Located 29km from St. Petersburg, this imperial estate includes a 30-room Grand Palace, the gravity-powered Grand Cascade with 64 fountains, and French gardens along the Gulf of Finland.
Peterhof lies 29 kilometers from St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland. You'll find Peter the Great's Grand Palace atop a coastal bluff, the massive Grand Cascade with its golden Samson statue, and intimate spaces like Peter's seaside Monplaisir Palace. The estate's fountains run entirely on gravity, creating spectacular water displays throughout the Lower Park's French-style gardens.
The Grand Palace
From its position 16 meters above the Gulf of Finland, the Grand Palace contains 30 rooms, each telling a different story. Walk through Peter the Great's Oak Study with its simple wooden panels, then step into Elizabeth's Throne Room where white and turquoise details cover the walls and ceiling. Look up at the Ceremonial Staircase to see the fresco of Aurora and Genius. The Drawing Room's walls shine with Chinese silk, while the Crown Room preserves its 19th-century Imperial bedchamber setting.
The Grand Cascade and Fountains
The Grand Cascade creates a spectacle with 64 fountains and more than 200 bronze statues. Its centerpiece, the golden Samson statue, forces water 20 meters into the air. Water flows naturally from the Ropsha Heights through 96 kilometers of canals and 16 ponds, requiring no pumps. The Lower Park contains unique water displays like the Chess Cascade with its dragon sculptures and the geometric Pyramid Fountain.
The Upper and Lower Gardens
The Lower Park stretches 200 meters along the shore, containing most of Peterhof's fountains and smaller palaces. Straight alleys of lime trees and geometric flowerbeds with seasonal plants define the French formal style, including a shrub maze. In the 15-hectare Upper Garden, you'll find five fountains, including the 1650s Neptune Fountain. Rectangular ponds here have marble statues representing spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Monplaisir and Other Buildings
Peter the Great built Monplaisir Palace right on the shoreline as his private residence. Its red-brick exterior and high windows reflect Dutch design influences. Inside, you'll discover Russia's first picture gallery with works by Dutch, Flemish, and German artists. Nearby stands Marli Palace, named after the French royal hunting lodge, between two ponds that once supplied fish to the royal kitchen.
Getting There and Visiting
Take a train from Baltiskiy Station to Noviy Peterhof Station, catch bus numbers 200 or 210 from Avtovo metro station, or ride a hydrofoil from central St. Petersburg. The hydrofoil takes 40 minutes to reach the Lower Park pier. The grounds open daily from 9am to 8pm, though building hours vary. You must join a guided tour to enter the Grand Palace, which closes on Mondays. Most fountains don't operate from October to April.
