St. Petersburg: Peterhof & Alexander Nevsky Monastery, St. Petersburg, Russia

My first day in St. Petersburg had been quite intense, but I still had so much to see! During the next two days, I continued exploring Peterhof, the summer residence of the tsar, Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and the Hermitage Museum.

I wanted to get to Peterhof Palace as early as possible before it got too busy, and even though I didn't make it on time to take the first hydrofoil, I managed to get the next one at 10:30AM.

The Hydrofoil left from Admiralty Embankment, the exact same place where I took the cruise the previous day. The ride was included with my CityPass, and it only took about 30 minutes to arrive in the summer palace. 

The complex has two different tickets: the entrance to the Lower Park and fountains, that you have to purchase as soon as you get off the hydrofoil, and the entrance to the Grand Palace, purchased once inside. 

The entrance to the Lower Park has a price of 500 rubles (approx. €7) and gives access to the parkland of the palace with the wonderful gardens and fountain show. The walk is just spectacular, and if you've been to the palace of Versailles, you will notice some resemblance: after all, the gardens were designed in a French style trying to look even more impressive than the original.  ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).