The detailed tour description

Peterhof palace and park tour is a must to do when you are in St. Petersburg. Peterhof(“Peter’s Court”) or Petrodvorets is situated on the bank of the Gulf of Finland and is a world famous Park and Palace ensemble, well known for its unique fountain system. It was founded by Peter I in the beginning of the 18th century to commemorate gaining the access to the Baltic Sea.

Grand Palace of Peterhof is one of the richest and most interesting summer palaces in Russia, that is why Peterhof palace tour will get you acquainted not only with the lifestyle of powerful Russian monarchs as well as Russian culture. Although, a lot of people come here just to see the magnificent fountains of the Lower Park which is also known as "the kingdom of fountains". There are about 300 fountains on the territory of the fountain Park of Peterhof, moreover there is a number of small private palaces scattered around the park: Bath Block, Catherine's Block, Hermitage, Marli palace, Mon Plaisir palace - these are the most famous ones.

The half-day tour we offer allows you to enjoy both the palace and park at your pace. Since the Grand Palace of Peterhof is very popular and extremely crowded in summer we usually offer special EARLY ENTRANCE tickets to the palace, which means you'll enter the palace before it is officially opened for public. You will walk in a much less crowded palace which is a great advantage. Sometimes though this is not an option, for example if you can't start the tour early. Then we will take you to Peterhof in the afternoon. We can take a hydrofoil straight to Peterhof park, walk there first and then enter the palace when the fountains stop working, around 5.00 pm. The palace is open till 9.00 pm in summer which is a great opportunity! For now, the Great palace is least crowded after 5.00 pm during the high season (from May till October)

If you prefer a relaxed tour, we advise to go to one of the small palaces in stead of the Great palace. You will save a lot of time and nerves but will see similar ornate interiors of smaller palaces. These are true hidden gems of Peterhof! If you wanted to see the Gold room of the Hermitage but couldn't get the tickets (thay have to be booked over a month in advance), please consider going to the Treasure room of Peterhof. The collections they display in the Gold room and Treasure room are similar - they display the royal diplomatic gifts that belong to the members of the royal family. We could add the visit there at USD 15 per person.

On the way to Peterhof or on the way back to St. Petersburg we can include a subway ride for you at no additional charge. You will see some of the most beautiful and ornate platforms. If you do the subway ride, please keep in mind, that taking pictures of the subway stations is forbidden. Also note, that most stations are deeply underground so the ride is not recommended if you are claustrophobic

The half-day tour takes about 5.5-6 hours depending on traffic and overall tour pace. The morning option lasts from 08.30 am to 2.00 pm, the afternoon option lasts from 2.00 pm to 7.30-8.00 pm

Options: we could arrange just a walk in the fountain park, with no visit to the palace, which deducts USD 15 per person from the rates stated below. You could also take hydrofoil to get to or from Peterhof and save 30 minutes on traffic each way.