Peterhof in Smolensk

I wont describe in detail Peter the Great summer palace, as many did that before and I agree with them its marvelous. Just to explain - my 4 stars are because theres no English on the paid tour.TICKETS - due to Covid the number of visitors is limited. BUY your tickets ONLINE beforehand. I am not sure if they sell tickets at the counter at all, so do not take the risk coming here without them. Tickets are on a time slot basis with 15 min tolerance. As I said theres no option for an English tour, only Russian, which is unbelievable.REACHING - most interesting is by the speed boat from St. Pet center, BUT this is operating ONLY May-Oct.By public transport take the metro to Avtovo station (St. Pet most beautiful oneand from there buses 200 or 210 or private mini bus K-224, K-300 or K-424 (count on around 75-90 min one way).Most convenient is by taxi (make sure you have the Yandex app installed- around 45 min one way, cost around 15$.COMBINE your Peterhof visit with the outstanding Naval Cathedral (read that reviewin Kronstadt (island in the Finnish bay). Both are in the same direction, and best option is to make a loop which will require all together at least half a day.

This was one of the worst trip, this was during winter time everything was covered in snow and as expected not a lot of tourists were there. I took a ticket to the museum, the lady who took my belongings was mocking me in Russian. I felt really uncomfortable and unwelcome there. So I ignored and went ahead anyways, there were just 2 guided tours. So no rush of tourists, still they would come to specifically to hurry up and move ahead. One of the lady even told me do not stop and go towards exit!!!!!Absolutely ridiculous. At least let me read what am I standing in front of. Waste of money and waste of time.

Amazing palace with millions of things to see and cherish each and every moment at this place wonderful piece of architecture with amazing fountains and statue’s

Going there is a bit long and tiring during Autumn. In summers, there is an option to use boats from the center of the St. Petersburg. We need to use metro and buses however. We first went to Avtovo metro station, which looks like a museum and must be visited seperately, then use the buses on the opposite side of the road from the metro station. It may take up to 2 hours from the city center. However, the palace, nearest pavilions, church and surrounding garden was absolutely amazing.There were some construction and renovations at the complex when we were there and the picturesque fountains were not working as well. It could have been way more attractive if they were, but it still provided a great view of the palace.The palace itself and the garden around was influenced by the Versailles Palace in Paris. To be honest, it cannot be comparable with Versailles but it is still worth the visit and spend the day there. Entering into palace costs 1200 rub per person but the garden is free. I do not specifically recommend visiting the inside of the Palace with such a high amount as the exhibition rooms only restricted to certain rooms. Each room is decorated in a different style and hosts large collections of paintings, ornaments, antique furnitures, etc. Compared to the Versailles, it is much more expensive per room to visit. The inside was also very crowded with different groups of guided tours (only Russianin almost every room. So we couldnt comfortably walk about the palace. Still, if you want to visit a palace in St Petersburg and I think you should, this must be the palace that you need to visit.

Iconic place, must see, it’s all about fountains of all kinds one can imagine. Better take a speed boat (meteorto get here

#1 The Grand Peterhof Palace.It was an hours drive from the city centre we reached nice and early morning right after breakfast and spent good 3 hours at this wonderful palace and explored it inside out. The current weather in Russia 🇷🇺 is autum winter and was too windy on record it was 5 degree however it felt like 2 and the wind 🌬 was too strong after putting 3 layers of cloths and covering our heads and hands 🙌🏻 we weee still feeling cold. However the time spent at the palace was remarkable and memorable. The visit at this place was worth every penny.

Place was closed due to storm warning. But definitely worth a visit from reading all the reviews. You. An reach by road using bus from Avtovo metro station and then catching K300 or K401 bus. Just look for Peterhof in Russian on the bus and jump on, people will guide you where to get off. Right next to ticket counter you have two restaurant to eat and there are many stalls inside the garden to eat as well

I visited Peterhof during a rainy summer day. When visiting Russia pay heed to the fact that Russia has rainy summers, not that sunny as one may expect.I take my hat off to this well preserved palace! Everywhere you look one can spot glittery statues, breathtaking fountains lavish salons, and so on.I’ve visited many European palaces, however, I must say they pale into comparison with the Russian ones.Getting there may not prove easy depending on the weather. We took the hydrofoil which you can find just on the banks of the Neva River, right behind The Winter Palace. It’s worth taking it, but, in our case the service stopped on our way back due to the heavy rain and wind. Plan ahead second routes should you end up being affected by unexpected weather conditions.Visiting the palaces requires paying at least three tickets. You may decide the sections from the palace you wish to see and wonder about. If possible purchase your tickets prior to your visit as the lines may be quite long and you may end up making a time consuming line under the rain or the bad weather. May you be lucky as to be there on a bright day, do share your beautiful pictures.On the bright side, one can bump into many squirrels mingling with the crowds; they love being given treats, have fun with them !

