St Petersburg: High Speed Hydrofoil ?

[Boo's Mom]

Hi Folks...

 

Looking for someone who has done this in St Petersburg.

Thanks !

 

Below is quoted information from a tour company:

 

A popular way of getting to the Grand Palace in Peterhof is to go by high speed hydrofoil that leaves every hour from the river next to the Hermitage and takes 45 minutes, a big hit with kids because it looks like a submarine with round hull and offers a facinating view of the city as the ship run out the River ino the Gulf of Finland.

[Artemis]

Hi, Boo's Mom,

 

We did a custom tour with DenRus, and I requested the hydrofoil for historical significance and getting a "from the water" view of the city, plus the fun of it. We drove to Peterhof first thing in the a.m., then used the hydrofoil to return to the city. As indicated, one of the city docks is at the Hermitage. That enabled us to get off and go right into the museum. Obviously, you could do the reverse, starting your day with city touring and ending with the hydrofoil out to Peterhof, although I believe DenRus recommended our order of touring because the lines at Peterhof grow as the day goes on? In any event, I think under most circumstances, the hydrofoil link with Peterhof is quicker than going by land--it's a distance out there, plus traffic conditions tend to appreciably add to your travel to-and-from time.

[Boo's Mom]

Thank you, Artemis...

 

Denrus was recomending this...as something that my children might really enjoy doing. Do you agree?

 

Ages 10 and 13.

 

Thanks.

[NancyIL]

We did the same thing with DenRus. It wasn't something they suggested in the original two-day touring plan, but I read about others doing it here, so I asked if it could be added to our itinerary. In fact, THAT was what made me choose DenRus over Red October: Red October U.S. gave me a list of reasons why it couldn't/shouldn't be done, and DenRus said in effect... "no problem"! First thing on Day 2 we drove out to Peterhof, toured the Grand Palace, enjoyed the lovely park and fountains, then took the first hydrofoil (around 11:30 a.m.) back to St. Petersburg. It was a nice way to travel...but it put us to sleep!

[Boo's Mom]

Thanks, NancyIL

[Artemis]

Boo's Mom, we were traveling with our kids and a friend, ages 12, 13 and 14. They got a kick out of the hydrofoil trip, but don't be misled. "High speed" doesn't mean it's any faster than taking your motor boat out on the lake, and the boat is like a small ferry or other utilitarian water transport. It's kinda like a wide-bodied jet inside, with rows of seats. You can walk around throughout the trip. Our kids bored of the scenery pretty quickly, but had a blast at the snack bar buying different treats and using rubles (supplied by our DenRus guide, who will be equipped to serve as a human "ATM" for moderate sums).

[Boo's Mom]

Hey, that's funny.

 

Thanks, Artemis !

[mborchgardt]

We did the hydrofoil with RO in August. You might be aware that the hydrofoil was equivalent to an old city bus or school bus on the inside -- at least the one we took. Seats were very tattered. The restroom was equivalent to a port-o-potty on water. That's not to say we wouldn't do it again. It did provide a different viewpoint leaving St. P and also arriving at Peterhof by water was nice, but don't expect anything fancy on the hydrofoil itself.

[Willsot]

Our group took a tour bus to Peterhof and a hydrofoil back. We enjoyed both trips. The bus took us through some areas that we would not have otherwise seen had we taken the hydrofoil both ways and we thought the hydrofoil ride back was relaxing.