Gastronomic tour to Karelia

In the morning, we have breakfast at the hotel overlooking Lake Onega and set ourselves up for a very eventful, beautiful day!

Next, we will have a sightseeing tour of Petrozavodsk.

We will walk along the beautiful embankment, the former Cathedral Square and the central streets, examining the historical and modern architecture.

Let's feel the spirit of Petrozavodsk in its cozy courtyards, hidden from the eyes of tourists.

A local guide will tell us about the legends of Karelia, the history of the development of Petrozavodsk and how the city lives here and now.

After the walk, lunch will be prepared for us in a pine forest!

Fragrant ear cooked over a campfire and traditional Karelian wickets with various fillings. Accompanied by tinctures of northern berries: cloudberries, cranberries and lingonberries.

Then we will have rafting on the Shuya River!

Shuya is the simplest, plainest and most beautiful river. And it is perfect for your first acquaintance with Karelia!

There is no need to get here for several hours off-road, and the rapids of the river are easy to pass for any guest. Our route is even called romantic.

The journey along the river will take about 1.5–2 hours, we will walk 8 km.

Let's move on!

After the rafting, we will have a culinary master class, where we will learn all the subtleties of Karelian cuisine and, under the guidance of the chef, prepare a unique local dish — "fish on a log"!

The master class will be held in an ethnic plague in the light of a real hearth.

We will bake the most tender fillet of red fish on a hot hearth. First, we'll handle fixing the fish on the log, then we'll put it at the optimal distance from the fire, be patient and wait for it to be ready!

We will eat everything cooked by us hot in our chum along with baked potatoes and fresh vegetables.

And everyone will take away the recipe from the chef not only in their pocket, but also in their very hearts!

In the evening we return to our hotel by the lake and look forward to the next day.

Tomorrow we will head towards Finland!

Today, after breakfast, we are driving towards Ladoga.

Along the way, we'll take a look at a real Karelian village — one of the most beautiful in Russia!

It is here that you can plunge into history, learn about the traditions and way of life of the ancient Karelians and look into the chapel of the 18th century hidden in a spruce grove.

This is not a museum, but a living village! Now there are 15 houses here, six of which are monuments of cultural heritage.

This village has preserved a northern, unhurried way of life, which we can feel for ourselves over a cup of tea with Karelian gates from a Russian oven.

Along the way, we will see the Lyaskela Waterfall, a pearl of Karelian nature, a place where you can experience the power and beauty of Karelian nature!

It's time to eat! We are going to the shore of Lake Ladoga to a restaurant that belongs to a trout farm. This is a local fish farm that cultivates rainbow trout in the clear waters of Ladoga. And here, in the restaurant, freshly caught trout is prepared. We will be located on the summer terrace right on the shore of the lake!

For an appetizer, we will be served the most delicate trout tartare with red caviar.

Then we will taste the traditional festive Finnish Lohikeito soup, salmon soup with cream. The freshest fish and cream make the soup taste incredibly tender!

And as the main course, juicy trout steaks, grilled with vegetables!

And for dessert, ice cream with Karelian pine cones.

After lunch, we check into the country club hotel, which is located on the shores of Lake Ladoga, and stay here for two nights. We have a little rest and go to a real northern wood-fired sauna. A coniferous detox awaits us!

The sauna is located directly on the water of Lake Ladoga, has its own pier and is heated with firewood. We warm up, swim in the lake and drink delicious Karelian tea with berries.

After the sauna, we will have a barbecue dinner in the fresh air - cooking juicy meat!

A rich red wine and tinctures of Karelian wild berries will be a great addition to dinner.

Enjoy and relax!

After a delicious breakfast with a view of Lake Ladoga, we head towards Finland, to the town of Sortavala — a trip to Valaam Island awaits us!

The waterway across the expanses of Ladoga to the island takes about an hour — we will go by speedboat.

At this time, we are enjoying the majestic beauty of the largest freshwater lake in Europe and the second largest lake in Russia after Lake Baikal!

We will walk around the island with a guide and see the manor.

The island has its own unique microclimate, where it is possible to grow even such southern fruit species as grapes and watermelon!

Then we will take a boat trip through the Ladoga Skerries, a unique nature reserve. This place is often compared to the Norwegian fjords, interestingly, the word "skerries" itself comes from the Norwegian skjær — "rock in the sea".

Skerries are called straits and bays between the coast and islands with unusual relief and an archipelago of uninhabited islands. It's a very picturesque place!

Here we will get off at one of the uninhabited islands, where a picnic lunch awaits us. Baked white fish, potatoes and grilled vegetables.

Arriving back in Sortavala, we will stop by for a tasting of Karelian tinctures, jams and jams. All from local producers!

The tasting itself takes place in the restaurant, which is located in an old House that is over 150 years old.

The first floor of the restaurant is made in the style of the 19th century — there is a cafe here, the second floor is executed in an authentic Karelian style.

Absolutely everything is sold here: tinctures, berries, mushrooms, cheeses, fish, game.
Everything that is being transported from Karelia can be purchased here!

For dinner today we will go to one of the best restaurants in Karelia, where we will be offered to taste delicious dishes of Karelian cuisine made from local products.

It is located on the largest island of Ladoga — Riekkalansaari.

We will taste Karelian trout tartare with cucumber and lingonberry sauce.

For a hot meal, let's try the back of a cod with celery mousse. The dishes are accompanied by dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

At the end of the dinner, we will try a delicate ricotta cheese in milk chocolate with a filling of boiled condensed milk.

It is served with sea buckthorn foam and sea buckthorn jam, accompanied by Karelian tea.

After dinner, we return to the hotel!

Today we have breakfast in our beautiful hotel on the lake shore and drive to Sortavala Railway Station, from where our train departs to Ruskeala!

Let's get on the Ruskeala express, wait for the train horn and hit the road!

We are going to the Ruskeala Mountain Park, the journey time will be 1 hour.

Let's move on!

To the most famous park of Karelia — Ruskeala. Beautiful landscapes, marble canyons and clear water surface.

On the way back from Ruskeala, we will stop at Ruskeala Waterfalls. The place is very picturesque!

Suspension bridges have been made directly above the waterfalls, which provide stunning photos. It was here that the famous film "And the dawns are quiet here" was shot in 1972.

Our lunch today will take place in the author's restaurant, located in an old building built in 1918 by the Finns on top of a cliff.

The establishment owns its own farm, smokehouse and cheese factory, so we will definitely taste local cheeses for an aperitif.

We will also have venison marinated in dark beer as an appetizer.

Next course, we'll try a farmer's duck breast with caramel pumpkin accompanied by a glass of dry pink wine.

We will end the evening with a traditional dessert — cowberries with oatmeal in Karelian style with a cup of Ivan tea.

After lunch, we will visit Mount Paaso, an ancient Karelian settlement located on a high cliff by the lake, offering a very beautiful view!

Archaeologists date the settlement back to the 12th and 13th centuries, but it most likely existed earlier, perhaps as early as the Viking age.

Next, you will have free time in Sortavala to walk around the city, the embankment of Lake Ladoga, buy souvenirs, products of local farmers and craftsmen.

Then we will escort you to the Sortavala Railway Station.

It is recommended to leave by double—decker train 160A Sortavala - Moscow, departure from Sortavala at 20:52 (arrival in Moscow on July 30 / August 21 at 09:08).

Happy and full of new experiences!

Have a great journey and see you soon in new bright journeys!