Located in Pushkin, one hour drive from St. Petersburg. Lavish interior and wonderfully reserved exterior. The amber room is a definite highlight.

Beautiful place which is just 30 min away from the city.There are plenty of food spots inside, and the view on the Gulf of Finland is nice.Highly recommend to purchase entry tickets online to avoid the queues.The park is so lovely in autumn!

One of the favorite tourist attractions, you will need minimum 3 hours to see all places. One advice empty your bladder before you enter

the park is about an hours drive from city center. The main fountain area is the only place worth seeing and a pier opposite it. rest is not much. but the fountain area is great. bit pricey but its alright

They charge 1000 rubels to enter the park for foreigners and another 1200 rubels to see the palace. The cost is almost 3-4 times more than local people which is fine but the sad part is even after paying 3 times more a foreigner doesnt get an audio guide as well to understand the history properly and only russian language audio guide is available.Otherwise, the park is really very huge and pretty. You can pay for the park only and roam around. Overall very expensive and to be honest you have lot of parks in Russia which are free as well (Russia all exhibition park). As a non Russian, its just a tourist attraction, hence a popular spot.

An amazing palace which is having numbers of fountains, walking corridors and stairs. It has on one side forest and on other side beach sea view with a lot of things to see. Palace is now being used as museum which has many shops, food outlets and tuc shops. Trees and beautiful view is making it worth coming

WOW! Simply stunning! Amazing, a MUST visit place with a lot of history. Take a speed hydrofoil boat ride from St. Petersburg. Its the most expensive, but the most comfortable option to get there. People call it a Russian Versailles, but it is definitely better than the original: even bigger, and more luxurious. Ive visited both places, so speaking from the personal perspective.

The Peterhof Palace (Russian: Петерго́ф, IPA: [pʲɪtʲɪrˈɡof],[1] (an emulation of early modern Dutch "Piterhof", meaning "Peters Court"),[2] is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, commissioned by Peter the Great as a direct response to the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France.[3] Originally intending it in 1709 for country habitation, Peter the Great sought to expand the property as a result of his visit to the French royal court in 1717,[3] inspiring the nickname of "The Russian Versailles".[4] The architect between 1714 and 1728 was Domenico Trezzini, and the style he employed became the foundation for the Petrine Baroque style favored throughout Saint Petersburg.[5] Also in 1714, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond, likely chosen due to his previous collaborations[6] with Versailles landscaper André Le Nôtre, designed the gardens. Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli completed an expansion from 1747 to 1756 for Elizabeth of Russia. The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.In the early 1700s, the original Peterhof appeared quite different from today. Many of the fountains had not yet been installed and the entire Alexandrine Park and Upper Gardens did not exist. What is now the Upper Gardens was used to grow vegetables, and its ponds, then numbering only three, for fish. The Samson Fountain and its massive pedestal had not yet been installed in the Sea Channel, and the channel itself was used as a grand marine entrance into the complex.Olgin Pond (1840s), by Yegor MeyerPerhaps the most important change augmenting Peters design was the elevation of the Grand Palace to central status and prominence. The Grand Palace was originally called simply Upper, and was hardly larger than any of the other structures of the complex. The addition of wings, undertaken between 1745 and 1755, was one of the many projects commissioned from the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli by Elizabeth of Russia.[18] Likewise, the Grand Cascade was more sparsely decorated when initially built. The augmentation of Peterhofs original fountains and the addition of new ones continued well into the 19th century.1941–Modern Day EditPeterhof, like Tsarskoye Selo, was captured by German troops in 1941 and held until 1944. In the few months that elapsed between the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the appearance of the German Army, employees were only able to save a portion of the treasures of the palaces and fountains. An attempt was made to dismantle and bury the fountain sculptures, but three quarters, including all of the largest ones, remained in place.Monument of the naval landing in Lower Gardens of Peterhof near the pier.On 23 September 1941 German troops captured Peterhof. Two weeks later, on 5 October 1941, Soviet troops tried to recapture the town and block the highway by naval landing. 510 marines of the Soviet Baltic Fleet landed on the beach of the neighboring park of Alexandria but faced a heavy fire from the Germans. The commander of the operation was killed, all landing troops became disorganised, one landing craft was sunk and another one missed. Despite Soviet attempts to cover the landing forces by coastal artillery from Kronstadt, they were quickly suspended because of lack of connection with the landing troops. Evacuation attempts also failed due to heavy German artillery shelling (only one marine was picked up from the water). The Peterhof landing operation failed and all landing troops were cut off from the shore and surrounded. Some of them reached the Lower Gardens and fought until the bitter end, including hand-to-hand combat. The last pockets of resistance were destroyed on 7 October. Several dozen German Shepherd dogs were released into the gardens to find the hiding marines. Many of the wounded marines were bitten to death and several were captured.[19] In 1980 a memorial was erected near the pier of the Lower Gardens.The occupying forces of the German Army largely destroyed[20] Peterhof. Many of the founta

