The label is a puzzle: Petrovsky could refer to any of a dozen places in a city named after Peter the Great, and it is safest to treat it as a viewpoint on his great project, the opening of Russia to the sea. Whatever the exact spot, the landscape is unmistakable: flat shore, reeds, wide grey water, and on the horizon the dome of the Kronstadt cathedral and the line of the flood barrier.
This stretch of coast has changed enormously in recent years. The Lakhta Center, a glass skyscraper more than four hundred and sixty metres tall, rises from the shore, the tallest building in Europe, twisting upward like a flame. Nearby is the Gazprom Arena stadium on Krestovsky Island, and the Western High-Speed Diameter, an elevated toll motorway, sweeps along the coast on huge bridges. It is a modern city's face, very different from the baroque palaces of the centre.
The bay itself was the stage for much of Peter's work. He founded the city in 1703 at the mouth of the Neva, built forts in the water to protect it from the Swedes, and laid out estates and palaces along both shores. The southern shore became the imperial coast of Peterhof and Oranienbaum; the northern shore remained wilder, with fishing villages and later dachas. The riding today is urban and suburban. The Primorsky prospekt and the coastal road leading northwest towards Olgino and Sestroretsk are busy, with traffic lights and heavy congestion at peak hours. The toll motorway is fast and offers impressive views over the bay, but it is a motorway, nothing more. Further north, around Sestroretsk and Lake Razliv, the roads become pleasant, with pine forest and lakes.
The weather on the gulf is changeable. Wind off the water can be cold even in summer, and rain arrives quickly. White nights in June make for long, luminous evenings.
There is fuel and everything else in the surrounding districts. Before planning a trip, check current entry requirements and travel advice for Russia carefully, and expect foreign payment cards not to work.