With its golden and white walls, the palace on the high bank of the Slavyanka river is visible even from far away parts of the park and the town. Its three-storey central building, crowned with a flat dome borne by sixty-four columns, is the oldest part of the structure and has the most exquisite decoration. It was created by Ch. Cameron in the 1780s.

The rounded galleries with colonnades connected the central building with the one-storey buildings where the support services were located, forming a front yard in the shape of a wide horseshoe.

After the accession of Paul I to the throne Pavlovsk became the suburban imperial residence. Due to that fact, in the 1790s the architect V. Brenna expanded the Palace considerably. He designed the second floors above the service buildings, attached two new semicircular wings to them, making the front yard almost closed. One floor was also added to the galleries with colonnades. Despite all the reconstruction, the central building has maintained its focal place in the composition of the palace, remaining conspicuous in both its dimensions and its elegance.

The museum features a collection of Russian portrait, as well as of paintings and drawings depicting the views of Pavlovsk. The Living rooms of Empress Maria Feodorovna, amazing in their beauty and harmony, decorated in the early 19th century by the architects Quarenghi and Voronikhin, are now open again, after many years of restoration.

Opening hours: Open seven days a week, 10:00 - 17:00, on the eve of public holidays: 10:00 - 16:00

Only the State rooms are open on Tuesdays and Fridays.