Pearl necklace of Karelia. An abbreviated program

We invite you to an unforgettable six—day trip through Karelia - the land of lakes, rivers, forests and amazing sights.

Agree, it is impossible to see all the main attractions of Karelia at once. However, in this adventure you will have the opportunity to fully enjoy the beauty and history of this amazing region. In six days you will be able to visit all the most important places: Kizhi, Valaam, Ruskeala, Kivach and many others.

As part of the tour, you will find other, perhaps less well-known, but no less interesting objects. At the same time, you will be in the most comfortable conditions, and the program will be full of various activities.

The extended version of the tour can be found at the link.

Location

Republic of Karelia, Sortavala
from
$916
$782
+ tickets to the starting point of the tour
No need to pay now
Duration
6 Days
5 Nights
Departures
  • Group departures
    • Dates for next season
    • 27 May – 1 June, 2025
    • 10 – 15 June, 2025
    • 24 – 29 June, 2025
    • 8 – 13 July, 2025
or
Accommodation
  • Hotel
    5 nights
Comfort
  • Midscale
  • Upscale
  • Premium
Difficulty
Easy
Suitable for everyone
Group
Up to 51 people
Minimum age
7 years old
Group meet at
Republic of Karelia, Sortavala
Contact the tour coordinator
Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)
Or text us in messengers

Tour highlights

The beauty of the Marble Canyon
You will walk along the ecotrope with panoramic platforms in Ruskeala Park
Kronid Gogolev Gallery
You will see an exhibition of paintings made in a unique manner of wood carving
Kizhi Museum-Reserve
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the traditional peasant culture of the Russian North
The Holy Island of Valaam
Go on a tour of the central manor of the monastery and listen to the performance of the male choir
Cooking class
Learn how to make Karelian gate – pies from rye unleavened dough with fillings
By boat on Ladoga skerries
Dissecting the water surface, admire the steep cliffs and a noisy waterfall and land on one of the islands

Itinerary

  • Day 1 - An ancient Variety. Valaam Island

    08:20 Meeting of the group and gathering at the railway station of Sortavala

    For those who cannot start the tour in Sortavala, it is possible to leave Petrozavodsk at 04:00 in the morning by our bus, without additional payment.

    The most suitable train for the tour: Moscow — Sortavala 160B with arrival at 08:19, goes through St. Petersburg.

    Our guide will meet you with a sign at the main entrance to the Sortavala railway station. Starting at 08:00, our bus will be on duty here, where you can put your things away immediately after arrival.

    08:40 Breakfast at the cafe. 

    We have breakfast in a cafe and go on an excursion to Sortavala – the locals do not bend the name of this city and are very offended when someone does it. That's the national flavor!

    09:10-10:50 Sightseeing tour of the city of Sortavale with a visit to the main attractions of the city. 

    Sightseeing tour of the city and sightseeing of the stunning monuments of the Northern Art Nouveau. 

    Just look at how beautiful it is: 

    • the building of the national school, built in 1929 in the neoclassical style; 
    • The Seurahuone Hotel, built in 1908, where Nicholas Roerich stayed; 
    • Leander's House (1905); 
    • the building of the Finnish Bank, built in 1915, in which every detail informs about the inaccessibility and reliability of the bank; 
    • The Siitonen Merchants' House is a typical Northern Art Nouveau built in 1907; 
    • The Town Hall, built in 1882, is one of the most beautiful buildings: turrets, carved skates, pale pink color, with carvings and white frames, as if a lace napkin was thrown on top; 
    • wooden fire station built in 1888; 
    • the house with a lantern, built in 1920 and owned by the Helsinki Joint–Stock Bank, resembles a glass syringe in shape; 
    • The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built with the money of St. Petersburg merchants in 1873. It is built in the Russian style. Today, the main city temple of Sortavala.

    11:00 Departure by meteors to Valaam Island

    We are going to the pier – there are high–speed comets waiting for us, which will rush us to the first holy island of our adventure - the island of Valaam.

    The holy island is not so far away – only 22 kilometers. By the way, did you know that in Ladoga, the only freshwater reservoir in Russia, there are seals – small black seals? No wonder they say that Ladoga is almost a sea.

    11:50-16:50 Arrival at Valaam, sightseeing tour of the central manor of the monastery, performance of the male choir.

    And here it is – the holy island of Valaam. Nature seemed to have specially created it away from the shore. These Kizhi are closely connected with the shores and nearby villages. Balaam is different. It was created for solitude, in order to be away from civilization.

    We arrive at the Monastery Bay

    Here we will have a walking tour of the central manor of the monastery. 

    We will visit the Transfiguration Cathedral, where the relics of Saints Sergius and Herman, the founders of the monastery, are located. 

    And what a holy island without a concert of the creative team! This time the singers of the male ensemble "Valaam" will sing for us.

    After enjoying the beauty of the church hymn, we will move on the Meteor to Nikonovskaya Bay

    Here we have already been waiting for a lenten lunch in the refectory, prepared within the walls of the monastery.

