Some 38 km from St. - Petersburg in the lovely countryside of Pavlovsk you will enjoy the Palace of Paul Ц the summer palace for the son of Catherine the Great, Paul the First.

The Palace was one of the wedding gifts for Grand Duke Paul, the future tsar.

This famous palace contains many unique treasures Ц the collection of antique marbles from the 1st century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., Dutch, Italian and Flemish paintings, Gobelin's tapestries presented to Paul by Louis the 16th, carved gilded furniture and English and Russian porcelain.

For those not interested in décor, the main appeal of Pavlovsk is the huge park.

The architects designed a seemingly natural landscape, with gently sloping hills, winding paths, pavilions, romantic ruins, bridges and woodland, stretching for several kilometers either side of the river.