Solovetsky Islands and the White Sea Channel

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To break away from the hustle and bustle, see the white nights and visit many interesting places — all this is possible on our tour of the Solovetsky Islands with a visit to the city of Belomorsk.

Location

Belomorsk

Sightseeing tours

from

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

The legendary White Sea Canal

We will visit the 19th gateway of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, built on the instructions of I. V. Stalin in the 30s

White Sea Petroglyphs

Let's touch the history and marvel at the size of the rock paintings

Solovetsky Monastery

We will visit the territory of the Central Complex of the monastery, active temples, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List

The history of the camps

We will learn about the Solovetsky special purpose camp, the stages of the camp's development and its reformation in 1937 into the Solovetsky Special purpose prison

Sekirnaya Mountain

We will visit one of the highest points of the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island – Mount Sekirnaya and admire the views

The Botanical Garden

Let's take a look at one of the northernmost botanical gardens in Russia, which is located on the territory of the former Makaryevskaya desert

Itinerary

Day 1 - Getting to know the Northern Karelian city of Belomorsk
Arrival in Belomorsk:
by evening train No. 092A or night train No. 016A (Moscow — Belomorsk, an additional night in the city is required);
by morning train No. 012H (St. Petersburg — Belomorsk, until 18.07 the train arrives at 09:44, from 19.07 — at 11:51).
Meeting with the guide at the main building of the railway station from the platform.
Breakfast in the restaurant of the Gandvik hotel.
Excursion to the 19th gateway of the White Sea-Baltic Canal.
On the instructions of I.V. Stalin, the 227 km long canal was built in twenty months — from September 1931 to April 1933. 19 locks, 15 dams, 12 spillways, 49 dams — such a number of hydraulic structures were erected by prisoners without the help of machines and attracted currency.
We can only guess how many lives were claimed by the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal…
Independent lunch at the Pomeranian cuisine restaurant at the Gandvik Hotel.
Departure for a sightseeing tour of the city of Belomorsk.
The small town stretches majestically along the coast of the White Sea for several kilometers.
Here the Vyg River with its numerous tributaries, forming a delta, flows into the waters of the White Sea.
It is from the shore of Vyga that the future founders of the Solovetsky Monastery, Elder Savvati and Monk Herman, will go to the White Sea.
Visit the Museum of the Karelian Front, located in one of the most significant monuments of the military history of Karelia and the military glory of the North of Russia — in the building of the former Headquarters of the Karelian Front.
In the museum you can visit a variety of places of the Karelian Front — the exposition is built according to the geographical principle, or rather according to the directions of movement of the front: from south to north, and is presented in the form of 10 halls: from the office of the commander-in-chief of the front to the room telling about the history of the celebration of the first Victory Parade on June 24, 1945, and in the courtyard of the Museum the famous military equipment with guns of different calibers is located.
An excursion to the Belomorsky Petroglyphs is a monument that amazes the imagination of every person.
Rock carvings of an ancient man, whose age, according to various estimates, reaches 7.5 thousand years!
The richest archaeological complex, which is world famous, includes more than 2,000 rock carvings.
The size of the paintings is striking in its scope: from 5 cm to 2.5 m.
We will go on an exciting journey to visit a primitive hunter, with whom we will not communicate in our usual language, but with rock carvings, images inherent in them at that time.
Departure to Kem (village of Rabochiostrovsk).
Accommodation in the Berth tour complex.
Free time.
The group is released around 21:00.

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Day 2 - Getting to Know the Great Ones Solovki
Attention: The guide is fully present with the group on Solovki all 3 days.
Breakfast in the restaurant of the tour complex.
Room release.
Departure on a flight to Solovki on the White Sea (2 most interesting hours on the way).
During the flight, you can admire the picturesque islands of the Kuzov archipelago, watch sea ducks and polar terns, feed seagulls, and if you're lucky, see White Sea seals and belugas.
Arrival on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.
Transfer of items to the hotel's luggage room.
Sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Monastery (duration — 3 hours).
The tour introduces visitors to the history of the Solovetsky Monastery.
Tourists visit the territory of the Central Complex of the monastery, active temples, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, objects of economic activity of the monastery, expositions.
Lunch at the island cafe.
Accommodation in the selected hotel.
Free time.
In your free time, you can rent a boat and make an independent boat trip along the lake and canal system of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.
Note: the distance from the excursion department to the boat station (2.8 km) and back will need to be walked! The capacity of the Pella boat is: 4 people. The management of the boat is independent!
It is necessary to have gloves and raincoats with you in case of rain.(possible only in the absence of a storm warning!)
or
Take a walk around Bolshoy Solovetsky Island on your own, while visiting:
Cape of Labyrinths (1 km.) The main attraction of the cape is the northern labyrinths, one of the most mysterious monuments of antiquity. According to antiquity, this mysterious symbol may well compete with the Egyptian pyramids, and the number of various hypotheses and interpretations of the purpose of the labyrinths is in the dozens. The sign is known on four continents, and its true meaning may not be as complicated as it may seem at first glance!
Filippovsky gardens (2 km.). During the walk, you can see the settlement site of the Venerable Zosima and Herman Solovetsky. He will get acquainted with the geological and hydrological features, flora and fauna of the White Sea, as well as with a unique hydraulic structure erected in the XVI century under Abbot Philip of Solovetsky.
Filippov desert (2 km.). According to legend, when Philip was not yet Metropolitan of Moscow, during another solitude in the desert, the image of the savior appeared to him. Jesus was wearing a bloody crown of thorns and shackles, it was at that moment that the holy springs were clogged from the ground, where a well was then installed. Then a chapel, a cell building and a church in the name of the "Holy Virgin" were built, where the stone was kept, which served as the headboard of Philip himself.
The "negotiating" stone (2.5 km.). A monument associated with the events of the Crimean War of 1854 in the form of a rectangular stone slab. The British presented an ultimatum on the surrender of the Solovetsky fortress, which was rejected by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Alexander. The stone marks the memorable place of the abbot's negotiations with the British officer Anton N.

