Half Day Tour to Peterhof from Saint Petersburg

It is a gala summer residence created for the Russian Emperor Peter the Great in the very beginning of the 18th century. A splendid park on the shore of the Baltic Sea with more than 150 fountains, 4 big cascades, beautiful palaces, blooming flowers and friendly squirrels – this place is really a must to visit.

French Versailles was indeed Peter the Great inspiration when he decided to build an imperial palace and many say Peterhof is even more beautiful than the famous French complex.The focal point of the whole ensemble is the jaw-dropping cascade fountain leading down from the palace. From there the park spreads out to the left and right along the coastline with trick fountains, pyramid fountains, marble sculptures and lots of other impressive displays.

The fountains of Peterhof are one of Russia's most famous tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors every year. Fountains were intrinsic to Peter the Great's original plans for Peterhof - it was the impossibility of engineering sufficiently powerful jets of water that prompted him to move his attentions from the Strelna site to Peterhof - and subsequent generations competed with their predecessors to add grander and ever more ingenious water features to the parkland surrounding the Grand Palace.

The most famous ensemble of fountains, the Grand Cascade, which runs from the northern facade of the Grand Palace to the Marine Canal, comprises 64 different fountains, and over 200 bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations. At the centre stands Rastrelli's spectacular statue of Samson wrestling the jaws of a lion. The vista of the Grand Cascade with the Grand Palace behind it, the first sight to great visitors who arrive in Peterhof by sea, is truly breathtaking. The Grotto behind the Grand Cascade, which was once used for small parties, contains the enormous pipes, originally wooden, that feed the fountains.

Elsewhere in the park, the range and diversity of fountains is astounding, from further monumental ensembles like the Chess Cascade and the Pyramid Fountain, to the ever-popular Joke Fountains, including one which sprays unwary passers-by who step on a particular paving stone.

The official opening of the fountains at Peterhof, which usually takes place at the end of May, is an all-day festival, with classical music, fireworks and other performances, as each section of the park's fountains is turned on one by one.

As of today the Peterhof is decorated by the biggest system of water cascades, fountains and sculptural elements in the world.