Symphony of the North: St. Petersburg, Vyborg and Karelia in one journey

Breakfast at the hotel.

09:00 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby. Departure to the program by bus.

Bus tour to Tsarskoye Selo "Suburban imperial residences". After driving along the old Tsarskoye Selo road, you will find yourself in the brilliant world of the former official residence of the Russian emperors – Tsarskoye Selo.

During the tour, you will learn when this suburb of St. Petersburg appeared, what events are associated with it, and why it is often called the "city of the muses." The magnificent and unique Catherine Palace brought special fame to Tsarskoye Selo. This is where you will visit.

Excursion to the Catherine Palace with the Amber Room. The Catherine Palace was originally created by architect F. B. Rastrelli as a place of official receptions for Russian nobility and foreign diplomats.

Stretching for almost 300 meters, the suite of rooms and state halls, richly decorated with intricate carvings and gilding, will certainly not leave you indifferent. And the "highlight" of the palace is the famous Amber Room.

A walk through the Catherine Park. After the tour of the palace, you will have some free time to walk around the magnificent park surrounding the palace on your own. Russian Russian Museum is decorated with exquisite pavilions and numerous monuments in honor of the victories of Russian weapons during the Russo-Turkish wars.

End of the program: hotel.

Program duration: ~5.5 hours (ending at ~15:00).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release. Departure to Vyborg with your belongings.

08:00 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby. Departure to the program by bus.

Transfer to Vyborg.

Theatrical sightseeing tour of the old town with a visit to the territory of Vyborg Castle. During the tour, you will slowly walk through the narrow cobbled streets and ancient squares, see the military fortifications of the XIII – XIX centuries.

Visit the monument to Thorgels Knutsson and admire the famous Vyborg Castle, the only European castle in Russia that was built according to medieval canons.

If desired, ascent to the St. Olaf Tower, which was opened after reconstruction, independently for an additional fee of 500 rubles / person.

Lunch at a cafe in the city.

Excursion to the State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve "Monrepos Park". Russia's only rock landscape park of the Romantic era, "Finland in miniature".

The heyday of Monrepos is associated with the name of the president of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, L. G. Nikolay, who acquired the estate in 1788, and after retiring in 1803, devoted himself entirely to decorating and praising his beloved estate in verse.

End of the program: hotel.

Program duration: ~10 hours (ending at ~18:00).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release. Departure to Karelia with your belongings.

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

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

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: the "iron mask", about the two wives of E. Pugachev and their children, about the Decembrist Mikhail Kuchelbecker and much more.

Departure to Sortavala. Getting to know the city. 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 Akhinkoski waterfalls. These waterfalls have become especially popular since the early 1970s, after the release of the film "And the dawns are Quiet here", which was filmed in this amazing place.

Guided tour in 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 St. Petersburg (310 km).

23:30 is the approximate time of arrival in St. Petersburg.

Check-in at the hotel.

End of the program: hotel.

Program duration: ~15 hours (ending at ~23:30).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free time. Independent participation in city festivities.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Room release. You can leave your belongings in the luggage room of the hotel or take a bus with you.

10:00 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby. Departure to the program by bus.

Excursion to the Hermitage. The Hermitage is one of the largest art museums in the world. It began as a private collection of Empress Catherine II and remained closed to the general public for a long time.

Now his collections number more than 3.5 million exhibits. Among them are masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, antique sculpture, Egyptian antiquities, a real mummy and much more.

The program ends at Moskovsky train Station (the nearest metro station is Ploshchad Vosstaniya).

Program duration: ~3.5 hours (ending at ~13:30).