What to see in Peterhof: all attractions and secrets

Imagine: you step off a boat onto the pier of Peterhof, and before you opens the same view that Peter I saw three centuries ago — the famous Grand Cascade with its fountains. Peterhof is more than just a park. Here still operates a unique 18th-century system that supplies water to the fountains without a single pump. This palace and park ensemble survived destruction during the war and was completely restored.

And only arrival by water — as the Russian tsars did — allows you to truly appreciate the scale of Peter's vision. In Peterhof, history comes alive: every fountain, every pavilion here has its own story, and the entire ensemble continues to live and develop.

Peterhof Palace and Park Ensemble

A bit of Peterhof's history: from a roadside retreat to the Russian Versailles

"Our shnyava Munker sailed to Petersburg, dropped anchor at four o'clock in the afternoon opposite Peterhof, arrived in Petersburg by evening." This is an entry from Peter the First's field journal. It was made on September 13, 1705. Peter at that time frequently traveled between Petersburg and Kotlin Island, where he was organizing the city's defenses. The journey was not short, and Peter would stop at a wayside palace — Peterhof. This was one of the tsar's "roadside retreats."

It is believed that Peter the First built Peterhof after visiting Versailles, inspired by Versailles, amazed by Versailles. But this is one of the legends.

In 1697-1698, Peter made a voyage through Europe, but without stopping in Paris. Louis XIV did not wish to see the Russian tsar, and Peter didn't insist. Besides France, there was plenty to see in Europe. English and Dutch gardens with fountains made a strong impression on Peter. The tsar became very interested in fountain craft and began studying it. In 1712, Peter received a model of the Versailles garden, works on hydraulics, on park arrangement, on fountain craft. He also had blueprints for Versailles' construction.

But it was only after the death of the Sun King in 1717 that Peter visited France.

King Louis XV was seven years old. Seeing the child, the emotional Peter picked up the king in his arms. Everyone was stunned — this was a clear violation of court etiquette. But then again, it wasn't just anyone who violated it, but the Russian tsar. And Louis behaved calmly and kindly in Peter's arms. "I'm carrying all of France!" Peter joked.

L. Ersan. Peter I visiting young Louis XV Source: wikipedia.org

Peter examined many attractions of Paris and its suburbs. But he was most interested in the water-lifting machine that supplied water to the fountains of Marly and Versailles. Peter, as usual, asked many questions about the construction, made many sketches and notes. Everything he saw, he later implemented in Russian realities.

Having become a fountain ideologist, Peter immediately began implementing his long-matured plan to create a grand park. He wanted to arrange a Russian Versailles in Strelna. But Minich talked him out of it. The talented hydraulic engineer proved to Peter that water spectacles could not be arranged near Strelna — it would flood everything around. Then the choice fell on Peterhof. Peter did not like to postpone work indefinitely. And already in August 1721, the fountains began operating.

Ivan Aivazovsky. View of the Grand Cascade in Peterhof. 1837 Source: gallerix.ru

When the construction work was nearing completion, Peter organized a diplomatic trip to Peterhof. Diplomats from various countries were invited. The sovereign himself was the guide for this excursion. He willingly answered the "tourists'" questions and constantly inquired about the impression they had received.

All subsequent tsars had a hand in arranging, completing, and reconstructing the Peterhof residence.

And in 1941 the fascists came and destroyed everything. To the ground. In the parks they cut down all the trees. They blew up and burned the Grand Palace. They blew up the Marly Palace. They destroyed the underground water communications, canals, locks. Only a few sculptures that they managed to bury in the park survived. In 1944, immediately after liberation, Peterhof was renamed Petrodvorets and its restoration began. In 1945 the Lower Park opened, a year later the fountains were launched. In 1947 the "Samson" fountain, lost during the war, began working again.

Peterhof is shrouded in many myths and secrets. What is truth and what is legend is sometimes unknown. But that this place is magical — that's for certain!

