Catherine Palace and Gardens

🌈Attraction Features: Golden Hall, Amber Room 🎟️Ticket Info: Garden tickets are RUB 150 for adults and RUB 80 for students. Catherine Palace tickets are RUB 1,000 for adults and RUB 350 for students. Catherine Palace tickets can only be purchased after entering the garden. Tickets must be used within 1 hour of purchase, otherwise they will be void. 🕐️Opening Hours: Gardens: 9:00-19:00 daily. Admission is free before 9:00 and after 19:00. Free admission on the second Sunday of each month with a Russian student ID. Catherine Palace: April-September: 12:00-19:00, closed on Tuesdays; November-March: 10:00-17:00, closed on Tuesdays and the last Monday of each month. 💗Other Tips: Catherine Palace, also known as Yekaterina Palace, was built during the reign of Peter the Great of Russia. Catherine Palace was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. The Golden Hall of Catherine Palace is the largest room in the palace. It was designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, an Italian architect who moved to Russia and a representative of Baroque architecture, from 1752 to 1756. The Golden Hall covers an area of over 800 square meters and was mainly used for celebrations, banquets, dances, and official receptions. The hall is covered with linden wood carvings and sculptures in continuous patterns, and then coated with gold powder, giving the hall a magnificent visual effect, hence the name Golden Hall. The Amber Room (Amber Palace) is a legend in itself. It was a gift from Prussian King William I to Russian Tsar Peter the Great in 1716. The walls are inlaid with over 6 tons of amber and precious jewels, shining with all the colors of yellow that humans can imagine, from lemon yellow to golden red. It is breathtakingly brilliant and is listed as the eighth wonder of the world. In 1709, Prussian King Frederick I, in order to emulate the luxurious life of French Emperor Louis XIV, ordered Prussia's most famous architect to build the "Amber Room". After its completion, it was dazzling and magnificent, and was known as the "eighth wonder of the world". During World War II, the "Amber Room", this treasure house, was looted by the Nazis who rushed into St. Petersburg. However, with the end of World War II, this rare treasure suddenly disappeared from the eyes of the world. In recent years, more and more people believe that the 27 boxes of the "Amber Room" that were dismantled and zeroed may be sinking at the bottom of a lake in Austria. It was not until the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg (2003) that Russian craftsmen restored its appearance at that time. This restoration project took 25 years and cost 11 million US dollars, and is located in Catherine Palace. The newly restored Amber Palace is known as the "ninth wonder of the world" for its exquisite craftsmanship, superb technology, and the ups and downs of its historical story.