Day Trips From St Petersburg: Peterhof

Peterhof is definitely a trip from St Petersburg that is a must even if you’ve just arrived in the city. No other palace in Russia can rival the extravagant fountain park of Peterhof. The views here are beautiful in whichever direction you look, and the palace recounts a sad but important chapter of St Petersburg’s history.

About Peterhof

Born from the vision of making a palace and park in Russia that was to rival Versailles in France, Peterhof was born. In early 1700, Peter the Great began the construction of his fountain park for which he even contributed his own drawings and corrections to the blueprints. Soon the work on the Peterhof Grand Palace had also begun, as did that on the secluded mini-palaces in the park where the Emperor could enjoy his privacy and host small groups of guests. For two centuries, Peterhof remained a magnificent residence as well as an extensive fountain park. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, both the palace and park were destroyed. It took years of restoration to return the residence back to its former shape, allowing it to welcome visitors once more.

Your visit

Getting there

Peterhof is a very popular destination, so there are many transport routes to get there from St Petersburg. The most touristy but also exciting way to get to Peterhof is by hydrofoil from the Palace Embankment in St Petersburg. The journey is very quick, about 15 minutes, and delivers the passengers straight to the bottom of the park. Tickets for the hydrofoil are not cheap compared to other options, around 800 roubles (£9) each way. Public transport also runs to Peterhof. A train leaves about every hour from Baltiyskiy railway station and gets to Old Peterhof station within 30 minutes. It’s another 20 minutes on foot to the park, though. A ticket will cost 55 roubles (£1). Buses and minivans also frequently travel to Peterhof. Here, you’ll have to be fairly conscious of the journey as minivans stop on demand. It is likely that there will be passengers going to Peterhof, but it would be a good idea to double check and ask around. The minivans leave from various subway stations: the 424, 224 and 424a from Avtovo station, the 404, 054 from Baltiyskaya station and the 103 from Leninsky Prospekt station. Prices vary but will generally cost around 55 roubles (£1) for a single journey.

Peterhof, Russia

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.