Voyage to Peterhof

Do you want to experience this time travel to the fullest? The voyage to Peterhof will allow you to take the same route as the Russian emperors — from St. Petersburg across the Gulf of Finland directly to the Imperial pier. Learn more

Peterhof. Palace and park ensemble Source: © Andrew Shiva

Today

Now you can reach Peterhof by bus, train, or taxi. But it's still better to do it by water. Because the history of Peterhof begins only from the water. Arriving by water, you don't simply enter a park — you enter the Emperor's vision, where the first panorama of the palace above the sparkling cascade and the arrow of the Sea Canal becomes your "entrance ticket to the 18th century." The Lower Park of Peterhof is not just a stroll through alleys and fountains. It's a journey through time, architecture, and genius. And arrival by water makes it truly imperial.

Well then, shall we go?!

Peterhof attractions

When you step off the boat, your breath is taken away by the view that opens up. By the Grand Palace seemingly floating above the earth. By the view of the Grand Cascade — a luxurious fountain ensemble at the foot of the palace. By the Sea Canal — a direct water "highway" leading from the Gulf of Finland to the imperial threshold. You're as if invited to follow in Peter I's footsteps. After all, ships really did once enter here.

The Grand Palace

The Upper Chambers, as the palace was originally called, were conceived by Peter himself, i.e., he made a sketch of a modest imperial palace. Johann Friedrich Braunstein was the first architect of Peterhof, but worked there only two years — removed for an error in laying the foundation. Then construction was continued by Jean-Baptiste Leblond, Niccolò Michetti, and Mikhail Zemtsov. And the outstanding Bartolomeo Rastrelli completed the construction of the Peterhof palace. He transformed the modest Upper Chambers into the Grand Palace.

Later, no less famous architects worked on the palace's interior decoration. Jean-Baptiste Delamotte transformed two rooms into Chinese cabinets. He redesigned the Italian salon. He arranged there a tapestry hanging of 368 paintings with portraits of young women. The result was a kind of Cabinet of fashion and graces. Y. Felten changed the interior decoration of the rooms. In 1846, A. Stackenschneider updated the decor of some drawing rooms. This was the last renovation of the Grand Palace.

Grand Cascade and Grand Palace

Describing what the palace halls look like is a thankless task. This must be seen. Climb the Grand Staircase. Look at your reflection in the many mirrors of the Ballroom.

Ballroom

Admire the Imperial porcelain works and Aivazovsky's paintings in the Blue Reception Room. Feel like a high official awaiting an audience in the Chesme Hall. In the Throne Room, see the portrait of Catherine II in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The painting is called "Procession to Peterhof." It captures the moment of the palace coup of June 28, 1762.

Peter III arrived in Peterhof on the eve of St. Peter's Day. His wife was supposed to meet him here, the main organizer of the celebrations for the name day. But instead of Catherine, a messenger appeared: "Your Majesty, your wife has overthrown you!" Peter III decided this was a joke and ordered the arrest of... the messenger. Catherine II, upon learning this, allegedly said: "My poor fool. Even betraying him was boring."

V. Eriksen. "March to Peterhof" (Equestrian portrait of Catherine the Great). 1762 Source: © Virgilius Eriksen

In the State Ladies' or Audience Hall, feel like a state lady: a lady-in-waiting, court mistress, or chief court mistress (try not to break your tongue) according to the textual exposition of the Table of Ranks. In the White Dining Room, admire the Wedgwood faience service of an unusual creamy shade. In the Chinese Cabinets, examine the amazing tiles, Chinese lacquer miniatures, rare parquet in marquetry technique made from precious wood species. And there's also the Partridge Drawing Room, the Divan Room, the Toilet Room, the Empress's Cabinet, the Standard Room, the Cavalier's Room... And about each hall, about each cabinet, you can confidently say: "magnificent," "unique," "luxurious."

And all this luxury was not created for emperors and empresses. This was created for the Empire, for history, for posterity.

The heart of Peterhof: the Grand Cascade and "Samson"

The Grand Cascade, sparkling like a set of jewelry at noon, is Peterhof's calling card, a symbol of its power and beauty. The Grand Cascade consists of seventeen waterfall steps, forty-one bronze gilded statues, twenty-nine bas-reliefs, four busts, seven mascarons, and one hundred forty-two streams of crystal water.

