When planning your visit, keep in mind that entry to the Upper Garden is free. But the famous fountains of Петергоф are located in the Lower Garden. To see them, as well as enjoy walks along the well-kept paths and alleys of the park, you will need to buy an admission ticket. The price for an adult on weekdays is 300 rubles, on weekends - 400 rubles.
In addition, there are separate tickets for entry to the grounds of some palaces and pavilions. Their cost changes periodically, so it is best to check prices on the eve of your trip on the official website of Петергоф.
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The central and, perhaps, most famous fountain of Петергоф is the Большой каскад. At its foot is the no less famous sculptural composition «Самсон». Interestingly, originally, according to the plan of Peter I, a fountain with an image of Hercules defeating the Lernaean Hydra was supposed to stand in this place. However, this idea was not realized. They returned to the idea of decorating the cascade in 1734, when preparations were underway for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Poltava victory. Samson was chosen as the hero of the composition because the Battle of Poltava took place on the day of Sampson the Hospitable.
It is amazing that the fountains of Петергоф many years later were almost completely recreated anew. During the Great Patriotic War, the famous palace-and-park ensemble suffered heavily and lay in ruins. “Only the sky remained of Петергоф” - this was how the poet Olga Bergholz briefly and vividly characterized the scale of the national catastrophe. Thanks to the active work of museum employees, woodcarvers, gilders, stonecutters, and other craftsmen, today we can once again admire this fairy-tale place. And to the question “what to see in Петергоф” today there are many more answers than just the sky :)
The grand canal that divided the park into two parts was created not only for beauty. In the past, it allowed guests of the residence to sail on their ships from the Baltic Sea almost to the foot of the palace.
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If you stand with your back to Большой каскад and face the Gulf of Finland, then by going to the left, you will soon find yourself near Львиный каскад.
It is decorated not only with statues of the king of beasts, but also with mascarons - decorative sculptural elements in the form of a human head. Similar ones can be found on many houses in Санкт-Петербурга, but in Петергоф they are special: jets of water gush from their mouths!
Perhaps, you may be interested in excursions around Петергоф:
- Петергоф. The capital of fountains.
- Большой Петергофский дворец and the fountain park
- Петергоф and Ораниенбаум
In the opposite part of the park, in its eastern zone, there is the fountain «Пирамида». At first glance, there is nothing special, but in Петергоф there is nothing accidental: this fountain was installed in honor of the victory of our troops in the Great Northern War. At the beginning of the XVIII century, there was a tradition in the Russian army: at the final points of their movement and at battle sites, to erect obelisks shaped like pyramids. That is how this water pyramid appeared on the shore of the Baltic Sea.
What amazing fountains you will come across in Петергоф! The most famous are considered to be:
- Оранжерейный - it is very reminiscent of Samson from Большой каскад, only here a triton is tearing apart the jaws of a sea monster.
- «Мраморные скамьи», better known for the gilded sculptures adorning them of the Nymph, the goddess of the spring, and Danaid, one of the daughters of the Egyptian king Danaus, doomed to fill a bottomless barrel forever.
- Фонтан «Солнце» - its low column is crowned with disks with small holes. The jets bursting from them look like sun rays.
- Шахматная гора - a cascade, at the top of which there is a grotto whose entrance is guarded by three dragons.
- Римские фонтаны - named so because they were built following the example of the fountains on the square in front of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
And this is only a small fraction of what there is to see in Петергоф. We are deliberately not listing all its museums, galleries, and pavilions. Let them become a discovery for you! Just like the trick fountains “hidden” in the alleys of the Lower Park ;)
By the way, from the side of the Gulf of Finland, Петергоф is guarded by a statue of Neptune. According to superstition, for good luck you should rub his feet and leave a coin.
Another Neptune will be waiting for you in the Upper Park. Curiously, this sculptural ensemble was originally created to be installed in the center of Nuremberg, but it turned out to be so grand that there simply was not enough water in the local rivers for it to function. Then the future emperor Paul I, traveling through Europe, noticed it for his residence in Gatchina. However, in 1798 it was decided to install this fountain in Петергоф.
Be sure to budget your energy so that you can not only walk through the lower, more famous part of the park, but also visit the Grand Palace. However, with Петергоф everything is much the same as with the Эрмитаж - it is simply unrealistic to see all of its beauty and treasures in one day. You definitely need to come back here again and again!
For those who have found themselves on our site for the first time, let us point out that Ever.Travel is not just a resource where you can read interesting articles about attractions around the world, it is a convenient multifunctional travel planner. For example, if you are going to Санкт-Петербург: go to the interactive map of the city, choose the places you would like to see, build a route for several days, and then simply synchronize it with the Ever.Travel mobile app. Everything is very easy, convenient, and importantly - free!
This is where our story about what to see in Петергоф comes to an end. We understand that we have told only a drop from that sea of interesting stories that can be learned about one of the most beautiful palace-and-park ensembles in the country. But good things in small doses! So to speak, as a teaser ;) Let this photo tour become yet another reason for your decision to travel to Петергоф!