The Grand Cascade is modelled on one constructed for Louis XIV at his Château de Marly, which is likewise memorialised in one of the parks outbuildings.At the centre of the cascade is an artificial grotto with two stories, faced inside and out with hewn brown stone. It currently contains a modest museum of the fountains history. One of the exhibits is a table carrying a bowl of (artificialfruit, a replica of a similar table built under Peters direction. The table is rigged with jets of water that soak visitors when they reach for the fruit, a feature from Mannerist gardens that remained popular in Germany. The grotto is connected to the palace above and behind by a hidden corridor.The fountains of the Grand Cascade are located below the grotto and on either side of it. There are 64 fountains. Their waters flow into a semicircular pool, the terminus of the fountain-lined Sea Channel. In the 1730s, the large Samson Fountain was placed in this pool. It depicts the moment when Samson tears open the jaws of a lion, representing Russias victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War, and is doubly symbolic. The lion is an element of the Swedish coat of arms, and one of the great victories of the war was won on St Sampsons Day. From the lions mouth shoots a 20-metre (66 ft)-high vertical jet of water, the highest in all of Peterhof. This masterpiece by Mikhail Kozlovsky was looted by the invading Germans during the Second World War; see History below. A replica of the statue was installed in 1947.Perhaps the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains of the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade. The Samson Fountain is supplied by a special aqueduct, over 4 km (2.5 miin length, drawing water and pressure from a high-elevation source.

This is a must see place if you are in Saint Petersburg.This palace can be visited in a day from Saint Petersburg and a whole day will be needed to see this palace.This palace is very big and beautiful from outside .There is a museum inside the palace which can also interest some of the history lovers. There are different parks inside 5his place which is also worth visiting and you can also go to the sea shore which looks awesome.Overall its a complete package for a Day.

4.4 stars. We only bought entrance to the gardens after taking the Peterhof Express here (their express hydrofoil is enjoyable, convenient and worth the memory by the way!). The gardens alone are overwhelming and we simply didn’t have the time or desire to go inside the Peterhof as we were also heading over to the nearby Oranienbaum Palace. Having said that we saw the Peterhof gardens at the height of Summer in Late July and combined with the fountains, one was able to be transported into an earlier time.

I went there in late October and holy God I felt so cold which I have never felt before. My fingers were numb and my rose all red but it was all worth it as I got to see the beautiful castle where Kings and Queen of Russia used to reside. There is a statue of Aquaman in middle of the garden and a museum is prepared inside the castle with purest of gold. I mean gold really looks so shiny and sparkling like the gold necklace or ring you would be wearing as of the moment 😂. The place is a must visit and when going there you should be well packed that your dont catch a bad cold as peterhof is more close to Greenland

A Russian Versaiiles with luxurious palace. Beautiful surrounding as well. You can enter different parts of the palace or just the main building. I recommend a visit and if you have the whole day, then u should enjoy in by walking in the nearby parks as well.

What an amazing place! Such beautiful and well maintained garden, a good place to stroll along with your loved ones, especially during autumn when we went. The engineering design concept behind the fountains was truly ingenious. Some fountains are operated by a man sitting ‘innocently’ behind or in the box (watch out when you cross, you may have a pleasant surprise). You can’t say you have been to St. Petersburg if you didn’t visit this garden commissioned by Peter the Great.

Called Peterhof..... sense of Russian Germanic.... referring to a palace of Peter the Great located in Petergof. Was used as Summer palace for this Tsar of Russia and was burned down during few series of sad history. Its a beautifully created with majestic garden where its blooming in Spring and golden coloured in Autumn. Grand fountain with the golden statues facing the canal to the sea was very brilliant. I love to call this palace as Russian Versailles remind me to the one in France. Well known as one of the World Heritage Site and its not overrated if I can call a national treasure. And I agreed as its preserved to next generation to appreciate love, arts and harmonious life reminding us to the story in this great Palace

Beautiful engineering and art piece: fountains, gardens and Palace, all in one; a must see at least one in a lifetime place although the staff tells you not to stop and no pictures in some areas, some how they rush you all the way and that is a pity because you miss so many details!

