Karelia. The land of legends. Bus tour from Saint Petersburg

The cost of additional excursions:

1 day

Safe rafting on the Shuya River + picnic + tasting of national drinks for adults (no rafting on Shuya in September). 

The duration of the rafting together with the transfer: about 6 hours.

Price, including a picnic with alcohol tasting for adults: 

adult – 3,050 rubles/person, child – 2,550 rubles/person.

The cost of a picnic (without rafting) for an adult (with tasting) is 1,950 rubles/person.

Picnic price (without rafting)  child – 1,450 rubles/person.

Day 2

OPTION No. 1. Excursion to Solovki Island (to be booked upon purchase of the tour). 

If you are passionate about history, then this is the journey for you. 

Duration of the tour with transfers: ~ 24 hours. 

The cost of the tour is being specified. 

Attention! Due to the busy schedule, there is no stop for dinner on the route, so get a snack on the road in advance. On Solovki Island, there may be no terminal at food outlets and souvenir shops, stock up on cash. 

02:30 – Departure to the port of Rabochiostrovsk. Breakfast is a lunch box (instead of a buffet breakfast). Expect the 390 km journey to take 5-6 hours. 

08:00 – Give up the mooring lines! We are going on a sea trip (2 hours across the White Sea). 

We keep our camera ready – we may encounter a ringed seal or a sea hare, and from the end of June, a beluga whale.

10:00 a.m. — arrival on Solovki Island, a unique architectural monument and a place of pilgrimage for believers from all over the world. A large sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin. 

Visit the territory of the central complex of the monastery, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, objects of economic activity, the Solovetsky Fortress and the Monastery Prison exposition, interesting facts about the monks' life and the unique heating system of the monastery walls. 

Free time for an independent lunch. 

Boat trip to Bolshoy Zayatsky Island. 

Visit to the largest pagan sanctuary of the II-I millennia BC. 

You will see stone labyrinths, a complex of religious and funerary structures, Russia's first stone harbor, and the monuments of St. Andrew's Skete. 

Duration of the tour, including transfer: 3 hours. 

19:00 — departure to the mainland in the port of Rabochiostrovsk. 

Arrival at the hotel after the tour ~ 02:30. 

OPTION No. 2 "White Mountain. The Tivdian marble". 

Tour duration: ~ 4.5 hours. 

The cost of the tour is 2,300 rubles/person. 

Breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover). 

Departure to the village of Belaya Gora. 

The village was once a center of marble mining in the Russian north. Belogorsky marble was used very widely: for the Engineering Castle, for the Marble Palace, the Kazan Cathedral and the Roman Fountains in Peterhof. 

Surprisingly, the pedestal of the monument to Nicholas I and the sarcophagus of Napoleon I were also made of it.

Upon arrival, a tour of the village of Belaya Gora. A stone church dedicated to the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God (1856) stands above the village, unusual for Karelia. 

The church is famous for the fact that its architect was Konstantin Ton, the author of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The church is made in the Byzantine style with elements of Gothic architecture. 

The church was not in demand by the local parish and quickly fell into disrepair. 

Water ferry on motorcycle rafts along the river. Tivdia in the park "White Mountain. The Tivdian marble". 

White Mountain tour. 

We will walk along the ecological trail, climb the mountain, learn a lot of interesting information about the Belogorod marble developments and take a souvenir stone as a keepsake. 

Return to the hotel.

Day 3

"Kizhi is the eighth wonder of the world."

~10:00 — we embark on a great journey to a unique natural complex, a UNESCO natural heritage site — the famous Kizhi Island (250 km).

Our road will pass through the most distinctive places of Zaonezhye — the northern region of Karelia, widely known for its monuments of wooden architecture, deposits of shungite and Zaonezh embroidery.

En route: Shunga village is one of the oldest settlements in the Zaonezhye region and the birthplace of the carbon mineral shungite. The aspid stone owes its name to these surroundings. 

Since the 15th century, the main land road of the North connecting the White Sea and Lake Onega with Novgorod passed through Shunsky Pogost, a salt transportation route, brisk trade took place at fairs, and the fame of the village's embroiderers thundered around the world. Their works at the World Exhibition in Paris were awarded a large silver medal. 

Tolvuya village — St. Zosima was born and raised in those places, who later became one of the founders of the monastery on the Solovetsky Islands. 

Xenia Ivanovna, the mother of the future tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, and Marfa, a monk, were also exiled here in prison. 

Arrival in the town of Oyatevshchyna. 

Safe transfer by licensed motorboats or Veresov vessel to Kizhi Island (1 km / 15 minutes). 

Guided tour of Kizhi Island, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site since 1990. 

We will learn about all its secrets when we inspect the ensemble of the Kizhi cemetery, visit the estate of the Zaonezhsky peasant and one of the oldest wooden churches in Russia — the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, rumored to have the ability to heal all ailments. 

We will also explore the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord from the outside. Walking tour to Narjina Gora. 

