Winter railway cruise to Karelia with a visit to Grandfather Hall's estate

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We invite you to go on an amazing journey to Karelia by train! An unforgettable adventure awaits you, which will take you to the world of the northern fairy tale.

Here you will see charming landscapes, participate in interesting cultural programs and visit places where legends come to life.

On this trip, you will visit Grandfather Hall's Karelian estate, look into the past and feel the power of ancient traditions, admire the beauty of Ruskeala Mountain Park and enjoy the winter atmosphere of Petrozavodsk, Sortavala and Vyborg.

Location

Russia, Moscow

from

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

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Tour highlights

Atmospheric Vyborg

You will be able to feel the atmosphere of the medieval city and appreciate the necklace thread of the squares

The unique nature of Karelia

You will witness a real winter fairy tale

The famous Ruskeala Mountain Park

Appreciate the majestic beauty of one of the main attractions of Karelia

Snow-covered Petrozavodsk

Take a walk along the picturesque promenade, where you can see a real gallery of modern art in the open air

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure from Moscow
Self-boarding tourist train No. 928 (train number, carriage, seats will be indicated in the voucher) according to the original documents (passports, birth certificates for children under 14 years old).
21:05 — departure of tourist train No. 928 from Leningradsky railway station in Moscow.

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Day 2 - Petrozavodsk. Karelian estate of Hull's grandfather. Departure to Sortavala
Breakfast on the train.
07:50 — arrival of tourist train No. 928 in Petrozavodsk.
Meeting with the guide on the platform, boarding the bus (the bus number is indicated on the voucher).
Visit to the concert program at the Kantele House.
The program combines the most striking vocal, instrumental and choreographic performances created for the Kantele ensemble in different years. Some of them are included in the golden fund of the collective, others are new works, but already loved by the public.
In addition to traditional Karelian, North Russian, Vepsian and Finnish songs, melodies and dances, modern works are also presented.
The concert will be interesting for everyone who loves dance and music, who is interested in the diverse culture of the indigenous peoples of Karelia.
"Kantele. The best" is an opportunity to hear a cantele that has captivated generations of residents of Karelia, Russia and foreign countries with its sound (duration about 1 hour).
Visit to the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia.
The sightseeing tour of the central museum building includes an introduction to several museum exhibitions. The tour will tell you about the formation of rocks and minerals, reveal the peculiarities of the flora and fauna of our region.
In the Archeology hall, visitors will be presented with unique artifacts – granite slabs with mysterious petroglyph rock carvings, ancient tools and household implements, religious objects and amulets from the burials of the Oleneostrovsky burial ground of the Stone Age, the largest archaeological site in Northern Europe.
In the halls dedicated to the history of Karelia, visitors will be able to "immerse themselves" in the millennial era of the Middle Ages, learn how the factory industry was formed under Peter the Great and Empress Catherine II, how Petrovskaya Sloboda became Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Olonets province, and see how Petrozavodsk gradually developed and a Round Square was built in the XVIII–XIX centuries.
The tour will introduce you to traditional Northern tools, vehicles, fishing and hunting traps, epic songs of "Kalevala" and Russian epics recorded by researchers of the XIX century in Karelia (duration about 1 hour).
Bus sightseeing tour of Petrozavodsk, where the northern severity is perfectly combined with a calm, Scandinavian, balanced charisma.
You will get acquainted with the history and modern appearance of the capital of the Prionezhye region, take a walk along the embankment, which is the hallmark of the city.
This is a real open-air gallery of modern art, where amazing sculptures are located (duration about 1.5 hours).
Lunch at a cafe in the city.
Transfer to Grandfather Hull's Karelian estate.
Here, in the heart of Karelia, in a remote forest, is the Karelian estate of Grandfather Hull, the most hardworking of the Frost brothers. The landlady Inkeri and his helpers, the housekeepers, live with him. The most favorite activity of housewives is telling children fairy tales around the campfire and treating them to delicious marshmallows. But getting into the estate is not easy. It is necessary to pass the tests: to master the skill of skiing – shukshah and tobogganing – smoke. Did you manage? And now – to the workshops!
For the youngest guests, a "House School" has been opened, where children will be taught magic tricks and will test their skills in making New Year's toys. Meanwhile, the adults will learn the Karelian dance and make a talisman with their own hands, which they will take with them as a souvenir.
Well, where's Hull's Grandfather? He has been watching your efforts and is now waiting for everyone in his office. Remember – the most important and cherished desires can be whispered in his ear!
Don't forget to check Grandfather Hull's mail and send a postcard with the estate's stamp. There is also a wonder shop on the estate where everyone can choose a souvenir.
And at the end of a wonderful day, you will be treated to a traditional tea party!
Transfer to Petrozavodsk railway station.
22:20 — departure of the tourist train No. 928 to Sortavala.
Overnight on the train.

