Peterhof Fountains

Hi everyone. My DH and I are booked on a Baltic cruise next May. Trying to decide which company to choose for the St Petersburg stop. SPB, Alla and TJ all look terrific and I'm sure we'll be happy with whichever one we choose. My big question is seeing the fountains running at Peterhof. For those of you who used these companies previously can you tell me if you were able to see the fountains running? Did you arrive there when they were already running or did you get to see them start up? I was under the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that they start at 11:00 am but the three companies I mentioned all show different arrival times to the site.

Thank you!

Hi everyone. My DH and I are booked on a Baltic cruise next May. Trying to decide which company to choose for the St Petersburg stop. SPB, Alla and TJ all look terrific and I'm sure we'll be happy with whichever one we choose. My big question is seeing the fountains running at Peterhof. For those of you who used these companies previously can you tell me if you were able to see the fountains running? Did you arrive there when they were already running or did you get to see them start up? I was under the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that they start at 11:00 am but the three companies I mentioned all show different arrival times to the site.

 

Thank you!

I'm almost certain that they will be flowing when you arrive (assuming the water pressure is sufficient :)) as it would be very tricky with St P traffic to ensure you got there at precisely the time of 'switch on', if they are ever turned off between May and October.

But I don't know if they are 'switched off' overnight - if they are the switch on would be almost instant, as it would only need the main supply valve to be opened and they will spring back to life. All the best, Tony

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We went there early so we could see them turn on the fountains with the music . Here's a video clip :

The view from the palace

The Grand Cascade

Here's another fountain that is turned on at 1 , 2 and 3 PM .

And the trick fountains

Thank you so much for your reply. I wasn't sure if they only ran them for a short period but it seems like we will definitely be able to see them running. If we get there when they turn them on it will be a bonus. Thank you for posting the video. The fountains are truly spectacular.

I would say the main reason people go to Peterhoff is because of the fountains. Most tours do NOT go inside,

A few more views of this amazing spectacle.

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe721.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe730.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe737.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe751.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster734.jpg

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster752.jpg

Cheers

Len

I would say the main reason people go to Peterhoff is because of the fountains. Most tours do NOT go inside

Strongly agree with Len about the fountains being the "super-stars" at the Peterhof. And, most all agree that the interiors are OK here, but not at the level that Catherine's Palace offers. As the below visuals demonstrate, the Peterhof is not just about one or two fountains. There are many, many areas of beauty and interest to see and enjoy.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 187,172 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Here a couple angles of the spectacular fountains and water from the Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

One of the many fountains on the grounds of the Peterhof is the Orangery Fountain, depicting Triton fighting a sea monster. There is a cafe there with outdoor seating and super views where we ate outside and had our lunch.:

A carved stone statute in these historic and great gardens at the Peterhof:

These are the surprise fountains that go off on the hour to the delight of kids and others who enjoy such fun at the Peterhof:

This shows a fountain in front of the Mon Plaisir (from French for "my pleasure") Palace that Peter the Great located on the shore of the gulf and which had a terrace for this single-story brick building. This smaller palace on the grounds of the Peterhof was Peter’s favorite place to be and for being with his family and closest associates. Notice the small rainbow at the base of the fountain?:

Our timing with TJ Travels was wonderful during our private tour..the fountains were running and then we walked to the dock and boarded the hydrafoil where our private car and driver was waiting on the otherside and off we went...an amazing VIP tour with this company...you can't go wrong.

Hi everyone. My DH and I are booked on a Baltic cruise next May. Trying to decide which company to choose for the St Petersburg stop. SPB, Alla and TJ all look terrific and I'm sure we'll be happy with whichever one we choose. My big question is seeing the fountains running at Peterhof. For those of you who used these companies previously can you tell me if you were able to see the fountains running? Did you arrive there when they were already running or did you get to see them start up? I was under the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that they start at 11:00 am but the three companies I mentioned all show different arrival times to the site.

 

Thank you!

