Strelna is where Peter the Great first looked at the Gulf of Finland from the south shore and decided that his new capital needed a country palace worthy of Versailles. He began a residence here in the early eighteenth century, before settling on Peterhof, a few kilometres to the west, and the estate was later developed by his daughter Elizabeth and then given to the Grand Duke Konstantin, whose name it still bears in the Konstantinovsky Palace. In the 2000s the palace was restored and today it is used for state receptions and conferences, with the grounds open to visitors on a part-time basis. The historic centre of the village is a small area of old streets near the shore.
Between the palace and the water lies a park with canals and ponds, and the Gulf of Finland, shallow and brackish, stretches to the horizon. In winter it freezes, and fishermen walk on the ice. The shoreline here is flat and reedy, a sharp contrast to the rocky coasts of the Finnish side, and birdwatchers come in spring and autumn to see migrating ducks, geese and waders.
For a rider, the main road is the Peterhof Highway, a wide and fast route that runs along the south shore from St Petersburg to Peterhof and beyond. It is scenic in the sense that it passes palaces and parks rather than bends. The surface is generally good, but traffic is dense in the morning and evening rush hours, and in summer the weekend crush toward Peterhof's fountains can slow it to a crawl. Early morning is the best time, and the white nights give you light until late.
Strelna has about twelve thousand people, so fuel and food are available in the village, and the larger town of Sosnovaya Polyana lies a few kilometres inland. A coffee in a café near the palace gate is a good way to enjoy the quiet before the day-trippers arrive. In winter the road can be icy and wet, and the riding season is short, so plan for May to September and take a warm layer even then, since the wind off the Gulf can be cold.