“COMPARED TO TSROYA VILLAGE, EVERYTHING ELSE IS FLOWERS!”
The Amber Room is a tourist Mecca. With the start of the high season, millions of guests flock to Tsarskoe Selo to see with their own eyes the miracle of restoration with mysterious story. The originals of the precious panels disappeared without a trace after the Great Patriotic War, and since then have been shrouded in secrets and mysteries. But tourists are satisfied with the restored version.
Kilometer-long queues stand at the ticket office of the museum-reserve from morning until late evening. And travel agencies are called Catherine Palace its main headache.
Tsarskoe Selo entered into an agreement with a limited number of travel agencies for the passage of organized groups. Those who are not on the list of lucky winners are forced to repurchase tickets. At the same time, the price increases one and a half times: from 700 to 1,300 rubles at best,” says Olga, an employee of a city travel agency. – But that’s not so bad. If we have a group of one hundred people, no one can give so many tickets - we have to get them from different places. Literally collecting bit by bit!
When the long-awaited tickets are finally found, the second test period begins. It's called "waiting in line."
Queue at the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo! Queue
Lately, in Tsarskoye Selo they are not allowing you to queue in advance. They say: you have tickets for 15:00, so come at 15:00,” Olga sighs. - And our tourists have trains at six or seven in the evening. It turns out to be a comical situation: they stand in line for two hours in order to walk around the entire museum in twenty minutes and run to the station. Some refuse. They say they don't need beauty at that price. Compared to Tsarskoye Selo, everything else is just flowers.
QUOTAS ARE OUTLAW, BUT “SAVED THE SITUATION”
Back in April, Smolny admitted that the museum administration had established quotas outside the law. They do not have the right to restrict visits to cultural property. Vice-Governor Igor Albin instructed the Committee on State Control, Use and Protection of Monuments (KGIOP) to force the leadership to abandon such measures. But all summer, travel agencies continued to be divided into the “chosen few” who were lucky, and everyone else who had to organize a “rat race” for tickets to the Catherine Palace.
We have no right to give any warnings regarding the organization of tourist flows. We decide for ourselves how to receive tourists,” says Olga Taratynova, director of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum.
According to her, quotas were “a good thing” and saved the situation in the face of a huge tourist flow, which the palace was simply unable to cope with.
Olga Taratynova about quotas in the Catherine Palace
Their goal was to somehow distribute the visit. Small travel agencies had small quotas, large ones – large ones,” Taratynova noted.
However, they promised to lift the restrictions starting next year. True, the management of Tsarskoe Selo predicts that this will only worsen the situation.
We will cancel the quota next year out of a sense of self-preservation. It is a reason for controversy and reproaches in our direction. We decided that it would be better to let the tourism business self-regulate. But this will lead to severe speculation and the buying of our tickets,” the director warns.
“SORRY FOR GRANDMOTHER FROM SAMARA”
Now the Catherine Palace can only accommodate 900 people per hour - and this is the main problem, for which, alas, there is no solution. If even more guests are allowed in, it could be a tragedy for the exhibits.
We monitor the humidity in the rooms, and every year we note an increase. After the end of the high season, grease deposits appear on porcelain and furniture, and they have to be cleaned. Despite the double protection slippers, the floors suffer greatly. Not all rooms have ventilation, and in summer the temperature on the upper floors rises to +29 degrees, Taratynova lists.
In European museums, in such situations, electronic recording is introduced via the Internet, but in Russian reality, such a system will hit hard, first of all, on compatriot tourists who come not with companies, but on their own.
Imagine, a grandmother came to us from Samara. She didn’t know about electronic recording; she doesn’t even have the Internet. “I feel sorry for her,” the manager admits.
In general, whatever one may say, there are only two ways out of the situation: if you want to see the Amber Room, you will have to be patient. Or visit Tsarskoe Selo in late autumn, winter, or spring - when there are not so many tourists.
Our founders ask us to constantly increase attendance, and we will do this, but not at the expense of the Catherine Palace, Olga Taratynova is firmly convinced.
NUMBER
1.3 million tourists visited Tsarskoe Selo from May to October. This is 68 thousand more visitors than last year.
It’s already been 1.5 months since we returned from St. Petersburg, and I just now got around to writing about our visit to Tsarskoe Selo in the city of Pushkin. I can’t help but write about this amazing and very beautiful place. So, in order.
The Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve is located 25 km south of St. Petersburg in the city of Pushkin at the address: st. Sadovaya, 7. It’s very easy to get there yourself in several ways - choose which one is more convenient for you:
- By electric train from Vitebsky station to the Tsarskoe Selo station and then bus No. 371, 382 or minibus No. 371, 377, 382 to the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve.
- From the Moskovskaya metro station in St. Petersburg:
Route taxi No. 286, 287, 342, 347 and 545 to the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Reserve. - From the metro stations “Zvezdnaya” or “Kupchino” in St. Petersburg:
Bus No. 186 to the State Museum-Reserve “Tsarskoye Selo”. - From the Kupchino metro station in St. Petersburg:
By minibuses K-545a, K-286, K-287, and K-347a.
We traveled from Moskovskaya metro station by bus. Travel time is about 40 minutes, then walk to the entrance.
To enter the territory, you must first buy tickets to the park. There are several ticket offices, but there are a lot of people. If you want to buy tickets faster, you need to walk 300 meters forward along the fence to the red building “Hermitage Kitchen” and buy tickets to the park there. There are practically no people at this box office. At first, a ticket is purchased only for the territory of the park; in order to get to the Catherine Palace, you need to stand in a separate line. In summer it is very big, people stand for 4 hours. You cannot immediately buy tickets to enter the park and the Catherine Palace; you have to wait in two lines.
Entrance to the park is paid only from April 25 to October 20 from 9 to 18-00. The rest of the time, admission is free. From September to April the park is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Park ticket prices:
adults – 120 rub.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia, cadets, conscripts - 60 rubles.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus – 30 rubles.
Tickets to the Catherine Palace are sold upon presentation of an entrance ticket to the park (from April 25 to October 20, 2016). A ticket to the Catherine Palace Museum is valid for entry to the exhibition for one hour after sale.
Entrance fee to the palace:
Adults (preferential tariff - for tax residents of the Russian Federation) - 500 rubles.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus – 290 rubles.
Cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 290 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students – 290 rubles.
Visitors under 16 years of age are free.
We bought tickets and went to the park. I’ll say right away that we didn’t get to the Catherine Palace, as there was a huge queue there, so we decided to go on a tour next time, and this time to walk around the park and visit various exhibitions and exhibitions, of which there are many in Tsarskoe Selo.
After walking around the park, you can visit exhibition “Agate Rooms. The path to revival."
Ticket prices for the exhibition:
Adults – 300 rub.
Visitors under 16 years of age are free.
They provide an audio guide for free.
The exhibition runs in the Cold Bath pavilion.
The Agate Rooms are the apartments of Empress Catherine II, which have preserved their authentic historical decoration to this day. In the 1780s, court architect Charles Cameron created unique, exquisite interiors on the second floor of the Cold Bath pavilion - rooms for recreation and entertainment, which became the empress’s personal chambers, in which she looked through state documents in the morning hours, answered letters, and worked on literary works. . On the ground floor there were rooms for water procedures. The exhibition opened in 2013 after a 3-year restoration.
After visiting this exhibition, you can then walk around the park and see gardening art. The park is very magnificent, with many flower beds, beautifully trimmed trees and shrubs, and a neat lawn. In good weather it is very pleasant to walk along it.
You can also visit many exhibitions and displays located in the pavilions of the park.
An interesting exhibition is shown in pavilion "Hermitage".
4 times at 12-00, 12-30, 15-00 and 15-30 when visiting this pavilion, the operation of the lifting table is shown. The lifting table mechanism was designed to prevent servants from disturbing the owners and guests from resting, and from walking back and forth.
Cost of visit:
Adults – 350 rub.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 180 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students – 180 rubles.
If without lifting table demonstration:
Adults – 300 rub.
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, cadets, conscripts, members of the unions of artists, architects, designers of Russia - 150 rubles.
Pupils (from 16 years old), students – 150 rubles.
Visitors under 16 years old – 100 rubles. (excursion service)
We didn't get to the demonstration, but next excursion They didn’t want to wait and went for a walk further.
We managed to get into a demonstration of unique acoustics.
We listened to a performance by a group of choral singers called “Antem”. They were just in St. Petersburg on tour and in the Grotto they demonstrated their skills and the wonderful acoustics of the room.
Group "Antey"
If the weather is good, you can have a very good time in the park. It is so big that a day is not enough to walk around it and explore everything, so we will come here again.
