Solvychegodsk, Veliky Ustyug, Totma, Kargopol and Solovetsky Islands

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The hit of the summer season! The program of the excursion tour of the Russian North covers two regions of Russia at once – Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions. We will see unique monuments of stone and wooden architecture, get acquainted with the history of these amazing places, feel the hospitality and warmth of the locals, who will treat you to delicious rustic dinners from a Russian oven and teach you how to sculpt the world-famous Kargopol clay toy.

We will sail with you across the White Sea to the Solovetsky Archipelago, where the stronghold of the Orthodox faith stands – the Solovetsky Stavropol Monastery with its rich history. Throughout the route, you will admire the beautiful northern nature, breathe clean air, swim in crystal lakes and rivers.

We are sure that the trip will leave indelible impressions in your memory and will make you love our northern region with all your soul!

Location

Arkhangelsk region, Nyandoma

Sightseeing tours

from

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

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Tour highlights

Introduction to folk crafts and crafts

There will be an opportunity to get acquainted with Kargopol clay toys, blackening on silver, birch bark craft and weaving

Beautiful monuments of stone architecture

Let's admire the ensemble of the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery, the churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior and the Sretensky Transfiguration of the XII-XVIII centuries, Ascension and St. Nicholas of the XVII century.

Rustic lunch in the Oshevenski style

We are waiting for a rustic lunch with lots of pies from the Russian oven

Additional excursions

A large selection of additional excursions for every taste, which will make your vacation more exciting and eventful

Totma is a small town with a great history

We will walk through the provincial streets of the county town, consider wooden houses with angular balconies and carved architraves, discover temples of amazing beauty in the style of "Totem Baroque"

By boat on the White Sea

We will go to the Solovetsky Islands, where we will get acquainted with the Solovetsky historical and architectural ensemble, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List

Itinerary

Day 1 - Solvychegodsk. Excursion to the Annunciation Cathedral
09:14 Arrival of tourists at the station Kotlas South by train No. 78 S.Petersburg – Vorkuta.
10:03 Arrival of tourists at the station Kotlas South by train No. 376 Moscow – Vorkuta.
The meeting is a gathering of tourists at the main entrance to the railway station from the side of the platform with a sign.
10:15 Transfer to Solvychegodsk (32 km).
12:00 Sightseeing walking tour – Saline Lake, mineral spring, Vychegda river embankment.
Excursion to the Annunciation Cathedral, the house church of the Stroganov merchants (XVI century), which houses the exposition of the Solvychegodsky Historical and Architectural Museum. Frescoes and an iconostasis from the 17th century have been preserved in the interior of the temple. The bell tower of the cathedral offers a wonderful panorama of this small county town. An introduction to the Vvedensky Monastery, founded in the 17th century near the Salt Lake, on the shore of which a salt barn has been preserved. The main temple of the monastery, the Vvedensky Cathedral, has preserved an impressive seven–tiered carved iconostasis and icons of the "Stroganov" school of the 17th century.
Note: during the day of sightseeing, there is time for an independent snack in a cafe in Solvychegodsk.
16:00 Transfer to Veliky Ustyug (101 km).
18:00 Accommodation at the Dvina Hotel in rooms with amenities.
Free time.

