Experience the Last Snow of the Season in Tsaritsyno Park
Let Tsaritsyno Park be your winter spot as this snowy season comes to an end. Here, the hustle and bustle of Moscow give way to silence and calmness, beautiful neo-Gothic buildings, fountains and happy faces.
Tsaritsyno Park Museum-Reserve is a neo-Gothic natural and architectural complex in the southern part of Moscow. It was founded by order of Catherine the Great in 1776 as a royal residence. The complex includes a palace, a park ensemble, and huge exhibition halls. The museum consists of many expositions from the 18th century, an archaeological exhibition, and a museum of decorative arts.
Nowadays, the park (which at an area of almost 400 hectares is the largest in the capital) is one of the most popular places to visit for both tourists and locals alike. The park is close to Biryulevsky Arboretum, where visitors can see rare species of trees and shrubs. The architectural monuments of Tsaritsyno are world famous, and the large-scale exhibitions hosted in the museum-reserve allow visitors to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the 18th century. The palace and its neighboring buildings were created in a fantasy neo-Gothic style, imitating the architecture of medieval Catholic cathedrals of the 13th–15th centuries.
Fans of cross-country skiing are sure to enjoy the five ski routes open this winter.
Three of them—ranging from one to five kilometers in length—are located within the palace part of the park. The start point is at the Shipilovsky Gate (entrance No. 7) next to a rental point where you can rent everything you need (boots, skis, sticks), as well as change clothes and store your belongings. Two more routes (seven and twelve kilometers long) run near the Lower Tsaritsyno Pond.
Address: 1 Dol’skaya Street, Moscow
Directions: The shortest way to Tsaritsyno Park is to go to Orekhovo metro station. Turn left at the exit and go upstairs. The entrance to the park is visible directly after exiting the metro.
Ski rental at the Shipilovsky Gate:
Ticket price:
On weekdays, 150 rubles for the first hour, 75 rubles for each subsequent hour.
On weekends - 240 rubles for the first hour, 165 rubles for each subsequent hour.
Opening hours: 11 am to 7 pm, Tue–Fri; 10 am–8 pm Sat–Sun (and holidays)
On March 15, Tsaritsyno offers free entrance to its museums as part of the Moscow Museum Week. To get a free ticket, visit the website.
Visit the Museum Complex:
Entrance ticket to the Grand Palace and the Bread House:
Ticket price: 630 roubles
Opening hours: 10 am–5:30 pm, Tue–Sun
Entrance ticket to the greenhouse complex:
Ticket price: 250 roubles
Opening hours: 10 am–5 pm, Wed–Sun
Text by Lý Trang, second-year master’s student of Critical Media Studies, intern at the HSE University English website team