ITs amazing place, very big, a lot of rooms, very big garden. ITs beautiful place. Only tale care with your wallet and purse, there are a lot PICK POCKET. Try to put all your things in front. In my tour Group, one man was thief for a chines woman. He didnt feel anything, there eas other japanese Group saw her, bit she ran quickly

You can go by metro + bus for 115 rubles or by boat in front of Ermitage for around 350 rubles. Going one way by land and another way by boat is a great combination.The garden and fountains are amazing.

We toured the grounds on a beautiful August day as part of a private tour. We spent about 2 hours walking around, taking pictures and getting a little wet in the fountains. It really is a beautiful place from a very different era. I wish we had a bit more time to explore, so I would say allowing 3 hours would probably be ideal. The photo spots are *very* crowded so be prepared to be in close quarters and of course watch your items. There are snack food offerings throughout the grounds and a few toilets as well.

Truly awe inspiring palace! The palace and grounds are huge, you can easily spend a day just on the main palace and lower grounds.Accessible by boat (45 min ride). Expect large crowds in high season.Guided tours are totally worth it. The guides are very knowledgeable and truly passionate about the history of the Peterhof.With the exception of the guides, the Russian staff does NOT any speak english (even people at the ticket store). Also, you constantly have the feeling that the staff is not particularly nice to foreigners.

Its very overcrowded in summer, but I was told its not so bad during winter. I doubt I have more then 3 photos without Chinese people on it. Its very nice place, worth of visit, I enjoyed my stay and pancakes in restaurant near parking.

One of my favorite palaces in the world. Even though I did not get the chance to visit the museum (as the museum is closed on the last Tuesday of the month, exactly the day I visitedI still strongly recommend. Easiest way to get there is by boat, takes like 40 minutes, 850 RUB to get there and 650 RUB to get back to St. Petersburg.

It was ok, nice to see for one time and only too many trees around there .There is a place looks good and the waterfront is ok , not too exciting .the price for the Russians and other nationalities are totally different ,its cost 900 rubles for non Russian people ,for Russians 450 rubles .1$ is almost equivalent to 64 rubles . Everything is pretty expensive in this place and too far from the town .if you have enough of 4 hours or more than that its ok to be there for a round a trip . otherwise its doesnt really worth the visit . Better to be in the town to go the churches and all .lot more to see and much more beautiful ...

Beautiful palace Peterhof grounds are absolutely stunning and a very large area to cover.We spent close to 4 hours at Peter half which was very less.In summer the palace looks really great with the greenery and the fountains as well.We were able to access the lower and the upper gardens which looked spectacular. You can also walk up to the edge of the pier and have a look at the sea.A very nice place to spend an entire day The drive is about 1 hour from Moscow and we had booked a yandex taxi for travels.

This is definitely a place to see if you go visit Russia. Walking through the building, garden and all the property is amazing.We took the boat from St. Petersburg and with 40 minutes we were there.Go visit!

Unfortunatly for my visit, the inside was closed. However, just a walk thru the upper and lower gardens is worth the trip. The smaller (not small at allupper garden is more manicured and ornamental. The lower garden is more of an arboretum. Its main feature is a canal that connects the fountains by the palace to the Baltic sea. It is accentuated by gilded and marble statues. It is easily accessible by inexpensive mass transportation. It cost me 85 rubles to get there. On my visit ( late October it felt colder than St Petersburg. So warm clothes are recommended.

Enormous park for you to enjoy in a good weather day. I dont think the museums are very interesting. The ticket system is quite difficult to understand there are different combination of entry and it is very confusing. For example you need to buy extra ticket to the palace once you entered. The entrance to the museum is only applicable to some museums that are included etc. The lower park you need to pay the fee but not the upper park....

Well worth a visit, when you only have one chance to go out on a group visa take it and visit Peterhof absolutely beautiful! Inside the Palace is a work of art and the gardens with all the fountains are amazing!

One of the most beautiful places on earth. A real must if you visit Russia and especially St. Petersburg. The best way to get there is by meteor boat. It takes half an hour and is very comfortable.

Amazing garden, fountains with a rich history in the palace.If you come by ferry, you must by default by a ticket to the park.I recommend you buy tickets at the centre entrance, not the box office on the right as they close at 2pm for a few hours. I lined up for 25mins only to get to the door where the security guard locked the doors and asked about 100 people to go somewhere else to wait in line.