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Day 2 - Sightseeing walking tour with a visit to the temple of Prokopiy Ustyuzhsky
08:30 Breakfast in the hotel cafe.
09:00 Sightseeing walking tour with a visit to the church of Prokopius of Ustyuzha. During the tour, tourists will visit the Cathedral Courtyard, get acquainted with the ensemble of the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery (founded in the 12th century), see beautiful monuments of stone architecture – the Churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior and the Sretensky Transfiguration of the 12th-18th centuries, the churches of the Ascension and St. Nicholas of the 17th century, monuments of civil architecture, stroll along the embankment of the Sukhona River.
11:30 a.m. Visit to the souvenir shops "Severnaya rabble" and "Korobeinik".
13:00 Lunch. Free time.
14:00 For an additional fee, you can choose from:
A trip to the Country Estate of Santa Claus – a visit to the fabulous terem of the gray wizard, the Trail of fairy tales and the forge of Santa Claus. The cost is 3,900 rubles per person.
Excursion to the museum of the Severnaya Rabble factory. The cost is 600 rubles per person.
Day 3 - Excursion to the Museum of Ancient Russian Art
09:00 Breakfast.
10:00 An excursion to the Museum of Ancient Russian Art is held in the Church of the Ascension.
The Museum of Ancient Russian Art was created in the architectural monument of the 17th century – the Church of the Ascension, where a museum tour was organized. Today, the temple is a rare monument, distinguished by the integrity of its interior. Ustyug icon painting is especially vividly represented in the Museum of Ancient Russian Art. About 70 monuments of icon painting of the XV–XVII centuries are on display, 33 of them are shown for the first time.
Note: in case of a weekend or a sanitary day at the Church of the Ascension, the tour is replaced by a sightseeing tour of the museum's storage facility.
11:30 Lunch at a cafe.
12:00 p.m. For an additional fee, the following services are offered:
Excursion to the ethnographic museum "Art of the Ustyuzha land" in the St. Nicholas Church building. The rich stock collections allowed us to show a variety of folk art of the Ustyuzha region of the XVII – early XX centuries: patterned weaving (pestle, remiz, brane, elective), embroidery, cubic stuffing, wood carving and painting, forging and cutting, ceramics.
The cost starts from 1,250 rubles per person.
Excursion to the Trinity-Gledensky Monastery. Summary: at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yuga rivers, the city of Gleden stood on a high hill in ancient times. A monastery in the name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was founded near the city, which is rightfully considered one of the oldest in the Russian North. The iconostasis, which was restored in the 70s of the 20th century by Moscow restorers, is admired by everyone who comes on a museum tour to the Trinity-Gledensky Monastery. Visit to Dymkovskaya sloboda. Panorama of the embankment of Veliky Ustyug.
Notes: The tour is a bus and pedestrian tour, held only in summer (from May to September). The cost is 3,000 rubles per person.
Excursion to the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral, decorated with a tall three-tiered carved gilded iconostasis of the 17th and 18th centuries, which combines two styles – Baroque and classicism. On the porch of the cathedral, four paintings of various times from the 17th to the 18th centuries have been preserved, including the unique "Parables of the Elders".
Notes: the tour is a walking tour, conducted only in summer (from May to September). The cost is 1,250 rubles per person.
Day 4 - The darkness. Sightseeing tour of the city "Small town with a great history". Museum of Church Antiquities
07:30 Breakfast in the hotel cafe. Room release.
08:00 Departure to Totma (240 km).
11:30 a.m. Sightseeing tour of the city "Small town with a long history" will allow travelers to leisurely stroll through the provincial streets of the county town, examine wooden houses with angular balconies and carved architraves, discover amazingly beautiful temples made in the architectural style of "Totem Baroque", tell you what "cartouches" are and why they glorified Totma for the whole world.
Note: during the day of sightseeing, time is allocated for an independent lunch at the Totma cafe.
15:00 The Museum of Church Antiquities is located in the Assumption Cathedral with a tall majestic bell tower.
Its exposition includes monuments of North Russian icon painting, samples of wooden temple sculpture, small plastic made of copper and wood, as well as items of church utensils. The museum houses a miraculous icon of Our Lady of All Sorrowful Joy, painted in the 17th century.
16:00 Free time.
17:15 Departure to Vologda (200 km). At the exit from Totma, check into the roadside camping "Lisiy Ostrov" for a sanitary stop.
20:30 Arrival in Vologda at the railway station.
21:25 Departure of tourists by train No. 16 Moscow - Arkhangelsk.