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Day 3 - The historical heritage of the Solovetsky Islands
Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
Free time (morning until 14:00).
In your free time, for an additional fee, you can:
Take a boat trip to Bolshoy Zayatsky Island (the duration of the tour is 3 hours, the travel time by boat is 45 minutes, the tour will take place only in the absence of a storm warning!).
Tourists will visit the largest pagan sanctuary of the II–I millennia BC, see stone labyrinths, a complex of religious and funerary structures, Russia's first stone harbor, monuments of St. Andrew's Hermitage.
14:00 Excursion "The history of the Solovetsky special purpose camps of 1923-1939."
On this tour, visitors will be told about the Solovetsky Special Purpose camp, the stages of the camp's development and its reformation in 1937 into the Solovetsky Special Purpose prison, as well as learn about the fate of prisoners.
They will visit a new exhibition about the camp and a monument to Solovetsky prisoners.
The group is released around 16:15.
Free time.
In your free time, for an additional fee, you can also take an excursion to the island of Bolshaya Muksalma (the duration of the excursion is 4 hours, the travel time by boat is 40 minutes, the tour will take place only in the absence of a storm warning!).
During a boat trip along the picturesque Long Bay to the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, tourists will see a grandiose hydraulic structure — a man-made boulder dam 1.2 km long.
The dam connects the islands of Bolshoy Solovetsky and Bolshaya Muksalma. In addition, tourists will be introduced to the history of the Sergiev Skete of the Solovetsky Monastery.
Return from the island at about 21:00.

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Day 4 - "Along the most popular Solovetsky routes"
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Room release.
Things are handed over to the hotel's luggage room.
Excursion "Sekirnaya Mountain. Holy Ascension Hermitage" (duration — 2 hours).
The tourists will visit one of the highest points of the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island — Mount Sekirnaya, from the top of which an unforgettable view of the northern part of the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island and the White Sea opens.
They will get acquainted with the history and monuments of the current Holy Ascension Monastery, where at the time of the Solovetsky camp there was a penal isolation ward - a place of detention and punishment of prisoners. They will see a unique lighthouse church.
Excursion "Botanical garden — Makaryevskaya desert" (duration — 1 hour).
Tourists will visit one of the northernmost botanical gardens in Russia, which is located on the territory of the former Makaryevskaya desert, see monuments, unique plantings of various periods of the history of the Solovetsky Islands, enjoy an amazing view of the ensemble of the Solovetsky Monastery, opening from Alexandrovskaya Hill.
Independent lunch at the island cafe.
The group is released around 15:00.
Day trips: 30 km.
For those who leave on an evening flight at 19:00, on request: an independent visit to the Solovetsky Maritime Museum.
In the history of the development of the Russian North, Orthodox monasteries played an important role, which formed a special direction of this process — parallel economic and spiritual development of the territory.
This is most vividly confirmed by its history by the largest monastery of the Russian North — Solovetsky Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
The Solovetsky Maritime Museum is an Orthodox museum that tells about the spiritual and economic development of the sea and the coastal territory of the Russian North.
Free time until 18:30.
18:30 Boarding the ship. Departure to the village. Rabochyostrovsk.
21:00 Arrival in the village. Rabochyostrovsk.
A transfer will be waiting for you at the pier, which will take you to the Kemi railway station.
Transfer to the railway station, departure by night trains.
Attention:
For tourists leaving for St. Petersburg, it is possible to depart from Solovki on a daytime flight at 16:00 in the afternoon and transfer to train No. 011H with departure time from Kem at 20:40.
For tourists leaving by morning and afternoon trains, it is possible to stay in the Berth tour complex for an additional fee.

