Around the Catherine Palace extends the lovely Catherine Park. The main entrance is on Sadovaya ul, next to the Palace Chapel . The park extends around the ornamental Great Pond and contains an array of interesting buildings, follies and pavilions.
Near the Catherine Palace, the Cameron Gallery normally has rotating exhibitions, but was closed for renovations in 2014. Between the gallery and the palace, notice the south-pointing ramp that Cameron added for the ageing empress to walk down into the park.
The park’s outer section focuses on the Great Pond . In summer you can take a ferry to the little island to visit the Chesme Column . Beside the pond, the blue baroque Grotto Pavilion houses temporary exhibitions in summer. A walk around the Great Pond will reveal other buildings that the royals built over the years, including the very incongruous-looking Turkish Bath with its minaret-style tower, the wonderful Marble Bridge, the Chinese Pavilion and a Concert Hall isolated on an island, where concerts take place every Saturday at 5pm (tickets R400).