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Day 5 - Kargopol. Excursion to the Cathedral of the Nativity
02:05 Arrival at Nyandoma station by train No. 16 Moscow - Arkhangelsk.
Meeting tourists with a sign at the main entrance to the railway station from the platform.
02:15 Transfer to Kargopol (78 km).
03:30 Arrival in the village. The Lower devils.
Accommodation in the Guest house "Kargopolskaya Sloboda" in rooms with all amenities.
Rest.
For breakfast, tea with pancakes.
12:00 Lunch.
12:30 A sightseeing walking tour of the city will take you along the cozy embankment, the temple complexes in the squares will delight with their splendor, and local legends and legends will completely immerse you in the distant past of the northern glorious city. The city of Kargopol is located at the very source of the Onega River, which originates from Lake Lache.
In the past, it was a famous trading city of the ancient Russian state, whose county lands stretched along the Onega River all the way to the White Sea. The transit salt route from Pomerania passed through Kargopol. The favorable economic situation and the monopoly on the salt trade granted by Ivan the Terrible contributed to the economic development of the city.
14:00 Excursion to the Cathedral of the Nativity. It was founded in 1552 and was under construction for ten years. The main shrine of Kargopol, although it has sunk a couple of meters into the soil over the centuries and survived the fire, has preserved its white stone structure and ornate stone carvings.
17:30 At the request of the guests, a transfer to Kargopol is arranged for self-exploration of the city.
This part of the "unorganized" journey is sure to be extremely interesting and informative. People come here for the "atmosphere".
You can just walk around Kargopol without any purpose and enjoy everything you see. Different air, different rhythm, different thoughts. Intricate houses from different eras, in some places wooden sidewalks, quiet provincial streets. From Ivan Bolotnikov Street, the hero of the Time of Troubles and the leader of the peasant uprising of 1606-1607, you can walk to the snow-white monument to another revolutionary, Ilyich. People lived here in the 16th century, 17th, 18th, 19th... they still live here.
Optional (on your own, for an additional fee) – visit to the first Private House – Museum of the Shevelev dynasty of potters in Kargopol with the possibility of holding a master class on modeling Kargopol clay toys.
Birch bark souvenir shop.
Russian sauna (for an additional fee).
Day 6 - Bus and walking expedition to the "Oshevenskaya parish". Rustic lunch in the Oshevenski style
08:00 Breakfast.
08:30 Bus and walking expedition to "Oshevenskaya volost" (55 km). In addition to the village of Oshevenskoye, the route will be to the villages of Saunino and Pogost (50 km). This is the second most important place in Kargopol, where you should definitely visit.
An ancient, reviving monastery, wooden architecture and traditional crafts from the Russian north coexist here at the same time.
There is a church of St. John Chrysostom in the village of Saunino. This is a tent temple built in 1665. Inside, the temple is covered with a picturesque ceiling – "painted skies". The hexagonal bell tower of the XVIII century gives the whole ensemble a complete and unique look.
12:00 Village lunch in the Oshev style with homemade bread and pies from a Russian oven.
After lunch, we continue our acquaintance with Kargopol - we go to the village of Archangel, where on the left bank of the Onega River there are two wooden churches — Archangel Michael (1715) and Candlemas of the Lord (circa 1820). The first is unique in that it is completed with a cubic roof, known only in Poonezhye and on the Prionezhsky shore of the White Sea.
13:30 We return to Kargopol along the ancient postal route through the village of Volosovo, where the ruined remains of St. Nicholas wooden church (1670) are located. The village of Volosovo is also known in the history of Poonezhye as one of the "schismatic nests". One of the last self-immolations took place here in 1860.
15:00 Optional, independent visit:
"Private museum of the Shevelevs and Kargopol clay toy masters".
The museum is located in Kargopol on a quiet street named after Yuri Gagarin (formerly Shelkovnya Street). It was here, in two small rooms, that the hereditary toy makers Dmitry Vasilyevich and Klavdia Petrovna Shevelev lived and worked, raised their sons, future artists Valentin, Vitaly and Vladimir, and raised their grandchildren, who do not forget the craft of their ancestors. The museum's exposition reveals the history of the life of the potter dynasty, shows objects of the development of crafts and the life of past centuries.
Notes: the tour is a walking tour, additionally you can order a master class on modeling a Kargopol clay toy.
There is a souvenir shop in the museum.
Day 7 - Kenozersky Park
08:00 Breakfast. Room release (take things with you to the bus).
08:30 Boarding the vehicle.
Departure to the village of Bolshye Lyadiny (37 km).
There is a multi-headed Epiphany Church with an intricate semicircular porch, which is not found anywhere else.
It is pleasant to walk through the village past the old gate wells and other signs of the northern village, go to the ethnographic museum "Lyadinskoe uzorochye", where objects of peasant life and linen craft came together.
11:00 Continuation of the excursion to Kenozersky National Park. The bus route is 60 kilometers. These places are very important for understanding the peculiarities of the Russian North and getting amazing impressions. This is a specially protected natural area that claims to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The peculiarity is that the cultural and natural heritage has been preserved here in the most complete and multifaceted way.
Kenozersky Park is one of the last islands of the Russian way of life, traditions, and culture. A part of him is presented in the travel program. The route will meet a unique natural monument dam-the watershed of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The ridge left by the glacier separated two neighboring lakes. One of them has a drain into the Baltic Sea, and the other into the icy White Sea.
Lunch at the "Needlework hut".
14:30 Departure to Kem (500 km).
On the way, we admire the most beautiful natural landscapes of Karelia from the bus window.
22:30 Arrival at the port of Rabochiostrovsk.
Accommodation in a tourist complex/hotel in rooms with amenities.
Day 8 - Crossing the White Sea to the Solovetsky Islands. Sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin
07:00 Breakfast at the Kemskaya Volost restaurant in the port of Rabochiostrovsk.
07:30 Boarding the ship.
08:00 Crossing the White Sea (2.5 hours) to the Solovetsky Islands. During the trip, seals or belugas can be seen from the ship.
10:00 Arrival at Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.
Meeting at the pier with a sign. Transfer to the hotel (accommodation after 14:00 hours).
10:45 Sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin (2.5 hours).
You will get acquainted with the Solovetsky historical and architectural ensemble, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, a grandiose structure whose history dates back to the XV century. During the sightseeing tour, you will visit the central temple complex of the monastery, its active temples, monuments of the monastery economy, as well as expositions and exhibitions of the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve.
Our walking tour will take you through the galleries and passages that have served the monastery's inhabitants for many centuries, reveal to you the nooks and crannies of the mighty fortress, tell you about the history of the Solovetsky Monastery, its famous inhabitants, the device of the Dryer, the organization of heating and other technological achievements of the famous northern monastery.
13:30 Free time.
Independent visit to the Maritime Museum. The Peter the Great era of shipbuilding is preceded by several centuries of spiritual and economic development of the northern seas – the museum of the Arkhangelsk Northern Shipping Company is dedicated to these ancient traditions of shipbuilding. The museum is located in an old barn for rowing boats, built in the 19th century. The museum halls feature antique maps, navigation devices, fishing implements, things from the Pomors, models and authentic details of ancient naval vessels.
In the evening, if desired, an independent walk along the picturesque shore of the White Sea, where you can see the "dancing" Solovetsky birches and "labyrinths" – a reconstructed cultural monument of prehistoric civilizations.

