If Peterhof represents the empire's ceremonial might, Pavlovsk is its intimate side. The palace and park created for Paul I and Maria Feodorovna became an embodiment of taste and harmony. No giant fountains or gilded baroque here—just classicism, an English landscape park, and the atmosphere of a country residence where you want to stay.

History

Catherine II gave the Pavlovsk lands to her son Paul and his wife Maria Feodorovna in 1777. Charles Cameron began palace construction, Vincenzo Brenna continued. Maria Feodorovna, a woman of refined taste, personally supervised the decor—hence the ex...