Tuutari Park, Bornitsky quarry, geological masterpieces and cozy meadows

An hour's drive from the city center is Tuutari Park, a year-round center for outdoor activities. The park is located at the foot of Kirchhoff Mountain. From its top you can see St. Petersburg. In winter you can go snowboarding or skiing here. In the warmer months, you can play in the rope park, climb the zip line, ride a bike or rollerblade.
Horseback riding and horseback riding in the fields are available (you have to sign up a day in advance). There are also regular events of all kinds, from children's competitions to open-air races.

I suggest having lunch at Boggeta Pub in Gatchina. Nice and original interior, tasty food and an open terrace.

The Bornitskiy quarry surprises with its beauty. Sand dunes and emerald water - after a few minutes you forget that you are a couple of tens of kilometers away from St. Petersburg. You have the feeling that you are in a real desert. The ascent to the heap is quite steep, so choose comfortable sneakers or boots for the walk.

Near the village of Belogorka near the estate of A.G. Eliseev in Gatchina district you can find a geological natural monument. Here, on the river Oredezh the rocks of Paleozoic age have come to the surface. In the red rocks you can discern the fossilized skeletons of kistepecker and armored fish (now extinct) and other animals. It's a great place to feel the power of nature and think about the eternal.

In the 80s, there was a sand quarry in this area. Due to active ground waters, sand mining had to stop, the equipment was removed and the pit quickly turned into a lake in the middle of a pine forest.
Small Luga Canyon created an ordinary forest stream flowing into the lake. The stream can be particularly rough in springtime, but in summer it almost dries up. For several decades the stream of water has created a real natural wonder. At the bottom of the canyon you can walk all the way to the "waterfall" - do not spare time for this little attraction.

Isn't it time to stop on vacation? You can warm up, fill up and buy goods on the way at Gazpromneft's filling stations.

And here we are in Luga. I suggest having dinner in the restaurant "Chaplin", a cozy and quiet place, where there are no noisy discos.

Let's take a walk in the evening meadow. The river gave the name to this small town, and its name in turn comes from the word laugas ("swamp" in Estonian). Pushkin repeatedly stopped here on his way to the Pskov estate.
The city was badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War. A handful of old houses survived by miracle, which you can see today. Local residents are especially proud of the Resurrection Cathedral in Pseudo-Russian style (1887) and the Catholic Church.

Luga's nightlife isn't too rough. Let's not waste time looking for the best bar, but rather go to the hotel: tomorrow you'll have to walk a lot - it's better to get a good night's sleep!