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Day 9 - Excursions to choose from for an additional fee
08:30 Breakfast at the cafe.
10:00 For an additional fee, guided tours are available (prices are approximate, registration and payment are made only on the day of arrival from the welcoming guide):
Sea trip to one of the most mysterious islands of the Solovetsky archipelago – Zayatsky (3 hours). The island, like a time machine, transports its guests from one era to another. Visiting the mysterious stone labyrinths and monuments of St. Andrew's Skete, founded in the 16th century, allows you to travel through centuries and even millennia.
The cost of the tour: 2,000 rubles per person.
Excursion "Boat trip to Bolshaya Muksalma Island" (4 hours).
Boat trip along the picturesque Long Bay to Bolshaya Muksalma Island. Visitors will see a grandiose hydraulic engineering structure – a 1.5 km long man-made boulder dam connecting the islands of Bolshoy Solovetsky and Bolshaya Muksalma, amazing landscapes, and also get acquainted with the history of the Sergiev Skete of the Solovetsky Monastery. Note: Transfer from the village to the pier in Dolgaya Guba (5 km one way) and back is included in the price of the tour. The tour is conducted under favorable weather conditions and in the absence of a storm warning.
The cost is 3,000 rubles per person.
Day 10 - Bus and walking tour "Sekirnaya Mountain. Completion of the program
08:30 Breakfast at the cafe.
Room release (things in the luggage room).
10:00 Bus and walking tour "Sekirnaya Mountain. Holy Ascension Skete" (4 hours).
The tourists will visit one of the highest points of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island – Mount Sekirnaya, from the top of which an unforgettable view of the northern part of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island and the White Sea opens.
They will get acquainted with the history and monuments of the current Holy Ascension Skete, where during the time of the Solovetsky camp there was a penal isolation unit - a place of detention and punishment of prisoners.
They will see a unique lighthouse church. The hermitage is in operation, tourists must comply with the requirements of the charter of the hermitage and be properly dressed.
Continuation of the excursion "Botanical Garden – Makaryevskaya desert".
The tourists will visit one of the northernmost botanical gardens in Russia, which is located on the territory of the former Makaryevskaya desert, see the 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.
13:00 Return to the village by bus.
Free time.
Visiting souvenir shops or exhibitions of the Solovetsky Museum – Reserve (for an additional fee).
If desired, a visit to a specialized store of the Arkhangelsk algae plant.
18:15 Transfer to the pier. Boarding the ship (tourists departing by train to St. Petersburg leave the island by boat at 16:00 hours).
19:00 Sea crossing to Rabochiostrovsk.
21:00 Arrival at the port. Transfer to Kem railway station.
Departure by night trains No. 285 at 01:46 or No. 293 at 03:16.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Tour organizer's comments

Bus and walking tours are waiting for you.