Understand one thing - in July you won’t be able to get there without a line, so just evaluate the importance for you of visiting this particular place and decide whether to buy Internet tickets or just come and stand in line. The Catherine Palace and the Hermitage are, unfortunately, two of the most problematic places to visit in the summer...
in July you won’t be able to get there without a queue, so just evaluate the importance for you of visiting this particular place and decide whether to buy Internet tickets or just come and stand in line.
I rate the importance of visiting the Catherine Palace as maximum))) No matter what, we will definitely visit it)))
And approximately how long do people stand in line (in July) to get into the Catherine Palace?
If you arrive at the opening (9-10 o’clock), can you buy tickets to the palace right away? Or do they only start selling them to individuals at 12?!
Or are tickets sold immediately, but released only at 12 o’clock?
Is the entrance time to the palace not indicated on the tickets (like, for example, in the Alhambra)?
I don’t fully understand about online tickets - let’s say I bought them, exchanged vouchers for tickets at the right box office from 12 to 16 o'clock(as indicated in the instructions on the website). And in it's the same time There are a lot of people on the waiting list, individuals walking with purchased tickets. How will people on the waiting list and those who bought tickets via the Internet be siphoned off?! Or are there preferences for Internet ticket holders and they are allowed to go ahead?
The Catherine Palace and the Hermitage are the two most problematic places to visit in the summer, alas.
Alexey, can I ask about the Hermitage again (forgive me, guys, if I’m asking the question in the wrong topic) - I’ve planned a visit to the Hermitage on the free first Thursday of July, will there be a long line to enter? How early you need to arrive (we can, very early - we will not yet readjust after the flight and will live according to our home time). Or is it better NOT to come on a free day?
Is there a limit on the number of visitors to the Hermitage (for example, they can block the entrance and not let more people in)?
Last year I called to find out about online tickets to Ekaterininsky. After all, there is a line outside to enter the palace and there, inside, to buy entrance tickets, just like in the Hermitage. The entry time is not indicated - we bought it and went straight away. At this time (from 12 to 14 and from 16 to closing) groups are formed there, inside - simply, about 20 people have gathered, a guide comes up, the group receives individual headphones tuned to the transmitter of this guide and they go. The next group is recruited - the same thing. So those who get inside from the other side of the palace, with Internet tickets, simply join any group. There it is organized by flow, but since the flow is huge, be prepared for the fact that the excursion will be very limited - the Great Hall, one of the enfilades and the Amber Room - almost running. How long to stand in line is completely unknown. But, if you arrive at 10 and stand in the queue of individuals, then for 2 hours you will simply stand and wait for 12, when they start letting you in. But - closer to the entrance. Previously, there was a mess there because of the so-called “gray” groups from small TFs who did not enter into an agreement with the palace for a special passage. Therefore, they put one or two people in line, and then another 40 people joined them, who allegedly “stood but moved away.” This made the line terribly nervous, leading to fights, and now security seems to be monitoring this.
Visiting the Hermitage on a free day in July promises long queues. But, since there are no wardrobe restrictions, the line moves quite quickly. Even though admission on this day is free, you still need to go to the box office to get a free ticket. This is the order. There are no such strong restrictions as during the cloakroom operation (when it is full, you have to stand and wait for people to start leaving), although, of course, the flow will be regulated.
During my visits to St. Petersburg, I went to Pushkin twice on my own and never got inside the palace (I don’t remember the queues or it was closed). This time I decided to go on an organized tour. I booked an excursion for Monday, April 13, on the resource recommended by Alexey http://excurspb.ru/bus/buspri/130-pushpavl.html
Explain whether tickets to the palaces are included in the price or not, and maybe it’s worth buying directly from the tour desk of a specific company, because It’s not clear what company we will go with, will there be a good guide?
natalochka-an By the way, entrance to the Hermitage storerooms, even on a free day, costs money, as usual, without benefits.
Melani to your health.
kapur Of course, you need to ask about tickets from the company you are going with. You will have a guide along the route, and in the palace you will have your own guide. Since it’s not the season yet, it seems to me that you can go yourself - there shouldn’t be many people. And the excursion in the palace should be longer, because... there is no “flow” like in the summer. I remember, several years ago we went on these days - mid-April, it was completely free (of course, on a weekday).
Please note that there are a lot of interesting things there - the Lyceum and the Alexander Palace and the Feodorovsky town and the Military Chamber. I don't know if the White Tower will be open. Look at https://www.otzyv.ru/read.php?id=179318
Alexey, thank you very much!
Can I try you again (don’t judge strictly - we are going to your city from afar, so we want to get everywhere, and not waste precious time in queues senselessly, and I also want to save money))).
