Escape the palace via a secret passage
Leningrad Region
O tempora, o mores! If you find yourself in an awkward situation at the Great Gatchina Palace, know that you can always escape through an authentic secret passage almost 130 meters long that was built there under the first owner, Count Orlov.
But, while fleeing, watch out: you may be spotted by real ladies-in-waiting or Paul I, Emperor of Russia himself! Along the way, enjoy the pompous royal interiors, the well-preserved palace complex and a sprawling green park.
How to escape the palace via a secret passage?
🚆 Commuter trains from St. Petersburg’s Baltiysky railway station bound for the Gatchina-Baltiyskaya station, the closest station to the whole palace complex, leave almost every hour, with travel time no more than one hour;
🚌 Shuttle taxis from the Moskovskaya metro station in St. Petersburg leave for Gatchina every 10-15 minutes and will be delivered to the palace in 50 minutes;
🏫 The palace is open for visiting daily from 11:00 to 19:00 and ticket offices are open from 10:00 to 18:00;
🕵🏻♂️ You can enter the secret passage from the ground floor of the palace, descending into its basements: it’s hidden behind massive wooden doors.
😮 Be sure to try and talk to the underground passage, only louder! They say it answers some questions.