The phrase "the fountains" is the issue. The smaller individual fountains around the grounds will be flowing from the moment Peterhof is open for guests. However, the Main Cascade, will be turned off until it launches at 11:00 AM with great ceremony to the strains of the St. Petersburg city anthem. After that, it flows without interruption until closing. Depending on the plan each tour company follows, you may or may not see the Main Cascade functioning, much less the launch. You'll definitely see the fountains scattered throughout the lower grounds.

The launch of the Grand Cascade is spectacular enough that hundreds of tourists congregate around that fountain in time for the launch. Last July, we planned our visit to allow for a brief stroll through the lower grounds and the smaller fountains, arriving at the Grand Cascade about 15-20 minutes before launch. The launch begins slowly with fairly low water pressure and low volume of the music. Over the course of several minutes, the music increases in volume as does the number of elements spouting water and the height of each element. (Hundreds of guests + preoccupation with the beauty of the launch + tightly packed = high risk of pick pocketing. Take precautions!!!)

TLCOhio includes some photos of the Grand Cascade but scubacruiserX2's photo shows the stair step feature better.

Hope for warm weather since it is as much fun for adults to interact with the small fountains as for the children. In fact, if you don't want to get wet, make sure you ask your guide to avoid the "Surprise Fountain" shown among TLCOhio's photos.

FWIW, we had visited Peterhof, both inside and out, on an earlier visit. However, we had not seen the Main Cascade launch. We were motivated enough to plan our day around the launch. Although we visited the Cottage Palace on the Peterhof grounds on this more recent trip rather than doing the main/more central buildings again.

We did the two-day "comfort" tour with Alla two years ago and visited Peterhof on the second day. We took the hydrofoil and arrived at Peterhof just as the Grand Cascade was opened; as we walked along the approach to the palace we could hear the music playing. All of the smaller fountains already were operating.

Hi! We’ve been to Peterhoff two times. Both times we booked with Best guides. When I was planning my second cruise Peterhoff was the only sight I planned to visit again. It’s obviously was a highlight of St. Petersburg tours. No doubts fountains are the main attraction there. We’ve never visited the Grand Place but we’ve been inside one of the small palaces (Monplaisir). It was built as a private palace of Peter the Great and became one of his favorite palaces. It’s actually very charming first of all thanks its location on the very shore of the Gulf. There are several curios things inside and rooms are cozy and charming. It’s very different from the Catherin Palace in Pushkin.

The main cascade starts at 11.00. The ceremony is really magnificent and obviously worth to see.

The smaller fountains in the side part of the park start earlier, don’t know the exact time but at 10 am they already work.

Jess :)

Thank you so much for your reply. I wasn't sure if they only ran them for a short period but it seems like we will definitely be able to see them running. If we get there when they turn them on it will be a bonus. Thank you for posting the video. The fountains are truly spectacular.

You're welcome , if you haven't chosen your tour provider yet , you may request certain things like being there before the Grand Cascade come on or anything else that you want , as part of the screening process for selecting your tour provider . For those who may have missed it , here's a photo before they come on :

And the video of them coming on :

The music played is the Hymn of the Great City by Gliere , and it's also played when arriving at the train station .

The Grand Cascade and the Palace

And some close ups

And from the distance

This group has just been soaked in the water road fountain named "Cracker" .

You can watch them get soaked in this video :

And you can see all of these photos and many more on our thread found here :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2213388&page=60

Hi! It’s defiantly a must see place! I’ve never been to Versailles but it’s difficult to imagine something more impressive than Peterhof. It has so many fountains! So much gold! It’s just outstanding. We spent almost two hours in the gardens. We also had a quick visit to Monplaisir palace. We all like it and I think it’s obviously worth to visit. The palace is really small and this visit won’t take more than 15-20 min, but the palace is so charming and so unique from historical point of view. I vote for the fountains plus the palace.

Jess :)

Why do all these photos look better than mine!

I do have a good memory though :)