Accommodation

Guest House

2 nights
Train

1 night
Hotel

6 nights

Comfort

Basic+
Upscale

The tour provides accommodation in rooms with amenities.

The cost of the tour for 1 person:

for 2-bed accommodation 112,600 rubles.
for 1-bed accommodation, 131,000 rubles.

Guest house "Kargopolskaya Sloboda" is a two—storey cottage made of round pine forest on the territory of the future country park-hotel 12 km from Kargopol on the very bank of the Onega River.

It offers 8 cozy rooms with an area of 12-14 sq.m. with all amenities (shower, bathroom, TV). On the ground floor of the guest house there is a cozy hall-refectory with plasma TV, where guests can be served breakfast and dinner upon reservation.

On the territory of the cottage there is a Russian sauna with steam room, Parking for cars with video surveillance. It offers: tour desk, souvenir shop, free Wi-Fi, tea/coffee at any time of the day.

Room description: standard 2-bed room with shower/bathroom, free soap and shampoo, TV, 2 single beds, bedside tables, a small dining table with two upholstered stools, a wall module for clothes with hangers, a fire alarm system.

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Tour conditions

Group

up to 10 tourists

Minimum age

5 years old

Duration

10 days 9 nights

Group meets at

Arkhangelsk region, Nyandoma

Included in price

meals according to the tour program (9 breakfasts, 5 lunches);
accommodation in rooms with amenities along the entire route;
sea crossing on the route Rabochiostrovsk – Solovki – Rabochiostrovsk;
guided tours according to the tour program;
group transfers for meetings and send-offs.

Paid extra

railway tickets to Kotlas Yuzhny station and back from the city of Kem;
railway tickets on the Vologda - Nyandoma route;
meals and excursions indicated as "on your own" or "for an additional fee".

Additional excursions are booked and paid for locally.

It's important to know

Railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

Railway tickets for the Vologda - Nyandoma internal crossing are also purchased by tourists themselves (through a travel agency).

1. When submitting an application for a tour, we ask you to provide the documents of tourists (passport / birth certificate) for the prompt settlement of guests at the hotel on the day of arrival and the contact number of the tourist/s for operational communication, if necessary.

2. Check-in at the hotel is possible only if you have an identity document (passport and/or birth certificate). Please note that all accommodation facilities have "check-out time" rules (check-in at 14.00, check-out before 12.00). Accommodation at the hotel on the day of arrival is carried out after the completion of the excursion program.

3. The tour operator has the right to change the procedure for providing services without reducing their volume.

4. In case of unforeseen circumstances, the tour operator reserves the right to replace excursions without reducing the total volume of the excursion program.

5. The tour operator cannot influence possible delays related to actions and activities of government agencies, road works and other situations beyond the control of the tour operator.

6. During periods of deterioration of the weather (very low/very high air temperatures, heavy rains, storms, strong winds, floods, mudslides, fog, etc.), the tour operator reserves the right in exceptional cases to change the tour program: replace objects with others, and if replacement is impossible, exclude objects from the program (with subsequent refund to the buyer of the tour of the cost of visiting the object), the visit of which in weather conditions at the time of the tour may threaten the safety of tourists. The decision on the specified replacement/cancellation of facilities is made unilaterally by the guide and the lead tour manager.

7. The order of excursions on the Solovetsky Islands from the first to the last day of stay may change due to the availability / absence of transport on certain days of the tour, guides of the required category (qualifications), due to weather conditions or major events on Solovki (Solovetsky Fair, Trinity, Regatta, Transfiguration, Jung Memorial Days and Excursions can start from different points of the village, so check the place and time of departure with your escort for each route in advance and listen carefully to the accompanying guide. It is not recommended to purchase additional sightseeing routes from private guides and other travel agencies before arriving at Solovki, as this may disrupt the main program of stay on the island. There are several grocery stores in the village, where dairy products, pastries, sausages, and canned goods can be purchased at island prices. There are no refrigerators in the hotel rooms of Solovetsky Island – therefore, we do not recommend bringing perishable food with you and buying it in advance on the mainland.

Dates and Prices

from
$1,150

13 – 22 Jul 10 days 9 nights

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