St. Petersburg Travel Guide

Tsarskoe Selo

Tsarskoe Selo, meaning "tsar's Village", is a former Romanov summer residence located about 25 kilometers outside of St Petersburg. The estate was originally a gift from Peter the Great to his wife Catherine I, and over the course of many years it was developed by different emperors and empresses. The Catherine Palace, built in the Baroque style, and the Alexander Palace, built in the neoclassical style, are the main buildings on the estate.

The Catherine Palace has been kept in much better condition over the years than the Alexander Palace, although both palaces are well worth a visit. The Catherine Palace houses the famous Amber Room, a room paneled entirely with pieces of amber and filled with amber artwork. The palaces' grounds are extensive and contain many surprising small buildings added purely for visual effect, notably the so-called Chinese Village in the Alexander Palace's gardens. The Cameron Gallery, a small building designed by the Scottish architect James Camero