Peterhof is one of the most popular, beautiful and attractive places for tourists in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. If you will be in St. Petersburg in the summer, then you definitely need to find time to visit the park with beautiful fountains and Peterhof Palace.
Peterhof is a small town, suburb of St. Petersburg. It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, at a distance about 30 kilometers south-west of the center of St. Petersburg. The population of the town is about 78,500 people.
Peterhof got its name from the German word Peterhof – “Peter’s Court”. From 1944 to 1997 the town was called “Petrodvorets”.
Peterhof was founded in 1710 as the emperor’s country residence. It received the city status in 1762. There were villages Kuusoja and Pohjajoki on the place of Peterhof on the coast of the Gulf of Finland prior to the beginning of the XVIII century. The most famous town landmark is the “Peterhof” museum.
Sea Channel view of the in Peterhof from the Grand Palace is shown in the picture.
The Museum Peterhof includes: “Peterhof Grand Palace,” “Upper Garden”, “Lower Park” and other objects.
The most interesting place for tourists (in summer) in Peterhof is “Lower Park”. Lower Park has an area about 102 hectares. The park stretches from west to east along the coast of the Gulf of Finland by 2.5 kilometers. Its width from north to south is about 500 meters.
The main decorations of the park are its fountains. “Grand Cascade” fountain is situated in the central part of the park, in front of Grand Palace. “Sea Canal” is laid from the Grand Cascade to the coast. The canal divides the park into two parts. “Adam” and “Eve” fountains, “Chess Mountain” and “Gold Mountain” fountains cascades, Monplaisir Palace and Hermitage Pavilion are located at the equal distance from the canal on both sides of the park. “Oak” and “Umbrella” fountains are children’s favorites. The most famous fountain in the park is “Samson tearing the lion’s mouth” named fountain.
Operating mode of the Peterhof Lower Park
- The park is open (summer 2026): 09:00 – 20:00.
- On Saturdays, the park is open from 9:00 to 21:00.
- Ticket office opening hours: 09:00 – 19:30.
- Fountains operate weekdays from 10:00 to 18:00 on weekends and public holidays from 10:00 to 19:00.
- Launch of the Grand Cascade fountains: 11:00.
- Entrance fee to the Lower Park: 1100/900 rubles (for citizens of Russia and Belarus). There are exemptions for certain categories of citizens. Prices for the summer season 2026. The cost of the full ticket for foreigners is 2500/2100 rubles.
How to get there
You can get to Peterhof:
By bus (get off at the “Fountains” stop)
From the Avtovo metro station, take buses #200, #210, #204E, and #343E.
From the Leninsky Prospekt metro station, take buses #103 and #343E.
From the Prospekt Veteranov metro station, take buses #103 and #343E.
From the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station, take bus #201.
By sea transport from the pier at 18 Palace Embankment, near the Winter Palace. In Peterhof, the pier is located in the Lower Park, near the Sea Canal. A trip to Peterhof on the Meteor is probably the best option, although not the cheapest.
By electric train from the Baltic Station, then by bus: No. 352, No. 356, No. 463, No. 489/