Pearl necklace of Karelia. An abbreviated program

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Karelia is a land of lakes, rivers, forests and unique monuments. There are some of them that probably everyone should visit. Kizhi, Valaam are two islands, two main attractions of Karelia, which we have combined into the "Pearl Necklace of Karelia".

You must admit that it is extremely difficult to see all Karelian brands at once. And this tour covers all the most interesting things in Karelia as much as possible.

Location

Republic of Karelia, Sortavala

Sightseeing tours

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

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Tour highlights

The beauty of the Marble Canyon

We will walk along the ecotrope with panoramic platforms in Ruskeala Park

Kronid Gogolev Gallery

We will see an exhibition of paintings made in a unique manner of wood carving

Kizhi Museum-Reserve

Let's plunge into the atmosphere of the traditional peasant culture of the Russian North

The Holy Island of Valaam

Let's go on a tour of the central manor of the monastery and listen to the performance of the male choir

Cooking class

Let's 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 - The holy island of Valaam, ancient Sortavala
08:20 Meeting of the group and gathering at the railway station of Sortavala.
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 Sortavala 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.

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Day 2 - Ladoga skerries on boats, Kronid Gogolev Gallery, Viking fortress-museum – Bastion, ancient settlement – Mount Paaso
09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.
09:30-11:30 Boat tour of the Ladoga skerries with access to the largest and highest island in the Sortavala skerries system.
The Northern Ladoga region is a completely unusual, original and insanely picturesque region of Karelia.
We will take a walk through the Ladoga skerries – a unique ecosystem of huge rocks, islands of stone, madness of water and vegetation.
The delight of Karelian landscapes: dissecting the water surface, we will admire the steep cliffs and a noisy waterfall and even see the island of Valaam in the distance.
We will land on one of the islands, and also try to find the red book Ladoga seals (the best time for photo hunting is May and June).
Before sailing, our captain will tell you about safety on the water.
The walks take place in a chamber atmosphere: we share our impressions, suggest camera angles and corners of the island for contemplating the beauties.
Of course, you will learn about the flora, fauna and history of Ladoga – for example, about what Peter the Great did here.
You will hear the myths and legends of the region, ancient and modern.
11:45-12:45 Visiting the Kronid Gogolev Gallery.
Upon returning from the Ladoga skerries, we go on an excursion to the unique and one-of-a-kind Kronid Gogolev House Museum.
It is located in an old Finnish building built in 1899. But the building is not as interesting as the creations of Kronid Gogolev.
In front of us is an exposition of paintings made in a unique manner of wood carving. Did you think that nothing could surprise you after Balaam? Well, be surprised!
Probably, these are the very first paintings in 3D format. The theme of the Russian North, expressive nature, ordinary people, their way of life and holidays – all this is in the works of Kronid Gogolev.
13:00-13:40 Delicious lunch at the Sortavala restaurant.
14:00-16:00 Excursion to the Viking fortress-museum "Bastion".
After lunch, we go to the Viking age art space "Svartbjornborg" (Svartbjornborg is the fortress of the black bear).
This is a large interactive platform where visitors are directly immersed in the era, turning from a spectator into a participant.
Here you can touch everything, absolutely any object, with your hands.
Consider this or that thing from all sides and visualize how people in the past could use this particular item.
To understand what materials were in use, how they were extracted, and what was the difficult path of the extracted raw materials before it turned into a necessary household item.
Any costumes, uniforms or armor can and should be tried on and, at least for a short period of time, but feel like a brave warrior, craftsman or merchant.
At the end of the tour on the territory of the fortified settlement of the "Viking age" on the shores of Ladoga, you can see:
fortress walls in the form of a palisade with corner and gate towers. You can walk around the entire territory of the museum along the wall, climb any tower, from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire museum and the Ladoga skerries, since the museum is located on the very shore of the lake;
a friendly Scandinavian house under an earthen roof, which presents an exposition of everyday life, costumes and weapons of the Vikings; an active blacksmith shop – an exposition of blacksmithing;
a pier with replicas of wooden ships of the VIII – XI centuries. All models are valid and during the navigation period everyone has the opportunity to sit at the oar of a real Viking dragon boat;
a model of the sanctuary with carved wooden sculptures;
two playgrounds: a shooting range, with the opportunity to practice shooting with historical bows and crossbows, as well as learn how to throw combat spears and axes; and the lists – a prepared space for tournaments and funny fights (on protected weapons);
The pearl of the museum is the long Scandinavian house - "Honey Hall" – the largest recreated Viking dwelling in Russia. The roof of the house is made in the form of an inverted dragon boat. The Honey Hall houses one of Russia's richest collections of household items, costumes and weapons.
16:00-18:30 Excursion to Mount Paaso with panoramic views and to Vakkosalmi Park (Mount Kuhavuori).
And now we will go to conquer the Ladoga Mountains.
Do not worry, without difficult ascents, along equipped and very picturesque stairs.
Mount Paaso is a 10th–12th century Karelian settlement discovered by Finnish archaeologist Otto Appelgren.
You will admire the fantastic panoramas and find out why the ancient Karelians settled on the highest cliffs.
A wonderful addition will be a walk through Vakkosalmi Park – climbing the ancient steps to Mount Kuhavuori, you will discover an amazing view of the city.
In the evening, we will have dinner and a cozy hotel.