Along the way we will see: the Kizhi cemetery "Round Field", the ancient village "Yamka" and the chapel from the village of Vigovo. Keepsake photo from the highest point of Kizhi Island. The city of Medvezhegorsk. 

Many popular films were shot in these places: "Love and doves", "And trees grow on stones", "Platinum 2". 

Estimated return to the hotel at ~ 22:00.

The cost of the excursion to Kizhi Island is specified, payment is made upon purchase of the tour.

Day 4

A boat trip with an inspection of the trout farm and a picnic with tasting of Karelian tinctures on Lake Onega from Kondopoga (to be booked upon purchase of the tour). 

Not everyone can boast that they have seen how fish are grown on a real trout farm. But 70% of the red fish that we see on store shelves appeared in Karelia. 

The fish farmer's story about trout farming will be a pleasant addition to the culinary master class on cooking red fish on the grill. 

You can share your impressions of the educational part of the tour at a picnic with fish, vegetables, hot tea and Karelian tinctures (150 gr.). 

The duration of the tour, together with transfers, is ~ 4 hours. 

The boat trip takes place on licensed indoor boats on Lake Onega. 

The cost of the tour: adult – 3,250 rubles / person, child – 2,850 rubles / person.

Day 5

OPTION No. 1. Ruskeala Mountain Park and Valaam Island (to be booked upon purchase of the tour).

Tour duration: ~ 18 hours.

The cost of the tour is being specified.

06:30 - Breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover).

07:00 - Departure to "Old Finland" (290 km). We will not need any passports or visas to travel to the former lands of Suomi.

A cinematic stop for a photo shoot. The legendary "okunevy threshold" is the Akhvenkoski Waterfall (the filming location of the film "And the dawns here are quiet..."). 

They are popularly called "Eugene's River", the famous bathing scene of lumberjacks was filmed here.

Ruskeala Mountain Park is a picturesque monument of nature and mining. 

Emerald-colored groundwater, bizarre outlines of steep cliffs, mysterious tunnels and caves. It was here that marble was mined for a long time to decorate the cathedrals and palaces of St. Petersburg. 

On the way to the park, the guide will tell you about the appearance of Marble Lake, and upon arrival you will have the opportunity to explore the land part of the park yourself. 

The total time spent in the park is 2.5 hours. 

~ 16:00 — and now we are on the shore of the boundless Ladoga, the city of Sortavala descends to it like a stone fan. 

Departure to Valaam Island. 

The time for a meteor boat trip to the legendary "Northern Athos" on Lake Ladoga is 45 minutes one way. 

Skerries — fjords rise from the waters of Ladoga like fabulous backs of whales or old giant fish. 

During the main tour: acquaintance with the central estate of the monastery and a visit to the majestic architectural monument — the current Transfiguration Cathedral, where the relics of the founders of the monastery, Herman and Sergius of Valaam, rest. 

The time spent on Valaam Island is ~ 2 hours. 

19:45 — return to the hustle and bustle of the world, to the mainland. 

~ 00:30 — return to the hotel. 

OPTION No. 2. Ruskeala Mountain Park and the city of Sortavala (booking at the time of purchase of the tour).

The duration of the tour is ~ 18 hours. 

The cost of the tour is being specified. 

06:30 — breakfast in the hotel cafe (buffet/cover). 

07:00 — departure to "Old Finland" (290 km). 

We will not need any passports or visas to travel to the former lands of Suomi.

A cinematic stop for a photo shoot. 

The legendary "okunevy threshold" is the Akhvenkoski Waterfall (the filming location of the film "And the dawns here are quiet..."). 

They are popularly called "Eugene's River", the famous bathing scene of lumberjacks was filmed here.

Ruskeala Mountain Park is a picturesque monument of nature and mining. Emerald-colored groundwater, bizarre outlines of steep cliffs, mysterious tunnels and caves. 

It was here that marble was mined for a long time to decorate the cathedrals and palaces of St. Petersburg.

On the way to the park, the guide will tell you about the appearance of Marble Lake, and upon arrival you will have the opportunity to explore the land part of the park yourself. 

The total time spent in the park is 2.5 hours. 

16:00 — and now we are on the shore of the endless Ladoga, the city of Sortavala descends to it like a stone fan. 

Sightseeing tour of Sortavala (Serdobol), which is rightfully called the "architectural encyclopedia of European architecture". 

Nicholas Roerich called it one of the few places on Earth where there is a special breath. And the most romantic of Bella Akhmadulina's poetry cycles was written here.… 

During the tour, we will walk through the ancient streets of the city, see the Singing Field, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built at the expense of St. Petersburg merchants Eliseev in the Russian style designed by architect N. P. Grebenka, and climb the observation deck — Mount Kukhavuori. 

Free time in Sortavala for an independent dinner (~2.5 hours). 

19:45 – departure to the hotel. 

~ 00:30 – return to the hotel.

