Breakfast (order a dry ration at the reception on your own the night before, if the breakfast rate is purchased).
06:30 Departure from the YES Apart-hotel Marata Center.
07:00 Departure from the Oktyabrskaya Hotel, including for the Dostoevsky Hotel.
07:30 Departure from the Best Western Zoom Hotel Apart-hotel.
Highway tour about 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 13th and 14th centuries, Novgorodians and Korels built a fortress here on the island of the Uzerve River (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.
The city of Sortavala. A small tour of the city.
The town of Sortavala is located on the shore of Ladoga, in the very center of the Ladoga skerries. 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.
Some of the urban areas are located on adjacent islands, so you get 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, on-site payment).
Ruskeala waterfalls of Akhvenkoski.
Transfer to the Ahvenkoski Waterfalls, a cascade of several waterfalls located on the Tohmajoki River. The water here freezes quite rarely, only in severe frosts, and suspended rope bridges are mounted over 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 was filmed in this amazing place.
Passage along the ecological trail is available on request for an additional fee.
Ruskeala Mountain Park tour.
Guided tour of the history trails of the Ruskeala Mountain Park. The pearl of this park is the famous Marble Canyon. A huge bowl, carved by human hands into 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 will also be provided with complete 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.
Departure from Ruskeala Mountain Park.
You can end your tour in the park with an exciting Retro Train ride.
Optional. We recommend that you purchase e-tickets in advance on the official website of Russian Railways.
Today, it is the only daily locomotive-powered 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 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.
Eco-friendly and delicious products from Karelian farms 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 (ending at ~23:00).
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