Pearl necklace of Karelia. Winter tour from Saint Petersburg

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Sightseeing tour of Sortavala.

11:00 Visit to the gallery of K. Gogolev.

13:15 Lunch at the Lutheran church.

14:00 Ruskeala Marble Canyon Tour.

15:00 Free time in the park.

17:00 Departure by retro train or bus to Sortavala.

We have breakfast in a cafe and go on a tour of the city of Sortavala.

We will walk through the center of the snow–covered capital of Ladoga region and inspect the local architecture - a mixture of Swedish, Finnish and Russian traditions.

Among the monuments of northern Art Nouveau are the Leander House, the Finnish Bank building, the Siitonen Merchants' house, the town hall and others.

At the end, we will visit the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in 1873.

Let's take a look at the unique and one-of-a-kind Kronid Gogolev House Museum.

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

The theme of the Russian North, expressive nature, ordinary people, their way of life and holidays – all this is in the master's creations.

Lunch will be held in an unusual place – the Lutheran church.

We will refresh ourselves and go to the famous Ruskeala Mountain Park.

Upon arrival, we will have an excursion around the bowl of marble canyon and a guide's story about the history of this unique place.

Previously, marble was mined here, which was used for various purposes, including for decorating buildings and palaces in St. Petersburg.

Then the quarry was flooded and turned into a beautiful location.

During the day, the white-gray marble contrasts beautifully with tall fir trees and a snow-covered quarry.

And in the dark, from December to February, the marble bowl of the canyon flashes with colorful lights – artistic lighting turns on.

The sight is amazing – a real northern lights!

In your free time, you can visit the additional program "Underground Ruskeala" or fly over the canyon on a trolley (to be paid on the spot).

Advance booking of additional services in the mountain park is not possible! All tickets are purchased on the spot. We cannot guarantee availability for additional excursions. The cost of services and excursions is available on the official website of the Ruskeala Mountain Park.

At 17:00 we will return to Sortavala by bus or retro train.

A trip in an antique-styled compartment will be a vivid memory and the final chord of the excursion day.

Tickets for the retro train are purchased independently on the Russian Railways website before the start of the tour.

08:30 Breakfast, room release.

09:15 Visit to the museum "About love".

10:00 Walk along the Ladoga skerries.

12:15 Lunch in Sortavala.

13:00 Transfer to Kinerma village.

15:00 Village tour.

16:00 Transfer to Petrozavodsk.

18:00 Check-in at the hotel, free time.

We have breakfast, vacate the rooms and go on the most touching excursion of our tour.

We will visit the museum with the telling name "About love".

Expertly carved wooden sculptures are assembled in a small space, each with a deep meaning.

The exhibition tells about unconditional love in all its forms.

We promise you will not leave here indifferent, because the skill of the authors and the power of the Karelian land will reveal the most powerful feelings — high as its rocks and clear as its waters.

After such emotions, it's time to see a place of amazing beauty, the pearl of this region — Ladoga skerries.

On a hovercraft, we will race through a maze of bays, past stone islands, century-old pine trees and ice cliffs that will appear before us in all their winter splendor.

We will disembark on one of the islands and admire the panoramic view of the skerries by climbing to the observation deck.

In case of unstable ice conditions, this tour is replaced by an equivalent trip to the White Bridges forest waterfall.

After lunch in one of the cafes in Sortavala, we will leave the Northern Ladoga region and head to central Karelia.

Our way lies to an ancient Karelian village.

Please note! In the February arrivals, instead of the village of Kinerma, there will be a visit to the village of Kindasovo.

Kinerma is a cozy and authentic place.

It is considered a reference example of a traditional Karelian settlement and is included in the association of "The Most beautiful Villages in Russia."

In Kinerma, we will get acquainted with a local hostess, an indigenous Karelian in the 15th generation, who will tell us about the way of life and the life of peasants, national traditions, the Soviet—Finnish war and the place of Karelians in the modern world.

In the evening, we will arrive in Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia, and check into a hotel.

In your free time, we recommend walking around the city and having dinner at our cafe of Karelian national cuisine – Kalitochnaya (Lenin Ave., 26) or having tea with gates at Furyndalnaya (Lenin Ave., 5). Nearby there is also a large souvenir shop with a unique assortment.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:30 Departure by bus from Petrozavodsk.

12:30 Arrival in the village Oyatevism.

12:30-13:00 Drive to Kizhi Island by hovercraft.

13:00-14:30 Kizhi Island tour and free time.

16:30 Lunch in Medvezhegorsk.

20:30 Return to Petrozavodsk.

We have breakfast at the hotel and drive to another amazing corner of Karelia, Zaonezhye, to see one of Russia's largest open–air museums, Kizhi Island.

It contains monuments of wooden architecture of the Russian North: chapels, peasant huts, barns, mills, as well as ancient icons and household items.

The main attraction of the museum is the magnificent Kizhi Cemetery– a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A bus tour from Petrozavodsk to the village of Oyatevshchyna will introduce you to interesting facts from the history of the region, its traditions, nature and notable places of Zaonezhye.

Upon arrival in Oyatevshchyna, we will transfer to a Hivus hovercraft and cross the lake to Kizhi Island in 10-15 minutes.