Additional payment. meals on all routes, rental services, and an organ concert are provided in Karelia to the administrator of the hotel of residence (Kondopoga).

The company reserves the right to make changes to the excursion program depending on objective circumstances while maintaining the volume and quality of services provided.

In case of bad weather (wave height is more than 1.5 meters), water excursions may be canceled or postponed to the next day. In case of cancellation, the refund is carried out in full. The refund method is similar to payment.

Briefly about the combined groups: guests from different regions of Russia and the CIS arrive on their own, one at a time, as a family or in mini-groups and are united by the operator into one group at the start point of the tour.

Cyclic and cascade tours assume that check-in and check-out is possible on any day, you can buy a tour for any number of days from 3 to 7. Every day there will be a new group and a new guide.

Bus tours and tours with a fixed arrival date (or a fixed day of the week) of arrival assume that the group consists of the same tourists and is guided by the same guide (except for tours longer than 7 days)

Combined tours (including visits to two or more regions) assume that when the region changes, there will be a change in the composition of participants and a change of guides.

The group's composition depends on the tour: 

• The standard group is 40-50 people.;
• comfort group — 19-27 people;
• mini-group — up to 16 people. 

The comfort and mini format is indicated in the tour annotation, if there is no such annotation, then the group is 40-50 people. 

When visiting the museums of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, guests can be divided into groups of 10, 15, 20 or 30 people and are served by museum guides. The rest of the excursions (bus and pedestrian) are conducted by the operator's guide.

For guaranteed early check—in, it is necessary to book a room in advance - this is usually 100% of the cost of 1 night in a hotel in high season and 50% in low season. If the room is not ready before check-out time, guests can check their belongings into the hotel's luggage room (this service is free). Registration of foreign citizens is paid on the spot by tourists themselves (usually 250-300 rubles). Check-in at the hotel is based on your passport and last names.

Please note that the start of the excursion program does not depend on the check-out time at the hotel. The time of departure from the hotel is indicated in the programs.

Hotel accommodation is only possible in a separate room (without check-in). An extra bed in a room is a euro—fold, there are no guarantees for full-fledged three and four beds in one room in hotels as part of combined tours. 

If you arrive in the afternoon and lose the day of sightseeing, we recommend booking an additional night for the tour.

On the day of arrival, you arrive at the hotel on your own (except in cases where a transfer has been ordered), check in on your own, leave your belongings in the luggage room and meet with the guide at the address indicated in the program, a sign for a meeting with the name of the tour. On most tours, the meeting with the guide takes place in the hotel lobby (if the base hotel was purchased). 

When staying in some hotels, it is necessary to go to the neighboring hotel on a guided tour. Check-in at the hotel is carried out after the program (except in cases where check-in was ordered earlier).

On the day of check-out, you check out of the room on your own.

We recommend that you reserve time when buying return tickets due to the unpredictable transport situation in the city and suburbs.

Food

Most of the combined tours do not have organized hot meals. We recommend taking a snack with you or buying light snacks at the food court or at a street food kiosk. 

Transport

When servicing regular tours, transportation is provided every day (with the exception of a walking tour). On museum day, transportation is provided to the last museum.

The tour service is in Russian. 

• If a foreign Russian-speaking guest wants to purchase a tour or an excursion, the operator will charge an additional fee for the difference in entrance tickets (check the cost with the operator). 
• If a foreign guest does not speak Russian, we recommend purchasing an individual tour.

Persons over the age of 18 who plan to stay in accommodation facilities in St. Petersburg for more than 24 hours are required to pay a resort fee of 100 rubles upon check-in. per day per person. 21 (twenty-one) preferential categories are exempt from payment. If you have any questions about the resort fee, please contact the tourist Contact Center.

The age for tourists and day trippers is from 5 years old.

Minors can only attend guided tours and tours accompanied by adults. If the accompanying adult is not the parent of the child, a power of attorney from the parents is required upon check-in at the hotel.

It is not possible to visit excursions with animals, but you can check into a pet friendly hotel, and you can get a list from the operator.

In advance, it is possible to order a comfort-class passenger car for an individual transfer (from 1800 rubles, depending on the time of day and pick-up).

If a transfer is booked, please provide information about the meeting in advance (time, station, train, carriage, terminal and arrival time, flight number, mobile phone). If information about the meeting is not provided (in less than 3 business days), the transfer will not be provided.

A large number of tours (not all) have a free morning group hotel transfer service, which must be booked in advance: a fixed meeting time is indicated in the tour program.

The time and place of completion of the program is indicated in the tour program every day. It can be a basic hotel or a city center.

If you want to purchase theater tickets, we recommend setting a time reserve. In the updated tour program, the time of visiting the sites may vary depending on what time the museums have confirmed.

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

Additional medical insurance is not included in the price of the tour. If desired, you can apply for insurance on the website of a Large Country without commission directly from insurance companies.

Check—out time in hotels is 12:00. Guaranteed check-in after 15:00.