    Park Alexandria

    Even on summer weekends, the rambling and overgrown Park Alexandria is peaceful and practically empty. Built for Tsar Nicholas I (and named for his…

  • Museum

    Penaty

    The home of Ilya Repin in his later years is now a museum and park, and it's a pleasant day trip any time of year. You can also visit the nearby beach and…