Maybe it makes sense to arrive early and first buy a ticket to Ekater.park and walk there until 12 o’clock? And then go to the palace.
Are tickets to the park sold to individuals in the morning or also after 12 noon?
And how many single tourists can get into the pavilions (I’m interested in the Hermitage)))
Approximately how long will it take to visit the park itself?
I understand that everyone different time required... we have plans to walk along the lake (without going around it entirely), walk to the Chinese Village and go to the Alexander Palace (not in a hurry, but also without “hanging out” near each sculpture) - will we do it in 2 hours?
natalochka-an
Can I try you again?
It's possible, but it doesn't hurt!
Buying a ticket to the park is not a problem at any time - there are several entrances both at the palace itself and next to the Hermitage and the Hermitage kitchen (such a brick building). Come in and take a walk. But when you approach the palace at 12, there will be a long line, keep in mind. The schedule of the Hermitage in the park should be viewed on the website - it may differ, for example, on weekends from other objects. The park itself can take half a day - there are places to walk. Watch the film "18/14" about lyceum students - there is filming in the park. If you go to the Chinese Village, first go around everything that is interesting in Catherine Park, and then go out to Alexandrovsky Park. There’s also the Creaky Gazebo and Whims and the Cross and Chinese Bridges, and the distances are decent. So 2 hours is nothing. But, at the Lyceum arch you can board a special tourist train that will take you around the park and the most interesting places. By the way, the Chinese Village is a private territory, everything there is fenced - you can only look from behind the fence. Read
https://www.otzyv.ru/read.php?id=96478
https://www.otzyv.ru/read.php?id=80529
It’s simply impossible to say about the Hermitage, which is Winter, believe me.
About the Hermitage (which Winter Palace) - how long before the opening is it better to arrive so that you don’t have to wait long and get in for sure?
You're not going for one day, are you? Come up sometime in the morning - just look and evaluate, and then plan your entry time.
About the Hermitage (which is the Winter Palace) - how long before the opening is it better to approach so that you don’t have to wait long and get in for sure?
My opinion is that there is no need to go just in the morning, especially much earlier than opening.
It will be the same waste of time in line.
After all, many people try to come early, thinking they can benefit from the queue, but that’s exactly how the queue builds up.
If you go later, in the afternoon, then there shouldn’t be any queues (but in this case you won’t be able to get into the storerooms: but you can go to the Hermitage twice, especially if one of them is on a free day).
In the summer there is no connection to the cloakroom, so the museum's capacity is higher; the queue should clear up after the morning.
We are talking about visiting on a free Thursday, but I do this with almost all objects - don’t rush in the morning, when most of them are there.
don’t rush in the morning when most people are coming.
And my many years of experience bus tours and visits to various museums and objects there indicate the opposite - they always arrived first in the morning and were happy when on the way out they saw crowds of thirsty people who loved to sleep :).
You're not going for one day, are you? Come up sometime in the morning - just look and evaluate, and then plan your entry time.
Of course, we are not going for one day... But still, there are not many days (((
Free admission on Thursday falls on our 2nd day in St. Petersburg (July 2).
I planned the first day in a slightly different direction (Russian Museum, Summer Garden + everything nearby), and this day will be difficult for us (we will arrive early in the morning by train from Moscow - I think we won’t be able to sleep well, besides, the first days We won’t have time to adjust to this time zone). In general, I’m not sure that we’ll be able to go and look at the line at the Hermitage on July 1st.
If you go later, in the afternoon, then there shouldn’t be any queues (but in this case you won’t be able to get into the storerooms: but you can go to the Hermitage twice, especially if one of them is on a free day).
Good advice! Thank you, Bella! But in the first days we will wake up very early and go to bed at 20 o'clock, so it is better for us to explore all the museums in the first half of the day. Well, or postpone the trip to the Hermitage for a few days, when we have already acclimatized...
Again, then you won’t be able to get into the free day)))
We also want to get into the storeroom - but we need to take tickets there in the morning.
Alexey, I just read your reviews on the “suburbs” (I grabbed Pavlovsk and two reviews on Oranienbaum) - now I want to go there too)))
And we’ll most likely buy tickets online for the Catherine Palace so as not to jostle in the queues. Then early in the morning we will take a walk around the Park, visit the Lyceum, then we will go to change vouchers - and to the palace. And then, suddenly, it will be possible to go to Pavlovsk on the same day... I looked on the website, they write about the online ticket: “Visiting the park is possible only after visiting the palace.”
