One of my fondest memories in Saint Petersburg was at Peterhof Summer Palace. I just really enjoyed it.
There are two parts of this garden called upper garden and lower garden. The upper garden is free. For a free garden, it is nice and small.
But, if you think it is good enough to miss the lower garden, then you are wrong. The lower garden in my opinion is ten times bigger and better than the upper garden. The lower garden is very big, and it has fountains all over the places. From upper garden, go around this building then you will find a ticket booth to the lower garden and some cafes.
Price
Interestingly, the ticket price for lowr garden after 5:45pm is different. Adult ticket is reduced from 500 rubbles to 300 rubbles. Student ticket is reduced from 250 rubbles to 200 rubbles (and ISIC student card is not compulsory, any student ID is fine). I arrived at 5pm, so I decided save 200 rubbles to eat at the cafe nearby (expensive) and to rest a little bit.
Summer Palace’s lower garden deserves half a day’s attention if not more, but it depends on your company. If you are with people who are fond of nature, garden, photography and fountains, then this place is a wonderland.
Then, at 6pm, I heard music and watched a beautiful water dance. It was so exciting as I had no idea what was happening! But then I found out 6pm was the closing time for all the fountains. The golden statues were simply singing a goodbye song.
And for me, it sucks. If I knew the fountains would stop at 6pm, then maybe I would ignore the discounted offer. Hmmm.
And of course, my real mistake was scheduling Peterhof Summer Palace with St. Isaac’s Cathedral on the same day, and it was also the day I just arrived Saint Petersburg by ferry. I did that because I wanted to go to the circus on the second day. But the circus was way below expectation. Well, this is travelling. You never know.
(But now you know. Haha!)
I can tell you that Peterhof’s lower garden is as beautiful as a garden can be even without fountains.And to my surprise, the place is covered by free WiFi! Another reason why you can spend half a day here!
Since there’s no map (only directions) available in lower garden, I found WiFi essential for navigation (I found a map online). The garden feels more like a manmade forest. It is really pleasant to walk on the paths through the woods.
And there are several places with gardens and fountains (now only in my imagination). Very beautiful gardens actually.
The summer palace and the cathedral inside the lower garden isn’t free. And it is only opened at certain hours in the day.
And on the west side of the park, you will find these photogenic lollipop trees. You will see many brides (and grooms of course) in Peterhof’s lower garden.
How to Get There?
And now let me tell you how to get to Peterhof’s summer palace.
You can get on a hydrofoil boat near the Hermitage. You will come directly to lower garden but it should cost you 700 rubbles ($12) for the ride.
Alternatively, take metro to Avtovo station for 31 rubbles ($0.5) And then find a minibus that takes you to Peterhof when you come out of the metro station. Ask anyone Peterhof? And they will point you the direction for the bus. The minibus will cost you 60 rubbles ($2).
When you pay, tell the driver Peterhof and he will give you the correct change and tell you when to get off. It was a lot simpler than I exoected. Russian people in Saint Petersburg were a lot more friendly than I expected. The total journey time from Avtovo station to Peterhof by minibus is around 40 minutes.
Then you will pass through the upper garden and the buildings you saw in this post to reach the lower garden. I hope you enjoy your time in the gardens, and don’t forget to pack lunch!
Traveling Mega
