Pushkin
Pushkin was once called Tsarskoye Selo, and the point is that its palaces and parks are still preserved here. Visit the Catherine Palace with its restored Amber Room, stop by the lyceum where Alexander Pushkin studied, and take a walk through two large parks — their combined area is nearly 20 km². You can get here from Saint Petersburg by suburban train from Vitebsky Station in just 30–35 minutes. A day trip is the most popular option, but the town has its own particular rhythm, best felt if you stay for the whole weekend.
Catherine Park, the Palace, and the Lyceum Quarter in One Day
The classic route starts at the main entrance to the Catherine Palace (7 Sadovaya Street).
The Palace: admission slots run every 20 minutes, and the palace tour itself lasts about an hour. If you are more than fifteen minutes late, your ticket is cancelled. In high season and over the New Year holidays tickets sell out days in advance, so it is best to buy them online and ahead of time.
The Park: after seeing the Amber Room and the Great Hall, take a walk through Catherine Park. Stop by the Cameron Gallery, the Marble Bridge, the “Girl with a Pitcher” fountain, and the Hermitage Pavilion. The park is open until 22:00 from 20 April to 31 August, and until 21:00 the rest of the year.
The Lyceum Quarter: a few minutes’ walk from the palace (2 Sadovaya Street) is the Memorial Lyceum Museum, where A. S. Pushkin studied from 1811 to 1817 alongside Delvig, Pushchin, and Küchelbecker. Nearby you will find the Lyceum Garden with a monument to the poet and the entrance to Alexander Park. Admission to it is free, and it is a great place to finish your walk.
Catherine Park by Season and How to Get There
When is the best time to visit?
- Summer (late May to mid-September): the most popular time. In July temperatures stay around +18…+22 °C, and the park is open late, so you can enjoy the White Nights. Downsides: queues at the palace and high accommodation prices.
- Autumn: an ideal time for walks along the golden alleys. We recommend timing your visit to 19 October — Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum Day, when the museum holds festive readings.
- Winter: the quietest time to visit. The park is blanketed in snow and there are hardly any tourists. Average temperatures are around −5…−6 °C. Important: the Catherine Palace is closed on Tuesdays, and every last Monday of the month (from November through March) is a sanitary day.
How to get here from Saint Petersburg
Suburban train: the fastest option. From Vitebsky Station to Tsarskoye Selo station — 30–35 minutes. On weekdays trains run every 15 minutes.
Buses: from Moskovskaya metro station, buses No. 187 (to Egyptian Gates) and No. 299 (to Sadovaya Street).
Car: via Pulkovskoye Highway (30 km). Factor in traffic: the drive can take up to an hour.
Where to stay
Pushkin has about 25 hotels, with prices starting at 1,600 ₽. The Friedenthal Hotel consistently earns high guest ratings (9.4/10).
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Frequently asked questions about Pushkin
It depends on the purpose of your trip. If you have come for the museum reserve and want to walk to the palace in the morning, choose the blocks around Pushkinskaya and Malaya streets — the park entrance is 10–20 minutes away. If you're travelling as a family for several nights or watching your budget, look at the Sofia side and Krasnoselskoye Highway: the same money buys more rooms and a kitchen of your own, and the walk to the palace takes 15–25 minutes.
The suburban train from Tsarskoye Selo station to Vitebsky railway station takes about 30 minutes. Minibuses run to the Kupchino and Moskovskaya metro stations — that trip takes 25–40 minutes depending on traffic. By car, the ring road is only a few minutes away, which also makes Pushkin a convenient base for trips around the other suburbs.
In the apartments on Krasnoselskoye Highway and Arkhitektora Danini Street: they have a kitchen, a washing machine and most often a two-room layout. The area is quiet and Babolovsky Park is next door, so you can walk with a stroller without ending up in the flow of tourists by the palace.
The spread is noticeable: simple mini-hotels and guesthouses on the Sofia side cost considerably less than a room in central St. Petersburg, the middle is held by standard three-star hotels and apartments with a kitchen, and the top end is a rare premium format in a historic building. Rates are highest in summer, on weekends and on days with major events at the museum reserve; current prices are shown right in the cards.
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