Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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easily be handled on your own, though organized tours are readily available. Tours offer
two main advantages: no worries about transport, and detailed descriptions of the sights.
The disadvantages are that you may be stuck in a crowded, touristy restaurant for lunch,
and you won't get to explore the grounds freely. Tour costs are not much higher than
paying for transport and museum tickets on your own. Check with your hotel about
tours, or try
Davranov Travel
(17 Italianskaya Ulitsa;
&
812/571-8694;
www.
davranovtravel.ru).
Boat trips are the best way to get here from mid-May to early October, not least
because of the breathtaking view of the palace as you pull up to the Peterhof pier. Two
companies run hydrofoils from the docks on the Neva River in front of the Winter Pal-
ace.
Russian Cruises
(
&
812/325-6120;
www.russian-cruises.ru) is the better equipped
and offers English-language commentary. The
Vodokhod
company (
&
812/740-5858
)
is cheaper but more rudimentary. The 45-minute trip takes you along the forested banks
of the Baltic Sea. Boats run several times a day. When you disembark, head up the canal
for the palace; the entrance is on the opposite side. Organized tours will often take you
there on a boat and back home on a bus.
From October to May the best way to go is by bus. Russian vendors hawk trips on
direct buses from Nevsky Prospekt metro station. They cost about 500 rubles round-trip
and take an hour and a half.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
The palace and grounds offer enough to fill a day, or at least an afternoon. Start with the
Great Palace,
and be prepared to squint at all the gold inside. The rooms run in a long
line facing the park, which can make for bottlenecks if visitors reverse direction or when
there are large groups. Many visitors say the palace feels too magnificent to live in—and
Peter felt the same, preferring
Monplaisir,
a small baroque bungalow close to the water's
edge that was the first building in the Peterhof complex.
Peter chose Peterhof 's location for his summer residence based on its proximity to
Kronshtadt, the island fort that housed his fledgling Russian navy (see review later in this
chapter). Built in 1715 by Jean Baptiste Leblond, the Great Palace came to be known for
its grand summer fetes, in which everyone was invited to explore the czar's domain. The
palace was occupied by the Nazis during World War II and suffered severe damage; its
painstaking renovation became the region's pride. Note the Throne Room, with its diz-
zying light and portraits of the Romanovs; the neighboring Ladies-in-Waiting Room; and
the intricate wooden floors of the Western Chinese Study.
In the lush park, the Monplaisir house, the small red-and-white Hermitage, and the
Marly Palace
(with a carved wood desk that Peter himself made) are well worth explor-
ing, too, and more atmospheric than the Great Palace. Before heading down into the
park, spend a moment on the palace balcony to take in the view of the greenery and the
Grand Cascade
from above. If it's open, explore the
grotto
beneath the fountain to see
the 18th-century engineering feats that helped pipe in water from springs in the sur-
rounding Ropsha Hills and make the cascade's 64 water jets work in synchronicity.
The most elaborate statues and fountains are along the axis from the palace to the pier.
Be sure to see
Samson Fountain,
with the biblical strongman tearing apart the jaws of a
lion, symbolizing Peter's victory over Sweden in 1709. Off to one side are the musical
staccato fountains that shoot up at unpredictable intervals, where children love to drench
themselves in warm weather while trying to guess which one will go off next. The park
also includes a labyrinth of paths and ornate iron footbridges, as well as several small
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