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Difficulty

For any person

Accommodation

Camp Site

1 night
Hotel

2 nights

Comfort

Midscale

The tour provides accommodation in a hotel and at a recreation center.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, depending on the accommodation, RUB.:

Placement	"Berth" + "Solovetskaya Sloboda"	Berth + Solovki Hotel
Double room	42 400	43 700
Single room	54 400	57 000

Discount when placing an additional one. location:

for a child under 12 years old — 10%;
for an adult — 5%.

Discount for children under 12 years of age — 1,500 rubles/person.

"The pier" — this is the largest hotel complex in the Kemsky district of the Republic of Karelia, with 8 cottages. To the village of Rabochiostrovsk, which is located on the west coast.

Kemskaya bay of the White Sea, very easy to reach (12 km from Kem railway station). And they really know how to take care of a traveler here. Despite the fact that the winds of the White Sea can sometimes be strong and cold, every visitor will receive a truly cordial and warm welcome. Welcome to visit us at any time of the year.

The northern nature is rare in beauty here.

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Solovetskaya Sloboda Hotel

Solovetskaya Sloboda Hotel It is located on Solovki Island in the very center of the village, a three-minute walk from the world-famous Solovetsky Monastery, a monument of history and architecture in the Russian North.

2-bed "Standard" (number of rooms — 30). One-room 2-bed room equipped with standard hotel furniture: two separate 90x200 beds or one double bed, bedside tables, desk, chairs, satellite TV, telephone, WiFi.

4-bed (number of rooms — 10). One-room 4-bed room equipped with standard hotel furniture: four separate beds 90x200, bedside tables, desk, chairs, satellite TV, telephone, WiFi.

Suite (number of rooms — 4). A two-room room equipped with modern furniture. It consists of a bedroom (double bed, mirrored wardrobe, dressing table) and a living room (sofa, desk, refrigerator, satellite TV, telephone), WiFi. A full bathroom with a bathtub. A hairdryer, bathrobes, toiletries and slippers are provided. It is possible to accommodate a third person on the sofa.

Apartment (number of rooms — 1). A three-room room equipped with modern furniture. It consists of a bedroom (double bed), a living room and a kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with the necessary set of dishes and equipment. The room has all the amenities: a full bathroom, Jacuzzi, hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers, toilet accessories, satellite TV, telephone, WiFi.

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Another option

The Solovki Hotel

This hotel is located 200 meters from the picturesque shore of Solovetsky Island. It offers a 24-hour front desk, a tour desk, and bicycle rental for those who want to explore the surrounding area.

Rooms at the Solovki Hotel are decorated in the style of log cabins with mosquito nets on the windows. The private bathroom comes with a hairdryer and free toiletries.

The rustic-style restaurant at Solovki Hotel serves local Russian cuisine daily. International cocktails are available at the bar.

Guests can relax in the hotel's steam bath or spend time playing karaoke.

Solovetsky Airport is 12 km from the hotel. An airport shuttle service is available. Kemsky Railway Station, located on the mainland, is 51 km away.

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Tour conditions

Group

up to 50 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

4 days 3 nights

Group meets at

Belomorsk

Included in price

habitation;
Meals: 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch;
transportation services according to the program;
the work of a guide;
entrance tickets;
excursions and visits:
- excursion to the 19th gateway of the White Sea Canal;
- sightseeing tour of the city of Belomorsk;
- visit to the Karelian Front Museum;
- excursion to the White Sea Petroglyphs;
- sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Monastery;
- excursion "The history of the Solovetsky special purpose camps";
- excursion "Sekirnaya Mountain. Holy Ascension Hermitage";
- excursion "Botanical garden — Makaryevskaya desert".

Paid extra

railway tickets to Belomorsk and back from Kemi;
meals not specified in the tour program;
extra nights at the Berth tour complex (breakfast is not included):
- single room — 3,200 rubles/day;
- double room — 4,000 rubles/day;
- additional place — 1,800 rubles/day;
boat trip to Bolshoy Zayatsky Island — 1,500 rubles/person.;
boat trip to the island "Bolshaya Muksalma" — 1,900 rubles/person.

It's important to know

Passport of the Russian Federation (for citizens of the Russian Federation), MHI policy.
Personal medicines. We cannot guarantee the availability of medicines necessary for you along the route of the group in pharmacies.
The SIM card is only MTS or MegaFon.
Raincoat to the floor (not an umbrella, namely a raincoat, an umbrella, as such, we do not take with us).
Pills for motion sickness (Dramina is too strong, causes a pronounced hypnotic effect after the main action; better - Aviamore or Aviamorin — not so strong).
Repellents.
Sunburn remedy (in sunny weather on the water, you can instantly get burned and come home as a polar explorer).
Cash (card payment may be difficult on the islands).

Clothing and shoes:

a warm jacket, necessarily, windproof;
The sweater is warm;
hat + gloves;
warm boots;
sneakers;
thermal underwear (it is better not to need it and will lie idle in a suitcase than it will be missed);
warm socks;
swimsuit;
2 sets of light clothes (a pair of T-shirts, shorts, light pants).

For women, a skirt and a headscarf (headdress) for visiting active monasteries and temples.

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