We will spend about 2 hours on the island, which includes free time.

But first, let's go on a sightseeing tour.

Let's start with an external inspection of the Kizhi ensemble and the majestic 22nd Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

It is she who is the symbol of Kizhi.

As the guide tells us, we will reach the high wooden walls of the Kizhi churchyard and look into the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In addition to the famous architectural ensemble, the island features peasant houses and outbuildings.

Let's go to one of these houses to get to know more about the traditional life of the Zaonezhsky peasants, examine the interiors and hear about the national customs of the Karelians.

After the tour, you will have some free time to take a walk and take photos.

We will cross back to Oyatevshchyna on Khivus, where we will transfer to the bus again and go to Petrozavodsk.

On the way, we will stop in Medvezhegorsk and have lunch in the dining room.

The route through D.Oyatev region is the only guaranteed way to get to Kizhi Island in winter.

We recommend that you bring a hot drink and a snack. The cafe on the island is closed in winter. The program provides only a late lunch in the dining room around 17:00.

09:00 Breakfast.

10:00 Drive to the Talviucco Patrimony to see huskies and deer.

13:30 Sightseeing tour of Petrozavodsk.

15:30 Master class on gates and lunch.

Free time.

After breakfast at the hotel, we take a bus to Chalna (30 km on the way).

The Estate of the Winter Grandfather is located here.

First, we'll take a walk around the farm where the reindeer and their fawns live, and feed them with yagel.

Then, accompanied by an instructor, we will talk with Alaskan and Siberian huskies and malamutes in the kennel of sports sled dogs.

Let's walk through the atmospheric village of ancient Sami inhabitants.

We can even visit them in a real plague.

At the Talviucco residence, we will talk with Santa Claus and look into his office, where he sorts out mail and comes up with New Year's miracles.

Let's take a walk through the interactive space that will tell us about the seasons and their signs in Karelia.

After the tour, you will have the opportunity to transfer to a sled and ride with a small circle through a beautiful snow-covered forest (500 meters).

The sledding service is paid separately, if desired.

The cost of additional services:

• reindeer riding — children under 12 years old — 1300 rubles, adult — 1500 rubles;
• dog sledding (500 meters) — children under 12 years — 1300 rubles, adult — 1500 rubles;
• dog sledding (1,500 meters) — children under 12 years old — 1800 rubles, adult — 2000 rubles.

The cost of additional services during the New Year holidays (from December 30 to January 9 inclusive):

• reindeer riding — children under 12 years old — 2,300 rubles, adult — 2,500 rubles;
• dog sledding (500 meters) — children under 12 years — 2,300 rubles, adult — 2,500 rubles;
• dog sledding (1,500 meters) — children under 12 years old — 2,800 rubles, adult — 3,000 rubles.

In the complex's cafe, you can drink hot tea with medicinal herbs and taste national pastries.

After returning to the city, we will go on a bus and walking tour of the winter capital of Karelia.

We will take a real dive into the history and industrial past of Petrozavodsk.

We will look at objects from different eras – from Petrovskaya to the present, walk along the old streets, visit cathedrals, see a monument to a mosquito built from a tractor, take a walk through the parks and squares of a provincial town.

Let's walk along the snow-covered embankment of Lake Onega.

Here you will see many sculptures, monuments and art objects.

And at the end of the walk, we will have a delicious master class on cooking national gate cakes.

You will learn about the peculiarities of the national Karelian cuisine, learn how to cook wickets yourself, and also be able to try your creations 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.

Breakfast at the hotel and room release.

09:30 Departure for the tour.

Lunch in a cafe;.

17:30 Return to Petrozavodsk and transfer to the railway station.

Today we are waiting for the legends of the North – the most picturesque sights near Petrozavodsk.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will board a bus and head to the first point of our route – Mount Sampo.

It is a small hill with an observation deck and a view of the ice-bound Lake Konchozero.

We will walk along the equipped trail to the guide's stories about the legends of Karelia and the famous epic "Kalevala", and we will also make a wish by tying ribbons on a magical tree.

The next stop is the Marcial Waters resort. It was discovered by Peter the Great himself in 1719.

Springs with healing water saturated with iron gush out of the ground here.

We will see an old wooden church from the time of Peter, pavilions built for the arrival of high-ranking people, and, of course, taste the water from four wells.

Next, we move towards the town of Girvas.

Here we will not only admire the picturesque nature (many films were shot at this place for a reason), but also explore the panorama of the mouth of an ancient volcano, from which only streams of frozen lava remained.

In winter, the volcano is usually snow-covered, but the surrounding landscape is fabulously beautiful.

On the way, we will stop for lunch at a cafe.

The final point of the route will be the Kivach Waterfall.

They write odes and paint pictures in his honor. Kivach is considered the second largest plain waterfall in Europe.

We will see the 11-meter cascade from several viewing platforms.

The waterfall does not freeze completely, and the splashes of water freeze into bizarre ice floes.

We will also visit the arboretum with elite specimens of Karelian birch and the nature museum.

In the evening we will return to Petrozavodsk and go to the train station filled with impressions and harmony of Karelian nature: rocks, frozen lakes, snow-covered forests and waterfalls.