The winter Karelian saga. Railway cruise

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This journey is your own winter saga in the lands of the Karelians, Sami and Veps, sung by storytellers-runes.

You will have the opportunity to visit the kingdom of Ruskeala Canyon and take an unforgettable steam train ride.

The Ruskeala landscape amazes the imagination of the guests. Nature and people have been interacting here for three centuries. The great works of generations of mountain craftsmen have given this place a special aura.

It is worth coming here not only to have fun, but also to touch the history of mining, to worship the northern stone.

Location

Moscow

from

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

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Tour highlights

A fascinating mountain park

You will see the most famous natural and man-made attraction of Karelia

The charm of Sortavala

Take a walk through the historical Karelian city and get acquainted with the architecture of the Northern Ladoga region

Traveling by retro train

Travel from Sortavala to Ruskeala on the legendary Ruskeala Express

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure of the train from Moscow
Independent boarding of the train (train, carriage numbers, seats will be indicated in the voucher) according to the original documents (passports, birth certificates for children under 14 years old).

For arrivals on 12/06/2024, 12/13/2024, the train departs from Leningradsky railway Station in Moscow at 16:50.

18:45 — departure of the train from Leningradsky railway station in Moscow.

Rest on the train.
Day 2 - Tour of Sortavala. Ruskeala Mountain Park
08:22 Arrival of the train at the railway station in Sortavala, meeting with the guide on the platform.
08:30-10:30 Walking sightseeing tour of the historical Karelian town of Sortavale, exploring the sights and architecture of the Northern Ladoga region.
Return with a guide to the railway station. Sortavala Center.
10:50 Departure of the Ruskeala Express train from the station. Sortavala Center to Ruskeala Mountain Park station.
12:05 Arrival at Ruskeala Mountain Park. Meeting with a guide on the platform, organized passage to the Ruskeala Mountain Park.
The most famous natural and man—made attraction of Karelia is the Ruskeala Mountain Park, based on the Ruskeala marble quarry.
The magic marble "the color of white nights" began to be broken out here as early as 1769, by decree of Catherine II, to decorate the most magnificent temples and palaces of St. Petersburg: the Marble Palace, St. Isaac's Cathedral, and the Mariinsky Palace.
Today, Ruskeala Mountain Park consists of canyons and crystal lakes, labyrinths of underground tunnels and picturesque steep marble cliffs.
The Marble Canyon tour is a great place to explore the park.

The main location of the park awaits you — the marble slopes of the canyon. Take a walk in the "Dry Tunnel" and visually get acquainted with the history of mining. A stone processing workshop has been opened on the route. Here you can watch the master's work and buy original souvenirs.

The Ruskeala Marble Canyon is one of the most popular attractions in the whole of Karelia, which consists of steep marble cliffs that go vertically down.

There is a whole network of artificial underground tunnels called "Underground Ruskeala" under the marble quarries. It consists of a tunnel system and a large columned marble hall with a lake with a total length of several kilometers.

The entire dungeon is illuminated by LED lights, which turn the entire space into a real fairy tale.

Free time for relaxing, walking in the park and buying souvenirs.

18:45 Train departure from Ruskeala Mountain Park station to Moscow via railway station. Sortavala with parking on the platform for 36 minutes.

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Day 3 - Arrival of the train to Moscow
09:08 — arrival of the train at the Leningradsky railway station in Moscow.
The time in the program is indicated approximately.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Train

2 nights

Comfort

Midscale

The tour provides accommodation in wagons of the selected category along the route.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, rub.:

Category	Four-seater compartment	Double compartment (on request)	Double compartment (on request) single occupancy
For adults	23 300	43 550	80 020
For children from 0 to 9 years old inclusive	21 800	40 600	—

For accommodation during the tour, you can choose a place in a four- and two-person compartment of a tourist train.

The carriages are 1-storey, tourists leave their belongings in their compartment.

1 paid shower per train in the staff car. The cost of use is 150 rubles/person. Hygiene.set – 150 rubles/person (shampoo, gel, sponge, washcloth).

There is a dining car.

Four-seater compartment	2 lower ones+2 upper shelves, 1 medium towel for 1 person, linen change (extra charge), compartment cleaning – no, traveler's kit – no
Double compartment (similar to the SV)	2 lower ones, 1 medium towel for 1 person, linen change (extra charge), compartment cleaning – no, traveler's kit – (slippers, brush+ toothpaste, soap) carriage shower

Tour conditions

Group

up to 50 tourists

Duration

3 days 2 nights

Group meets at

Moscow

Included in price

travel in wagons of the selected category on the route Moscow — Sortavala / Ruskeala Mountain Park — Moscow;
travel by the Ruskeala Express retro train on the Sortavala — Ruskeala Mountain Park route;
Sortavale city walking tour;
entrance ticket to the Ruskeala Mountain Park;
excursion according to the program "Marble Canyon".

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Moscow and back;
nutrition;
the purchase of one additional seat in a four—seater compartment is 15,950 rubles.;
personal expenses.

It's important to know

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

It is impossible to know in advance whether passengers can board and disembark at non-fixed stops, upon arrival at which the tour service is provided (there may be parking on the train, but boarding/disembarking may not be allowed. There are various reasons for this. For example, the length of the platform does not allow, the train is on the sidings, and there is basically no platform.). The tour operator is not responsible for boarding and disembarking passengers when the train stops without sightseeing services.
Tourists can join the tourist route on any part of it, where there is a train parking with an excursion day service. But without recalculating the cost of the tour in terms of railway transportation. Since a cruise train ticket is issued from the start point of the tour to the end point of the tour, there will be no recalculation of the cost of railway travel in this case. For sightseeing days when tourists will not be present on excursions, we will recalculate the cost.
In a 4-seater compartment for two people, top+bottom accommodation is provided. Placement on the two lower shelves is possible only in a 2-seater compartment or a ST.
The purchase of the fourth seat in the compartment is optional, accommodation with check-in is possible.
Tours on the territory of the Russian Federation do not imply the presence of a notarized consent from one of the parents / legal representative for the child's trip accompanied by a third party. However, we recommend a handwritten consent from one of the parents /legal representatives to make a decision if medical care is needed for the child + a copy of the first page and the page with the registration of the parent / legal representative giving the handwritten consent.
Smoking is prohibited on the train (both electronic and plain cigarettes; a fine of 1,500 to 2,500 rubles). You can smoke in the train parking lots, if possible, get off the train in smoking areas specially designated on the platforms.
The tour operator issues railway tickets at a tariff without carrying animals (for group railway transportation of tourists, this tariff is not possible for registration). In addition, it is not allowed to enter the tour bus with animals (there may be allergies in the group). Pets are also not allowed to enter the museums.

Dates and Prices

from
$265

14 – 16 Mar 3 days 2 nights

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from
$265

21 – 23 Mar 3 days 2 nights

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$274

30 Apr – 2 May 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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from
$274

2 – 4 May 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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$274

8 – 10 May 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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from
$274

9 – 11 May 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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$274

16 – 18 May 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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$274

23 – 25 May 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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from
$274

30 May – 1 Jun 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - Ruskeala — the Karelian saga

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