Saint-Petersburg Suburbs

One of the most popular tourists??™ destinations are the series of Imperial palaces established to the south and west of Saint-Petersburg during the 18th century. Largely designed by foreign architects and constructed by Russian craftsmen using the empire??™s vast natural recourses ??“ gold, marble, malachite, porphyry, lapis lazuli and amber ??“ the ostentatious imperial estates, set in sprawling landscaped grounds, now count as some of the most important surviving cultural monuments in Russia.

Peterhof (Petrodvorets) During the age of autocracy, the summer imperial residences such as the one in Peterhof flourished and grew more and more ostentatious, demonstrating the might of the Romanov dynasty through the sheer glamour of its palaces gardens and world-famous fountains.

Pavlovsk One of the most lyrical and poetic summer residences of Saint-Petersburg located on the picturesque bank of the river Slavianka , Pavlovsk, combines the charm and simplicity of the countryside with the lure of a grandiose imperial palace.

Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo) Among all imperial summer residences of Saint-Petersburg, none is more evocative of both the heyday and the twilight of the Romanovs than the one in Pushkin ( the former Tsarskoe Selo), located only 25 kilometers south of the city.

Gatchina Among all suburban imperial residences that astound the onlooker with ostentatious facades and elaborately laid out parks, Gatchina ensemble, is bound to strike you with the harmonious union of nature and architecture carefully preserved under the rule of all Russian monarchs.

Oranienbaum Among the ring of ceremonial imperial residences created around Saint-Petersburg a special place is given to Oranienbaum palatial complex which as well as Peterhof was conceived to become a symbol of Russian military glory and its safe position on the coast of the Baltic sea.

Strelna Constructed for Peter the Great under the direction of prominent architects Leblon and Miketti, one of the oldest suburbs of Saint Petersburg ??“ Strelna ??“ recently obtained the status of the State Complex "Palace of Congresses" that is used as a State residence, museum and business center at the same time.

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod, being one of the oldest centers of trade and crafts and the cradle of Russian democracy , provides its visitors with an impeccable opportunity to have a look at the ancient stone temples and become mesmerized with the view of the Ilmen Lake where the legendary musician Sadco used to sing his enchanting songs.