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Day 3 - Marble canyon Ruskeala, dinner in the Sami plague
08:45 Breakfast, room release in Sortavala.
09:30 Departure to Ruskeala by bus, those who wish can take the retro train (10:05-11:20 Sortavala — Ruskeala railway).
We will go to one of the main pearls of Karelia – marble canyon Ruskeala.
Everyone can go there by retro train!
Ruskeala Express is a steam–powered retro train running on the Sortavala — Ruskeala Mountain Park — Sortavala route.
The interior of the wagons is made in the original design of the Nikolaevsky Express, in the style of the late XIX – early XX century.
Important! Tickets for the retro train are not included in the tour price and are purchased independently in advance on the Russian Railways website — at 10:05 on the Sortavala — Ruskeala route.
Those who do not want to take a retro train – we go with a guide and part of the group by bus to Ruskeala.
10:45 Arrival at Ruskeala, sightseeing tour (1.5 hours).
Marble Canyon Ruskeala is a Karelian brand of modern times.
Ten years ago, desolation reigned here. Now, an amazing natural object opens up to our eyes.
There is everything for a tourist here! Gorgeous views, trails, caves.
We are also waiting for a walking tour of the marble canyon (1.5 hours).
The 1.5-kilometer eco-trail around Ruskeala has many panoramic platforms from which you can enjoy views of this unique place.
In addition, you can move away from the main trail a little and go into the depth of a through cave (tunnel).
Here you will discover the real secrets of the canyon, its heart.
You can also look at the deposits of the "Italian" quarry
Free time.
14:15 Lunch.
Today we will eat at the Lutheran Church.
Karelians and Finns living on this land will hospitably welcome and feed us, after which we will move on.
14:45 Visit to the Tokhmin waterfalls.
It's time to go towards Petrozavodsk.
On the way, not far from Ruskeala, we will see the Tokhmin or Ruskeala waterfalls.
The famous Soviet film "And the dawns are quiet here..." was shot here. A mandatory souvenir photo is a very picturesque place.
For those who wish, there is a newly opened ecological trail with bridges suspended directly above the waterfalls.
18:45 Arrival for dinner in the northern Sami plague.
Karelian cuisine, a lively fire, warm conversations and memories of the past days in the middle of a pine forest.
In the evening we arrive in the Karelian capital — Petrozavodsk.
20:30 Check-in at the hotel in Petrozavodsk, rest.

