Peterhofskaya Road was once the grandest road out of St Petersburg. Running southwest from the city along the shore of the Gulf of Finland toward Strelna and Peterhof, it was lined in the eighteenth century with country estates, dachas and palaces built by the nobility, who wanted to be close to the imperial residences along the coast. Peter the Great started the trend, granting plots to courtiers along the road, and the result was a chain of estates with gardens, parks and ponds stretching for miles. Many of these estates survive in some form, and the road and its surroundings are part of the UNESCO listing of the historic centre of St Petersburg and related groups of monuments.
The area around Sosnovaya Polyana and Uritsk, now part of the city's southwestern suburbs, was on the front line during the siege of Leningrad in the Second World War, and the German army was dug in only a few kilometres from the city centre. Much of the area was destroyed, and the estates suffered badly. Today, the landscape is a mix of Soviet apartment blocks, parks, and the remnants of old estates, with some restored and others in ruins. Further west, the Konstantinovsky Palace at Strelna has been restored as a state residence, and Peterhof, with its fountains, is one of Russia's most famous sights.
Riding along the Peterhof road is more of a historical journey than a pleasure ride. The road is busy, with heavy traffic, trams and traffic lights, and the surface can be rough in places. But as you move west, past Strelna, the views open up toward the Gulf of Finland, and the parks and palaces become more frequent. Summer, with its white nights, is the best time to ride, when the light lasts almost all night and the parks are green. Winter brings snow, ice and short days.
The southwestern suburbs of St Petersburg have every service, including a filling station, somewhere to eat and shops. Try Russian dishes such as blini, pancakes with sour cream or caviar, and pelmeni, dumplings filled with meat. Stop at one of the old estate parks along the road, take a walk among the trees, and imagine the carriages rolling along the road to Peterhof. Then continue west to Strelna and Peterhof to see the palaces in their full glory.