Peterhof Palace and Park by hydrofoil

Peterhof is a former summer residence of the royal family situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. It is twenrty-nine kilometers from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Peter the Great travelled much and also to different European countries. He had been to Holland that was his favorite country. He visited Great Britain, Italy and France. Of course, he had been to Versailles. He decided to create ‘Russian Versailles’ in Peterhof.

Peterhof is a German word which means Peter’s yard. For the first time it was mentioned in Travel Diary of Peter I in 1705. This residence was opened to the public on August 15, 1723. It was a very beautiful, solemn ceremony.

It is often called “Russian Versailles”, the seaside paradise or the capital of fountains. In the lower park of Peterhof there are more than 170 fountains. They were made in different periods of time. Some of them even go back to Peter’s time. They all work by gravity force from the end of April to the beginning of October. The official ceremony of Openning the Fountains takes place usually in the middle of May. There are no pumps in the park. The park itself is dived into three parts: central, eastern and western. Apart from Grand Palace there are three small palaces situated in different parts of the park. Among them there is a favorite palace of Peter the Great – Monplaisir palace. This is where Peter the Great preferred to stay when he was in Peterhof.

To begin this private tour of Saint-Petersburg your St Petersburg guide will meet you on the Palace (Dvortsovaya) Square in front of the Hermitage and then you will travel to Peterhof Complex by hydrofoil (30 min each way). You will enjoy a wonderful view of the city and the Gulf of Finland from the hydrofoil. In Peterhof you will have a guided tour inside Grand Peterhof Palace (not inclided into ready made tours as well as shore excursions) and a walk around the gardens with fountains. We return to Saint-Petersburg the same way and finish our guided tour of Peterhof near the Hermitage. Book more than one tour with us to get a great discount!

Please have a look at our guests’ testimonials.

The price includes a professional English-speaking guide for four hours, tickets to hydrofoil for everyone,  tickets to Peterhof park and Grand Peterhof Palace for everyone.

Group size (number of people). Price per person.