harshad : Mystic Russia in Seven Nights / Eight Days - Third and Final Stop - Saint Petersburg - Three Nights

Saint Petersburg

Three Nights / Three Days (half-day on day one and half day on day 4)
Day Three

The day three of Saint Petersburg trip is devoted to visiting Peterhof. A very grand palace and garden complex that mesmerises the visitors from the time they step into the compound. Peterhof (Petergof in Russian as they don’t have any alphabet for English H) is 30 km from the city centre though it is very much a district of Saint Petersburg. There are multiple modes by which Peterhof can be accessed from Saint Petersburg.

They are:-

( 1. Hydrofoil (a highspeed boat) which leave from Dvortsovaya and Admiralteyskaya, two embankments on the river Neva, the first one is right behind the Hermitage and the second right opposite The Bronze Horseman.

2. By Mini Buses called “Matrushkas”. Various connections are available from around Petersburg. Confirm the suitable one from local sources or even Goole Map will give you the right information.

( 3. By a combination of Suburban train and bus.

( 4. Finally, one can also go on a group day trip with numerous travel setups like Viator, etc.

What is there at Peterhof

Peterhof is palaces cum garden complex which was built by Peter the Great as an answer to famous Louis XIV created the Palace of Versailles in France. It was to be a country house for Peter the great when it was originally built in 1709 and was expended 1719 onwards after Peter the Great visited France. The final complex we see today was completed in 1756 in the rule of Elizabeth but mostly destroyed during German Occupation during the 900 days siege of the then Leningrad.

There are three distinct areas in this complex apart from Alexandria Garden, which is a country home for four generations of Romanov Tsarist family. Most tourists visit the main three parts and give a skip to Alexabria Garden as it is too big and it can not be covered by foot. There is a tourist trolley which does take tourist around Alexandria Park (for those who are keen to see it).

First Area - Upper Garden.

When one takes Bus (either from Saint Petersburg or from the New Peterhof Station, if using suburban station), one gets down at a stop called the Fountain near the main gate of the complex. This is where one enters the Upper Garden, a well laid out but not so famous part of Peterhof, entrance to which is free. The upper garden is beautiful but the lower garden is Wow. Upper Garden does have some very beautiful fountains and its own charm. It is nice but not as dense, famous or full of features as the lower garden is. The plus point is, there is no entry fee. Now let me take you around the Upper Garden through my lens.

Peterhof Complex, First look - Mezheumny Fountain (indefinite fountain)

Neptune Fountain

A Part of Grand Palace

Neptune Statue

Fish Sculpture at Neptune Fountain

Fountain in Square Pond

The Second - Grand Peterhof Palace.

The Grand Peterhof Palace façade is stretched a whopping 300 meters. It was constructed between 1714 and 1755 but its final shape took almost 150 years to come by. This double story grand palace is now a museum. If one has to finish the Peterhof visit in a day it is better to give a skip to the museum (unless visitors are interested in visiting museums). There is so much to see in the Upper Garden and Lower Garden that one would not be able to visit the museum for adequate time or would not be able to give adequate time to lower garden. The grandness of the palace is, however, realised even from the outside. If the museum has to be visited, the entry fee is Ruble 600.

Grand Palace - Mezheumny Fountain in the foreground

The Grand Palace

Grand Palace with Cascade (Fountain) in Lower Garden

The third Area - Lower Garden.

The lower garden lies between the 16-meter bluff (a sort of rounded cliff) on which the Upper Garden and the Grand Palace is situated and the sea coast which is about 100 meter from the bluff. If a visitor takes a Hydrofoil from Saint Petersburg, Seacoast is where one lands at the edge of Lower Garden. This garden is spread over 100 hectares and this is a complex having world’s highest number of fountains in a single area. It has one of the best laid out garden with 64 fountains, 200 statues and rest places and pavilions. Out of these 64 fountains, at least 5 or more trick fountains are there (the fountain streams are dormant till someone comes near the sensor and then the water starts tricking the visitors. Other famous fountains are Sun Fountain, Pyramid fountain, Samson fountains, etc. The highlight among the fountains is the cascade of fountains running down from Grand Palace to the canal going to sea. The entry fee for the lower garden is Ruble 700. Now let the photos do the talking.