Photo: Елена Нечипоренко (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Culture and heritage · Russia
Peterhof and its fountains
Peter the Great's summer palace on the Gulf of Finland, with the Grand Cascade, gilded statues and gardens running down to the sea, reached in summer by hydrofoil.
St Petersburg · Russia
The experience
Peter the Great built Peterhof in the early eighteenth century as a summer palace to rival Versailles, about 30 km west of St Petersburg. The Grand Palace stands on a ridge from which the Grand Cascade and its golden statues descend to a canal that runs to the sea.
The fountains, dozens of them, work without pumps, using only the difference in height between the springs and the gardens. They run from late April or May until early October. The Lower Park also has trick fountains that children love.
The best way there is the hydrofoil from the Hermitage pier, about 40 minutes along the Neva and the gulf. We arrange the return by car along the coast, or a car both ways outside the boat season.
We book a timed entry to the Grand Palace and allow at least half a day for the gardens. With its open spaces and cafés, Peterhof suits families well.
Russia
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