In the center is the Sea Canal, so straight that you wonder how they could have made it without a laser level. Legend says that Peter I ordered the canal to be cut with an axe and personally threw with a shovel until he achieved a straight line. Hard to believe, but this image sticks firmly. At the top is the imperial palace, and at the foot is the Samson fountain. This fountain is not just a fountain, but a kind of bronze political meme. The lion here is not just a lion, but a Swedish one, from Sweden's coat of arms. And Samson, tearing open the lion's mouth, is Russia after the Battle of Poltava.

Samson tearing the Lion's mouth

Samson was installed by order of Catherine I in 1725. But apparently Peter himself, back in 1715, in memory of the Battle of Gangut naval engagement, ordered the installation of not Samson, but Hercules.

The Samson that stands now is a reproduction. No, not right, not a reproduction, but a sculpture scrupulously executed by restorers. The historical Samson disappeared. According to one version, in 1941 museum workers buried it in the park, but on the way back they came under bombardment and all perished. The burial site of the sculpture was never found.

They say at night in the park you can hear a rumble from underground — that's Samson asking to come up...

Sea Canal

Peter I wanted to be able to arrive at his palace by ship. Therefore, simultaneously with the Grand Palace, the Sea Canal from the Gulf of Finland was built. Drawbridges — the Marlinsky and Malibanksy bridges — were laid across the canal. And right by the sea there's an elegant little bridge from which a magnificent panorama of the Grand Cascade and Grand Palace opens up.

You absolutely must walk across one of the bridges — not to get somewhere, but simply for a photograph where everything is perfectly symmetrical and "expensive-rich." At the bottom of the canal, they say, old ships were once deliberately sunk to make it more beautiful.

Sea Canal and Fountain Alley Source: nationalgeographic.com

Grottoes of the Grand Cascade

You can descend into the depths of the cascade. There one of Peterhof's most impressive secrets is hidden. These are grottoes with marble niches, ancient pipes, and inclined mirrors. The park's gigantic water system has been functioning for more than 300 years... "without a single pump." All the power is in the height difference and an ingenious system of ponds, canals, and pipes. By the way, the pipes are painted in different colors so as not to confuse which ones go where. So you don't have to guess which pipe to shut off: the red one or the yellow one? To Samson, for example, red pipes lead.

Grottoes of the Grand Cascade

Voronikhin Colonnades

Originally, wooden pavilions stood in this place. Inside them fountains were arranged and "bell-playing music" sounded, set in motion by water. In the eastern gallery was a musical instrument with crystal bells. In the western gallery was a water organ called "hunter's device."

The galleries deteriorated over time and were renovated. A. N. Voronikhin created the new project. This was his first work not for the Stroganovs. Fountains are arranged on the gilded domes of the side pavilions and the roofs of the galleries. Water poured from the tops of the domes and fell, creating a curtain in front of the windows, into marble basins. The colonnade is guarded by lions, four pink and four gray.

Voronikhin Colonnades Source: wikipedia / GAlexandrova

Eastern side of Peterhof — where Peter walked barefoot

Monplaisir Palace

Peter I's favorite palace. "Mon plaisir" in French means "my pleasure," and it sounds as if the tsar himself is winking. Modest on the outside, but refined and warm inside, with windows facing directly onto the bay, it seems created for morning coffee with a view of the horizon. Inside are Peter's personal belongings, paintings by Dutch masters, and the feeling of a very personal space. They say Peter loved to stand barefoot on the stone floor and look into the distance, at the horizon.

Monplaisir Source: © Alex Fedorov

Monplaisir Garden and the "benches"

To the left and right of Monplaisir Palace spreads a cozy garden with paved paths and... trick fountains! The Little Benches, Water Road, Little Oak, Fir Trees, Umbrella. These "soaking places," as the trick fountains used to be called, were conceived by Peter himself. And they still work. So be careful.