The castle has a very nice garden. The interior is also nice. Just be aware that seeing the inside of the castle costs an additional 1000 rubels. You will not be told, mainly because nobody at the gate speaks English. Even they advertise that at one of the cash register lines someone will be speaking English.

If you are making the trip to Peteroh try to get there early in the morning when they open(10:30am I believe). I would hold off on exploring the interior until after the fountain is turned on. I say this because they have music and a show when the fountain turns on for the day, which is absolutely amazing. The gardens are expansive with mostly everything in full bloom in June.I would recommend to do this on your own rather than with a tour. With the tour you only had time to explore the inside and take a few pictures before you had to go. At the end of the canal you can take the hydrofoil to go back to St. Petersburg, it take approx 15min. Beware when you decide to take it, as it is very bumpy.

Superb park close to SPB, get there with the boat from Hermitage. I’m the park it’s forbidden to introduce alcohol, but you’ll find a bar a restaurant and a self service. I advice the tour of all gardens, there are some hidden statues and fountains. Might be a bit full of visitors during weekends. Quite expansive but worths the visit.

Saw it in the snow and it was gorgeous. No fountains but I imagine it is crowded. Go in the snow and its empty and its much more enjoyable. The blue sky and snowade the building look exquisite. The post wat photos are horrifying and the rebuilding work is sublime.

Amazing garden with superb fountains. Most fountains at one place in the world. Give yourself ample time to wander around the gardens. Be aware that the lower garden with most of the fountains and the upper garden are separate areas. We arrived by boat and could only visit the lower gardens with 1 ticket. Accessing the upper gardens wouldve meant we had to buy lower garden tickets anew to get back to the boat. Check before your trip but do go. Absolutely go.

In despite of the beauty and historical significance of the place, it feels like a tourist trap. The prices were inflated for the world cup, so you pay 900 rubles for the garden and 1000 for the palace (for comparison, the Hermitage costs 700and there are no longer student tickets for foreigners, which means for us prices have pretty much quadrupled in one year. And then every single little place inside has another fee, which just feels like a cash grab. You spend the day going "oh, whats that cute little building? Something that costs another 500. The palace is expensive, but at least Ill see that beautiful church! Oh, never mind, its another 500". I would have preferred if they had charged me more money at the entrance and then just allowed me to forget about money inside. Just rip the bandaid off.The palace is just unbearable. Its a tour after the next, so youre always being pushed around. We were always rushed by the staff to leave a room before a tour group approached us. An official palace tour guide, after seeing me and my friends a few times, started yelling at us, saying we were taking too long on purpose and listening to the explanation for free. We tried to explain that we were just trying to go around on our own pace, but no luck.The garden is a better experience, because there is no predetermined route and you manage to escape from the tours a little bit. Its gorgeous.

Gorgeous fountains and views both for palaces and “Finskii zaliv”. It’s a shame that I only had 3 hours to visit - missed a lot. Reserve at least 6 hours. “Tram” to Alexandria park has only Russian language - huge shame for tourists - everything is recorded, not sure why not to translate. You can purchase tickets both online (various packages are thereand self-service machines (there is no queue especially if you compare to the ticket office).

Very pretty palace built by Peter the great.The fountains in the gardens are breath-taking.The gardens thought it was just the start of summer were well maintained.The rooms and decor for inside of the place was very nicely restored after world war and put in excellent condition.It takes time as there are long queues to enter the palace and as a visitor please budget for this extra timeMust visit place when you are in St. Petersburg.

Must visit even if you are in St P in winter, spring or autumn, when fountains dont work.Good place to relax and get an inspiration. Children would like the amusement fountains ;but you should take with you an extra-clothes in this regard :)

Great fountain & beautiful sculptures surrounding. lots of interesting objects inside the museum. you cannot touch anything, walk through room by room. beautiful painting on the roofs and walls. Suitable for everyone. must deposit your big bag before entering to museum.

Visit it in summer and it was FABULOUS and MAGNIFICENT by all means. So many fountains and a beautiful park. You can also enjoy walking and taking picture until you reach to the Finland Gulf. One of top places alongside with Hermitage in St Petersburg for sure.

We visited Peterhof as part of our 3- day tour in St Petersburg. I have visited that place when I was 5 years old. I remembered few things, but I think this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! Great to actually walk through the rooms and gardens .I have feeling like I am in fairy tale. Very beautiful.it was Spring, and the season was not opened jet and there were quite a lot of people but it was still possible to enjoy the views and take photos of the fountains and gardens.