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Day 4 - The capital of Karelia is Petrozavodsk, the ancient Vepsian village of Sheltozero and a concert by the national ensemble
Good morning! We have breakfast at the hotel.
08:30 Departure for a sightseeing tour of Petrozavodsk.
Welcome to the capital of Karelia – the city of Petrozavodsk.
The port of the five seas, located on the shore of the second largest freshwater body in Europe – Lake Onega.
A real European city, with a national Karelo-Finnish flavor, the same age as St. Petersburg, cozy, beautiful, with its own unique history. It was founded in 1703 by Peter I, as the city was founded by Catherine II in 1777.
Guns for the Russian army were cast here, cast-iron decorations of St. Petersburg were made here, the famous Onezhets tractors were built here. It is not for nothing that the word factory is in the name of the city. But the capital of Karelia is also a place of beauty and unbridled nature – sometimes harsh northern, then calm, Scandinavian-weighted.
"Journey through the centuries" is our program of exploring Petrozavodsk. Where to begin? Of course, from the Museum of Industrial History. In this amazing place you can see the path of the city and its enterprises, starting from the Petrovsky factory founded by Peter the Great to the present day.
We will go through several epochs: "The Land awakened by Peter", "The Era of Catherine the Great" and touch the Orthodox Petrozavodsk by visiting the cathedral of the city – the temple of Alexander Nevsky.
Well, isn't it time to return from Peter's time?
12:00 Lunch.
And after that, a trip to the Veps awaits us.
12:30-18:30 Excursion to Sheltozero with a concert of the national ensemble.
There is such a small but very proud people in Karelia. It is one of the smallest indigenous peoples of Russia.
The Veps settled in Karelia long before the Russians and rightfully belong to the original inhabitants of south Karelia.
The descendants of the ancient tribe live in the Veps National Parish on the southern shore of Lake Onega. The center of the parish is the ancient village of Sheltozero.
It is located 84 kilometers from Petrozavodsk. The love of the Veps for lakes and rivers was reflected in the names of their settlements – Rybreka, Yashozero, Sheltozero, Kaskesruchey, Another River, Estuary, Vehruchey…
What happened to the culture of this people? To find out, we will take a look at the Sheltozer Veps Ethnographic Museum. Its founder, Rurik Lonin, bit by bit collected the rich heritage of the Veps.
The museum is located in an old peasant house on a hill. The beautiful house has two floors: rooms, halls, a barnyard, a stable, a porch, a kitchen - everything is lovingly recreated from objects collected by Lonin.
After the tour of the museum, we will have a performance by the Vepsian Folk Choir — Vepsian folk songs will be performed live for us, and we will also see and maybe even participate in modern songs and dances based on traditional folk models.
Are you tired? It's time to go to Petrozavodsk.
18:30 Return to Petrozavodsk.
In the evening, you can walk around Petrozavodsk.
By the way, don't accidentally skip until morning. White nights are whiter here than in St. Petersburg. It is bright here around the clock for almost half of the summer.
Day 5 - The pearl of the Russian North – Kizhi Island, a master class on gates
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:30 Gathering at the river station (20 minutes walk from the hotel).
We will walk along the beautiful embankment to the Petrozavodsk river station. It is from here that in a little over an hour the high-speed "Comet" – a hydrofoil vessel – will take you to the fabulous Zaonezhye – perhaps the most picturesque part of Lake Onega.
10:00 Departure to Kizhi.
11:30-15:30 Excursion and free time on Kizhi.
The tour price includes a visit to the main exposition of the Kizhi Museum, namely, an inspection of the appearance of all monuments on the island, as well as a visit to the interiors of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the house of Oshevnev from D. Oshevnevo or Elizarov's house from D. The middle (by the decision of the guide, in the summer).
If you haven't been here before, we envy you. What kind of Paris is there, to see Zaonezhye and ... no, we will only die of delight.
Especially when passing by islands and bays on the "Comet", along the Zaonezhsky skerries-labyrinths, we find ourselves next to Kizhi Island, which is decorated with wooden churches.
The very sight of them makes one's breath stop. Is it really man-made?
The Kizhi Museum-Reserve, located on the island, is the center of the traditional peasant culture of the Russian North, one of the largest and most famous open–air museum reserves in Russia.
For many years, scientists and masters of wooden architecture have been carefully and painstakingly collecting architectural monuments, icon paintings and household items that were created in Karelian, Vepsian and Russian villages for centuries.
Chapels and peasant houses were transported here from all over Karelia.
But the main treasure is the Kizhi churchyard, consisting of the Transfiguration, Intercession Churches and the bell tower – it has been standing here for more than 300 years.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world come to the museum to admire the ensemble of wooden churches of the XVIII century – a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site.
Even nature is different here – its own Zaonezhsky microclimate, warmer and milder. Kizhi Island is a place where culture, history and Orthodoxy are intertwined in one tangle.
To see Kizhi means to see the real Karelia.
Since we have only 4 hours of time on the island, we advise you to take a light snack with you — sandwiches, fruits, cookies.
You can freely walk around the island, ride bicycles or horses, find a beautiful place with a view of the panorama of the island and relax. And later we will set off on our way back.
17:00 Arrival at the Petrozavodsk river station. Independent walk to the hotel.
18:00 Late lunch at the hotel.
Immediately upon arrival in Petrozavodsk, we go for a late lunch. After Kizhi Island, everyone's appetite is amazing! It is believed that the air on the island is one of the cleanest in Europe.
19:00 Evening master class on wickets.
Wickets are a national Karelian dish. Wickets are baked from rye unleavened dough with fillings.
During the master class, you will learn about the peculiarities of the national Karelian cuisine, learn how to cook wickets yourself, and you will also be able to eat your pies with Karelian tea at the end of the master class.
Culinary secrets can be brought with you — they will be useful to you on cold winter evenings.