It always seems like you can solve the secret of the trick fountain and come out dry. For example, take a certain fruit from the Table with Splashes (it's in the grotto). Find the stone that turns the fountain mechanism on or off. But alas, there's no such fruit, no such stone. Somewhere in the bushes sits a worker whose entire job consists of dousing unsuspecting tourists with water. They say Peter himself sometimes liked to play jokes on guests and personally turned the valve. But only one person can pass the "Little Oak" fountain dry — the tour guide. He has a secret sign for the worker who turns the fountain on and off from a distance.

Trick fountain "Soaking Road" Source: © Igor Gordeev

Chessboard Hill (also known as Dragon Cascade)

The cascade is located on a natural slope. At the top is a grotto guarded by three dragons, at the bottom are steps in black and white checkered pattern, with marble statues on the sides. The statues were made in Peter's time by Italian masters. True, copies stand there now, the originals are in storage.

Peter conceived this cascade as "Ruined" and it was supposed to represent the ruins of a fortress tower — a symbol of Russian troops capturing Swedish fortresses. But after Peter's death, work was suspended. Later the fountain was reconstructed, and it became Dragon Hill. And after the cascade steps were given the appearance of chessboards, it became Chessboard Hill.

The Chessboard Cascade © Ruffery / Wikimedia

Dragons of the Chessboard Cascade © Aleks G. / Wikimedia

"Roman" Fountains

Paired and solemn. With bowls on high pedestals placed one on top of another. They resemble the fountains in front of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Initially the fountains were made of wood. Later they were faced with colored marble, decorated with bronze wreaths, garlands, and masks of Neptune.

Roman Fountains

"Sun" Fountain

On a round pedestal with sixteen gilded dolphins, a bronze column with gilded discs is installed. A water wheel is hidden in the pedestal. Under the action of water it rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the column with discs. Silver streams of water shoot simultaneously from the edges of the disc and from the dolphins' mouths. A multicolored rainbow shimmers in the air.

Sun Fountain Source: wikimedia.org

"Aviaries"

This is not the name of fountains. These are two light pavilions with birds. In summer, cages with nightingales, thrushes, finches, and parrots were hung there. And today in the Aviaries, birds sing at the top of their voices in summer. Near the eastern aviary, swans, Canadian geese, and ducks swim in the pond. And marble statues are placed under the canopy of trees.

Aviaries Source: wikipedia / Nikamart

"Pyramid" Fountain

One of the most spectacular. It looks like a four-sided triumphal obelisk that were erected at sites of victories. This is a unique monument to victory in the Northern War. The seven-tiered pyramid is formed by 505 jets that release 100 liters of water per second.

Pyramid Fountain Source: yandex.ru / maps

Western side of Peterhof — where the Hermitage is not a museum, but a palace with tricks

For lovers of solitude, ponds, and pavilions. If the eastern part is lavish and noisy, then the western is quieter, more elegant, more contemplative. If the east is cheerful Peter, then the west is thoughtful Peter with a glass of wine by the pond.

Marly Palace

A small, modest, two-story palace built for Peter's quiet solitude. Reflecting in the ponds, it seems to float in the air. The spirit of the era is preserved here. From the terrace opens a wonderful view of the pond. Inside are the tsar's study, bedroom, collection of engravings, 18th-century furniture, and personal belongings. This is not a showoff palace, but a place "for the soul." There you want to speak in whispers and drink tea from porcelain. Or go to the pond and feed the fish. They swim up to the platform at the sound of a bell, from which food is thrown to them. Peter established this custom.

Marly Palace

Marly Garden

In the far west of the Lower Park is Marly Garden. This formal park from the moment of its founding became a model for arranging noble estates.

Marlin pond, palace and fountains Source: peterburg.center

The Great Pond divides Marly Garden into the Garden of Bacchus and the Garden of Venus. In Venus's garden they grew fruit for meals. In Bacchus's Garden, Peter planned to cultivate grapes.

In the center of Bacchus's garden stands a sculpture of Peter I holding young King Louis XV of France in his arms.

