Silver necklace of Russia. Petersburg and Karelia. Autumn-Spring

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:30 Departure from the hotel for the program.

Bus tour to Peterhof "Peter the Great's Seaside Paradise".

It is impossible, having arrived in the city built by Peter the Great, not to visit his favorite brainchild – the brilliant Peterhof. 

The tour will introduce you to one of the most famous suburbs of St. Petersburg, which has been an imperial country residence for two centuries.

Program until October 13, 2024 (Nizhny Park): A tour of the Peterhof Fountain Park.

You will see the Peterhof palace and park ensemble, admire the most famous fountains and cascades of the park. 

The jet of the most famous fountain "Samson" rises to the height of a seven-storey building.

You will have the opportunity not only to walk along the alleys of the park, but also to admire the panorama of the Gulf of Finland.

Program after October 14, 2024 (Grand Palace): Excursion to the Grand Imperial Palace.

The Grand Peterhof Palace is a kind of semantic center of the palace and park ensemble. 

It impresses with the radiance of gilding, the luxury of the decor and the richness of the palace halls. 

The palace connects the Upper Garden and the Lower Park of Peterhof into a single whole and is a complete work of art.

Place of completion of the program: GOST. Oktyabrskaya, Moskovsky railway station, metro station "Pl. Uprisings".

Duration of the program: ~ 6 hours (ending ~ at 16:00).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free day.

Breakfast (self-order a dry ration at the reception the night before).

07:00 Departure from the Oktyabrskaya Hotel (Ligovsky Prospekt, 10), including for the Moscow, Azimut and A Hotel Fontanka hotels (collection 30 minutes before departure at 07:30).

You can get to the departure point for the tour on your own.

It is possible to order an individual transfer from the hotel to the place of departure for an additional fee.

A guided tour of Karelia.

A guided tour of one of the most beautiful trails of the Leningrad region and the Republic of Karelia, a story about the ancient history of the Karelian Isthmus and its amazing nature.

Korela Fortress (external inspection) in Priozersk.

Priozersk is an ancient Karelian settlement mentioned in the chronicles as the city of Korela.

At the turn of the XIII and XIV centuries, the Novgorodians and Korels built a fortress here on the island of the river Uzerve (Vuoksy) to protect the northwestern borders of the republic from the Swedes. 

You will have the opportunity to explore the fortress and hear a fascinating 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.

The city of Sortavala. A little tour of the city.

The city of Sortavala is located on the shore of Ladoga, in the very center of the Ladoga skerries. 

This city can rightfully be considered both Swedish, Finnish, and Russian. Some of the urban areas are located on adjacent islands, so it turns out a typical Karelian landscape – rocky fjords around the bluish-gray waters of the lake. 

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

Lunch at a cafe in the city (optional, payment on site).

Ruskeala waterfalls of Akhvenkoski.

Transfer to the Ahvenkoski Waterfalls, a cascade of several waterfalls located on the Tohmajoki River. 

The water freezes here quite rarely, only in severe frosts, and suspended rope bridges are mounted above the waterfall. 

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.

The passage along the ecological trail is purchased on request for an additional fee.

Tour of the Ruskeala Mountain Park.

Guided tour of the trails of the history of the Ruskeala Mountain Park. 

The pearl of this park is the famous Marble Canyon.

A huge bowl, carved by human hands in an array of marble formations, is half filled with the purest emerald-colored water. 

It is framed by gentle and steep cliffs rising up to 25 m above the surface of the lake. 

The canyon, surrounded by marble walls, 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.

During the tour, you will not only be told the history of this place, but also will be provided with full information about what you can do in the park in your free time after the tour.

Free time on the territory of the mountain park (active entertainment in the park for an additional fee).

Departure from the Ruskeala Mountain Park.

You can complete your tour in the park with an exciting trip on a retro train (if desired, we advise you to purchase e-tickets in advance on the official website of Russian Railways). 

To date, this is the only daily locomotive-hauled train in Russia, the interior of which is designed in the style of the Nikolaevsky Express.

The train arrives in the city of Sortavala, where our bus to St. Petersburg will pick you up.

Visit to the trout farm company store in Lahdenpohja.

On the way to St. Petersburg, the bus will make a stop in the city of Lahdenpohya so that you can get acquainted with the main gastronomic attractions of Karelia - fish and gifts of the forest. 

Environmentally friendly and delicious products from the Karelian farm will be a wonderful gift for your family and friends.

Place of completion of the program: GOST. Oktyabrskaya, Moskovsky railway station, metro station "Pl. Uprisings."

Program duration: ~17 hours.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Rooms are available until 12:00. 

Check out of the hotel on your own.

Free day.