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Day 6 - Mount Sampo. The resort "Marcial waters". Girvas volcano. Kivach Waterfall
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:00 Departure for the tour.
We will visit five major attractions near Petrozavodsk: the picturesque Sampo Mountain; the first Russian resort "Marcial Waters", founded by Peter the Great; the ancient volcano Por-porog; and the famous Kivach waterfall.
Mount Sampo is a rocky hill with a height of about 40 meters. There are hiking trails with signs on its slopes and stairs with railings. Thus, the ascent to the top is quite comfortable.
There is an observation deck at the height, which offers magnificent landscapes. A century-old forest is rustling below and the most beautiful Concesero stretches out.
Ahead of us lies the first Russian resort, called Marcial Waters.
The unusual name of the place was given by the light hand of L. Blumentrost, assistant to the life physician Peter I. He investigated the composition of local mineral waters, found a high iron content in them, and named them after the god of war Mars.
The resort is famous not only for its waters, but also for its special microclimate. It is better to drink medicinal water from the springs immediately, because the local mineral water is not stored for a long time. After a fairly short time, a precipitate appears in it, and it loses its medicinal properties. We will definitely combine the tasting of marcial water with a tour of local attractions.
We will definitely visit the museum, which includes the Caretaker's House, the Church of the Apostle Peter and the pavilions above the ore mining site and the former source of healing water.
The temple is the only building that has been preserved since Peter the Great. Moreover, it was built according to the project and handwritten drawings of Tsar Peter. The interior and exterior of the church have been preserved intact since it was built in 1721.
Our way lies to the remains of an ancient volcano, or rather to the town of Porog.
This is a dried-up waterfall. This was how it became after the waters of the Suna were diverted for the needs of the Palaeozersk hydroelectric power station.
Before that, the Porog Threshold, or Deer, was a powerful waterfall with a height of almost 17 meters. For 50 meters, the water was rushing down three huge steps in a stormy stream.
The places around the Threshold are very picturesque: reddish granite rocks are framed by quiet backwaters, small waterfalls, abandoned trays for rafting forests. It was here that the famous imperial photographer Prokudin-Gorsky took a photo with the inscription "Eliza" on a stone.
14:15 Lunch.
14:45-16:15 Nodding.
Karelia, the land of thousands of lakes and rivers, is famous for its waterfalls. There are many of them here, but perhaps the most famous is Kivach. It is considered the decoration and pride of the region, because this waterfall is the second largest on the plains of Europe.
Today Kivach is part of the reserve of the same name, which was established in 1931.
At first, it was assumed that the protected area was being created for the sake of preserving the most beautiful waterfall in Karelia. Later it turned out that the local nature is very diverse and interesting, so the territory of the reserve expanded to 10 thousand hectares.
Kivach is a must–visit place for all tourists coming to Karelia. There are a lot of interesting things here. Hiking trails with shaded gazebos, cafes, souvenir shops, an arboretum and a nature museum are equipped for guests.
A delicious lunch awaits you during the tour. And then – return to Petrozavodsk.
17:30 Arrival in Petrozavodsk.

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Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

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, we provide comfortable rooms in superior hotels and service levels located in the city center and within walking distance from the waterfront of Petrozavodsk, restaurants and entertainment centers, souvenir and grocery stores.

We accommodate our guests in one of the best hotels in Petrozavodsk, consistently providing a high level of service and high-quality accommodation.

You get breakfast at the hotel in the price of the tour.

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 large buses are difficult to access some hotels).

You can write your wishes in advance on choosing a specific hotel and we will try to ensure that you check into 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.

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

nutrition:
- 6 breakfasts;
- 6 lunches;
- 3 dinners (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 and back from Petrozavodsk;
meals not specified in the program;
additional services and excursions.

It's important to know

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

Dates and Prices

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27 May – 1 Jun, 2025 6 days 5 nights

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Reviews

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

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