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Day 3 - Sightseeing tour of Sortavala. Ruskeala. Vyborg
Breakfast on the train.
08:05 — arrival of tourist train No. 928 in Sortavala at Karelskaya railway station.
08:30 — meeting with the guide on the platform, boarding the bus (the bus number is indicated on the voucher).
Walking sightseeing tour of the historical Karelian city of Sortavala, exploring the sights and architecture of the city.
Free time for independent walks and souvenir shopping.
10:52 — departure by retro train from the station. Sortavala Center in Ruskeala Mountain Park.
Meeting with the guide on the platform of the railway station Ruskeala Mountain Park and organized passage to the park.
Ruskeala Mountain Park is the most famous attraction in Karelia. The magic marble "the color of white nights" began to be broken out here as early as 1769 by decree of Catherine II. It was used to decorate the majestic temples and palaces of St. Petersburg: the Marble Palace, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Mariinsky Palace.
Today, Ruskeala Park and its landscape are stunning man—made canyons and crystal lakes, labyrinths of underground tunnels and picturesque steep marble cliffs.
Nature and people have been interacting here for three centuries. The great works of generations of mining masters have given this place a special aura.
Guided tour of the Marble Canyon program — you will learn how marble was mined in these magical places, and get acquainted with the history of mining and processing of the northern stone.
14:10 — transfer by bus or by RA "Orlan" to the station. Sortavala.
14:50 — arrival at the railway station. Sortavala. 15:09 — departure from the railway station. Sortavala in Vyborg.
17:45 — arrival of tourist train No. 928 in Vyborg.
Meeting with the guide on the platform, boarding the bus (the bus number will be indicated on the voucher).
An exciting bus and pedestrian sightseeing tour of Vyborg awaits you - the only city in Russia where you can experience the atmosphere of medieval Europe and appreciate the necklace of squares — Market, Cathedral, Petrovsky, and of course, Thorgilskaya, where there is a monument to the founder of the city, Thorgils Knutsson.
You will see the Town Hall Square, the House of the Merchant Guild of the Holy Spirit, the Townsman's House, the Clock Tower, the Burgher's Manor and the House on the Cliff.
And you will definitely have the opportunity for an external inspection of Vyborg Castle on Castle Island.
Dinner at a cafe in the city.
Transfer to the railway station.
23:43 — departure of the tourist train No. 928 to Moscow.

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Day 4 - Return to Moscow
10:16 a.m. — arrival of tourist train No. 928 in Moscow at Leningradsky Railway Station.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Train

3 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale

The tour provides for travel in wagons of the selected category along the route. Accommodation takes place only in mixed compartments, there is no division into male and female.

The cost per 1 person, depending on the accommodation, rub.:

Category	Four-seater compartment	Double compartment	Double compartment Single occupancy
For adults	53 200	71 900	108 400
For children from 0 to 9 years old inclusive (with a seat)	52 200	70 900	-
For children from 0 to 4 years old inclusive (without a seat)	31 300	31 300	-

Purchase of one additional seat in a four–seater compartment - 14,900 rubles.

At the disposal of passengers are modern carriages, released in 2021. The carriages are double-decker, with one shower and three toilets with sinks for each carriage.

There is a bistro car in the train.

Four-seater compartment:

2 lower + 2 upper shelves;
2 safes;
it is possible to set the temperature in the compartment itself;
1 medium towel per 1 person.;
change of linen (for an additional fee);
compartment cleaning every day;
traveler's kit (slippers, brush + toothpaste, soap).

Service in the car – tea/coffee from a coffee machine in unlimited quantities, a boiler with drinking water.

When fully loaded, there are about 54 people in the car.

Double compartment (similar to SV):

There are 2 lower + 2 upper shelves, but they are folded back (in connection with which it is not an SV, but a 2-seater compartment);
2 safes;
it is possible to set the temperature in the compartment itself;
1 medium towel per 1 person.;
change of linen (for an additional fee);
cleaning every day.

When fully loaded, there are about 36 people in the car.

Service in the carriage – tea / coffee from the coffee machine in unlimited quantities, a boiler with drinking water, in the evening the conductors serve a glass of white / red wine to choose from for each adult.

Tour conditions

Group

up to 150 tourists

Minimum age

3 years old

Duration

4 days 3 nights

Group meets at

Russia, Moscow

Included in price

travel in wagons of the selected category along the route;
meals specified in the program (2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner);
transportation and excursion services, including entrance tickets to the excursion facilities according to the program.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Moscow and back;
personal expenses;
purchase of one additional seat in a four–seater compartment - 14,900 rubles.

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.

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
$604

7 – 10 Mar 4 days 3 nights

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