Tsarskoye Selo

Tsarskoye Selo is a protected area and palace complex located in the Pushkin district of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The centerpiece is the Catherine Palace, whose blue and white facade stretches over 325 meters (1,066 feet), crowned with gilded domes and ornamented by statues along its length.

Peter the Great granted a modest estate here to Catherine I in 1708, which served as the starting point for later expansion. Empress Elizabeth commissioned architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the mid-18th century to redesign the palace in the baroque style that defines its current appearance.

Visitors can walk through rooms where Russian imperial families once lived, seeing restored interiors that show how nobility arranged their living spaces. The halls and chambers reveal the ceremonial functions of court life, with details preserved in furniture, textiles, and painted ceilings.

The site opens every day except Tuesdays and the last Monday of each month, with guided tours offered in several languages when reserved ahead. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes, as they will walk through extensive gardens and numerous interior rooms spread across multiple buildings.

Russia built its first railway line connecting Saint Petersburg to this palace complex in 1837, introducing a new era of travel. The line originally served the imperial court and guests, but later opened to the public, changing how people moved between the capital and the countryside.