New Year in St. Petersburg and a trip to Karelia

Breakfast at the hotel.

12:00 Bus tour "Petrovsky Petersburg".

The tour is dedicated to the first decades of St. Petersburg's existence and allows you to feel the idea of Tsar Peter I - to found a new European city on the swamp, which is destined to become famous all over the world not only as a center of trade, science and art, but also as a center of reforms that brought Russia closer to Europe.

A tour of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Peter and Paul Fortress is the "heart" of the city, the place from which the history of St. Petersburg began. 

You will see the "city within the city" – typical buildings of Peter the Great's time, the operating enterprise "Mint", where commemorative coins, orders and medals are still minted. 

You will visit the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where the graves of Russian emperors and empresses, as well as grand dukes and princesses have been preserved.

Excursion to the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

For a long time, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was a monument to the glory of Russian weapons. 

Captured banners and keys to cities and fortresses captured by Russian troops have been kept here for two centuries. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, these relics were transferred to the Hermitage. Copies of Swedish and Turkish banners are now on display in the cathedral.

Visit to the Trubetskoy Bastion prison.

During the tour you will also visit the famous "Russian Bastille" – the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion, where many famous Russian political figures were held.

Excursion to the Yusupov Palace (audio guide is available).

The Yusupov family has served the Russian tsars faithfully for several centuries. 

And their palaces were not inferior to imperial residences in beauty and splendor of interiors. 

You can see this by visiting not only the state rooms, the luxurious home theater, but also the living quarters of the family of the palace on the Moika.

The place of completion of the program: the hotel.

Duration of the program: ~6 hours (ending at ~18:00).

You can order breakfast (lunch box) yourself at the hotel on the eve of departure.

Room release. 

Departure to Karelia with your belongings.

07:30 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Moving to Priozersk – an ancient Karelian settlement mentioned in the chronicles as the city of Korela.

An external inspection of the Korela fortress. 

You will hear an interesting story about the difficult relationship between Veliky Novgorod and Sweden, about the prisoners of the fortress: John IV Antonovich, the "emperor under ban", about E. Pugachev's two wives and their children, about the Decembrist Wilhelm Kuchelbecker and much more.

Departure to Sortavala.

Getting to know the city. 

Sortavala is the center of the Northern Ladoga region, one of the oldest cities in Karelia. 

This city can rightfully be considered both Swedish, Finnish, and Russian. 

You will learn about the history of the border town, get acquainted with the variety of its architecture, provincial streets and monuments of "Finnish romanticism".

Lunch at a cafe in the city.

Stop at the Ahinkoski waterfalls.

These waterfalls have become especially popular since the early 1970s, after the release of the film "And the Dawns are Quiet here", which were filmed in this amazing place.

Excursion to the Ruskeala Mountain Park.

The pearl of this park is the famous Marble Canyon, which attracts with its beauty at any time of the year. 

Marble mining was carried out here in the XVIII and XIX centuries, it was from here that marble was delivered for the Marble and Mariinsky Palaces, St. Isaac's Cathedral. 

In winter, when it is early dusk in the Ruskeala Mountain Park, you can admire the fantastic illumination, reminiscent of the northern lights and giving the park a special charm.

Free time for souvenirs and snacks.

Departure to Petrozavodsk (250 km).

Late arrival in the capital of the Republic of Karelia (~22:30-23:00).

Late dinner.

Accommodation at the hotel.

The place of completion of the program: the hotel.

Program duration: ~15 hours.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release.

08:00 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Sightseeing tour of Petrozavodsk.

You will get acquainted with the architectural and historical sights of the city – the ancient squares of Kruglaya and Sobornaya, walk along the favorite place of recreation of residents – the famous Onega embankment. 

This is an amazing "open-air museum", where all the gifts from the twin cities of Petrozavodsk are collected. 

You will see the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the cannon, a monument to the foundry of the Alexander Factory. 

Visit to the Kivach Nature Reserve.

The main decoration of the reserve is the famous Kivach waterfall, one of the largest plain waterfalls in Europe, sung in Russian poetry as the "northern hero".

Husky kennel with dog sledding.

In the kennel of sled dogs and reindeer you will find the most important winter entertainment of the peoples of the north – dog sledding! 

You will receive a management and safety briefing and, accompanied by an experienced guide, take a ride along 2.5 km of prepared snow-covered highway! (2 people in 1 team).

On a tour of the nursery, you will get to know its main inhabitants – Siberian and Alaskan huskies.

The dogs represented in the kennel are champions and participants of the most famous long races in Russia and abroad. But that's not all! 

You will get to know the tame familyReindeer! 

You will not only be able to take memorable photos with these noble Arctic animals, but also feed them your favorite delicacy – white moss yagel!

At the end of the eventful program, you will have a tea party in the grill gazebo by a live fire.

Lunch at the cafe.

The Monastery of Alexander Svirsky.

A walk through the territory of the Holy Trinity Alexander Svirsky Monastery.

Founded by St. Alexander Svirsky at the end of the XV century in the remote Olonets region in the virgin dense forests, among the pagan indigenous population of Korels, Veps, Chudis, very quickly gained fame.

Departure to St. Petersburg.

Along the way, we will have another stop at the cozy tourist complex "Farmer".

Here you can have a snack in the local refectory (for an additional fee), where you can taste dishes prepared according to ancient Vepsian recipes. 

Always fresh pastries are prepared in our own bakery, and unique branded tinctures will not leave anyone indifferent.

23:30 Estimated time of arrival in St. Petersburg.

Accommodation at the hotel.

The place of completion of the program: the hotel.

Program duration: ~15 hours.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free time.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release.

You can leave your belongings free of charge in the hotel luggage room or take them with you on the bus.

09:00 Meeting with the guide in the lobby of the hotel.

Bus tour "Masterpieces of Northern Palmyra".

Palaces and mansions of the St. Petersburg nobility will appear before you not only as cultural monuments, but also as places where the rulers of the fate of the Russian State were born, lived and died. 

Their private life took place here, and a grandiose canvas of the history of Russia was created here. 

Russian Russian Museum You will visit the palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, where the Museum of Russian Art, now known worldwide as the Russian Museum, was founded by decree of Emperor Nicholas II.

Excursion to the Russian Museum.

Russian Russian State Museum is the world's largest collection of Russian fine art. The museum's collections include about 400,000 exhibits. 

Here you can see familiar reproductions of icons by Andrei Rublev, paintings "Boatmen on the Volga" by Ilya Repin, "Six-Winged Seraphim" by Mikhail Vrubel, "The Last Day of Pompeii" by Karl Bryullov, as well as works by Serov, Surikov, Aivazovsky, Levitan and other outstanding artists.

The place of the end of the program: Moskovsky railway station (the nearest metro station "Ploshchad Vosstaniya").

Duration of the program: ~3 hours (ending at ~12:30).