    The New Jerusalem tour will reveal unknown fragments of the island's history. 

    We will visit the Resurrection Hermitage

    Further along the forest road we will walk to the man-made Gethsemane Garden, where the cozy Gethsemane hermitage with the wooden church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located. 

    The tour ends on the Mount of Olives, where one of the most poetic views of Ladoga opens.

    Balaam heals both the body and the head. 

    It is calm and peaceful here. 

    So it's time for us to go back. From Nikonovskaya Bay, the Meteor carries us back to the glorious city of Sortavala.

    After such a busy day, it's time to check into the hotel. 

    We will have dinner and rest at the hotel.

    4 more photos
  • Day 2 - Ladoga skerries. Kronid Gogolev Gallery. The fortress-museum of the Vikings "Bastion". Mount Paaso
  • Day 3 - Marble canyon of Ruskeala. Ruskeala waterfalls. Dinner at the Sami Plague
  • Day 4 - The capital of Karelia is Petrozavodsk. The ancient village of Sheltozero. Concert of the Veps Folk Choir
  • Day 5 - Kizhi Island. A master class on making wickets
  • Day 6 - Mount Sampo. The resort "Marcial waters". Girvas volcano. Kivach Waterfall
Difficulty
Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Accommodation
  • Hotel
    5 nights
Comfort
  • Midscale
  • Upscale
  • Premium

The tour includes accommodation in hotels.

There is a special offer for the tour: when booking more than 6 months before the tour — 10% discount, from 3 to 6 months — 5% discount. The prices below are without discount.

The cost of the tour for 1 person is 77,700 rubles.
The surcharge for single occupancy is 9,000 rubles.
Discount for additional accommodation. place — 9,000 rubles.

Discounts:

  • for children under 14 years of age — 5,200 rubles/person.;
  • for pensioners, veterans of the database, the disabled — 1,200 rubles/person;
  • There is a 7% discount for groups of 5 people or more.

To accommodate tourists, comfortable rooms are provided in superior hotels and service levels located in the city center and within walking distance from the embankment of the city of Petrozavodsk, restaurants and entertainment centers, souvenir and grocery stores. 

Accommodation takes place in the following hotels: Severnaya, Prionezhsky, Onega Castle, Bag, Cosmos, 13 chairs, Peter INN, Petra. These are some of the best hotels in Petrozavodsk, consistently providing a high level of service and high-quality accommodation.

The price of the tour includes breakfast at the hotel.

All excursions will also start from the hotels (a maximum of 10 minutes walk from the meeting point for the tour, including on the day of check—in and check-out, as some hotels are difficult to access by large buses). 

You can write your wishes in advance on choosing a specific hotel and we will try to ensure that you check in to it, but the specifics of group tours are such that the accommodation grid is drawn up at the last moment, based on the available room quotas in the hotels we have booked.

Hotel in Sortavala 2 nights

Sortavala is a small but cozy town in the south of Karelia, on the shore of Lake Ladoga. 

Accommodation in a small hotel with room amenities.

Hotel Severnaya 4* or The Prionezhsky Hotel or 3 nights

Tour conditions

Group
up to 51 tourists
Minimum age
7 years old
Duration
6 days 5 nights
Group meets at
Republic of Karelia, Sortavala

Included in price

  • meals specified in the program (6 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 3 dinners of which 2 in Sortavala, 1 in Sami plague on the third day);
  • master class on Karelian gates;
  • the work of a tour guide;
  • hotel accommodation;
  • all entrance tickets according to the program;
  • transport service by bus;
  • boats for a tour of the Ladoga skerries;
  • meteors on Kizhi and Valaam.

Paid extra

  • tickets to Sortavala/ Petrozavodsk and back from Petrozavodsk;
  • meals not specified in the program;
  • additional services and excursions;
  • tickets for the retro train.

It's important to know

Are plane tickets included in the price of the tour?

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

Is insurance included in the price of the tour?
How are seats allocated on the bus?
What are the features of the tour?
What discounts are available for this tour?

Dates and Prices

  • from
    $782
    27 May – 1 Jun, 2025 6 days 5 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $782
    10 – 15 Jun, 2025 6 days 5 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $782
    24 – 29 Jun, 2025 6 days 5 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $782
    8 – 13 Jul, 2025 6 days 5 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $782
    22 – 27 Jul, 2025 6 days 5 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now

Reviews

  • O
    Olga
    2 Nov, 2024
    about provider
    I was very impressed with the guides and would gladly recommend them to friends and family. Our guide, Marina, shared fascinating insights about Karelia and made sure everyone felt completely at ease.
    2 Nov, 2024
    5 more photos
  • N
    Natalya
    21 Oct, 2024
    about provider
    Ihr seid einfach großartig! Macht weiter so
    21 Oct, 2024
    2 more photos
  • G
    Galina
    26 Jul, 2024
    about provider
    The guides told us in an interesting way about the history of Karelia, the traditions and the way of life of the population who previously lived on this territory.
    26 Jul, 2024
    6 more photos