"Hermitage" Pavilion

Not to be confused with the museum in St. Petersburg — this is a unique secret palace. It's surrounded by a moat with water, and you can only get inside via a raising bridge. Inside is a dining table on a lift: dishes were served from below so that servants wouldn't eavesdrop on conversations. Often the elite gathered here for "intelligent conversations." The servants knew the menu, but not the intrigues.

Hermitage Pavilion Source: © Igor Gordeev

"Golden Hill" Cascade

A symmetrical pair to Chessboard Hill. Water descends down gilded steps, shimmering in the sun.

There are fewer crowds here and it's an ideal spot for photos. Especially at sunset.

"Golden Hill" Cascade Source: © Igor Gordeev

"Eve" Fountain

Located near Marly, it's half of a paired fountain. The twin brother — "Adam" — remained in the eastern part. The idea: two halves, two ideals. Interesting to find and compare! Not only the biblical plot connects these two fountains, they are connected by Peter I and Catherine I — the progenitors of the Russian Empire.

The water jets of this fountain are installed so that rising to a seven-meter height, the water streams don't spray but break into large drops.

Eve Fountain Source: © Denis zverev

"Favorite" Fountain

In Bacchus's garden hides a small but smile-inducing fountain with a little dog and ducks. Thanks to clever little pipes, they "bark" and "quack" when the water shoots. No batteries, no Bluetooth — only engineering and a bit of magic. A real surprise, especially for children.

Favorite Fountain Source: © Igor Gordeev

And this is far from all the fountains, gardens, labyrinths, ponds, and other charms of the Lower Garden. And there's also the Upper Garden. But that's a completely different story.

And our a walk around Peterhof has come to an end. We're back at the pier. Don't rush to cast off. Turn around: golden statues gleam in the evening sunlight in water droplets, fountain jets still dance in the air, and the palace rises above the park like in a fairy tale. The boat departs, and all this magic is like a precious necklace that you wear in memory.

Amazing facts about Peterhof

▪︎ Not a single pump, not a single button. Peterhof's fountains work on gravity and engineering cunning. Water runs from the hills through ponds, through ancient pipes. And all this was invented in the 18th century. Engineers of Peter's era would still amaze modern utilities today.

▪︎ Even now the fountain system is turned on as in Peter's times — manually. No electronics, only people, only turning valves. It's timed to the second when to turn what, so that the jets start moving simultaneously. For example, turning on Samson takes five seconds because its valve is very close by.

▪︎ The profession of fountain keeper was often hereditary. Boys from age 7 were recruited as apprentices. The thinner the better. After all, they had to eliminate blockages and malfunctions in narrow pipes and underground corridors.

Why you should come by water specifically

▪︎ Best view upon arrival: the sea facade — solemn and luxurious

▪︎ No entrance queues: separate passage from the pier

▪︎ Opportunity to catch the morning fountain launch ceremony

▪︎ Route aesthetics: the beginning and end of the visit pass by water, as in the era of emperors

Courage-Voyage will take you on a beautiful yacht straight to the imperial pier

Travel tips

▪︎ From April 26 to mid-October 2025, Peterhof's fountains operate daily from 10:00 to 19:45, the Lower Park is open from 9:00 to 20:00, the Upper Garden — from 9:00 to 21:00.

▪︎ Recently they've revived the tradition of accompanying the daily fountain launch with music.

▪︎ After 3:00-4:00 PM the main attractions noticeably empty out. Someone hurries to catch a train, someone is tired, someone went looking for shawarma. Don't rush, keep walking. At this time you get the most beautiful photos and the feeling that the park has become almost private.

The fountains roar. The palace domes shine. Behind remain golden figures, dragon cascades, and slightly wet boots from a playful fountain. And you already want to return again. After all, you can't see everything in one day.

Tamara Zakharova - author of the article
In love with St. Petersburg. With its white nights and rains, cafes and bookshops, Palace Square and Lakhta Center. With its past and present. I love learning something new about the city every day and sharing it with everyone.