Big Country Travel: Trips to Russia, Adventure Tours & Vacation Packages

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There are places on our planet where states and empires replaced each other in a motley kaleidoscope of historical events, battles were fought, one or another official religion was adopted... But the peoples inhabiting these territories remained on them in any adversity, quietly believed in their ancient gods, preserved rituals and traditions, adapting them to its modernity.

One of such amazing regions is the Volga region, the crossroads of the "Great Silk Road" and the road "From the Varangians to the Greeks". The former part of the Great Bulgarian Kingdom and the even greater Golden Horde, which became a small but independent Kazan Khanate for only a hundred years. That's what we'll tell you about during our corporate tour.

Location

Russia, Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan

Sightseeing tours

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

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Tour highlights

A trip to an ethnic village

Have fun in the village of Shorunzha, where you will get acquainted with the Mari way of life and traditions, as well as unusual master classes

Red City

Walk along the famous embankment of Yoshkar-Ola, admire the unusual architecture of the capital of Mari El

Interesting museums

You will visit the national museums of the republics of Mari El and Chuvashia, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of original cultures, and also visit the Tractor Museum

The heart of Kazan

Take a walk through the Kazan Kremlin, the oldest part of Kazan, which has preserved the centuries–old history of the city

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Kazan. Interactive program in Shorunzha village
Meeting of the group with the guide in the arrival hall of Kazan airport.
Transfer to the village of Shorunzha (160 km).
In 2019, Shorunzha was recognized as the Cultural Capital of the entire Finno-Ugric world.
Only five places in Russia have been awarded this status.
The atmosphere in the village is saturated with antiquity and national authenticity, so various authors often collect materials for books and make films here.
Interactive program in the ethno-village with lunch.
You will be met at the sacred stone of Onar, the epic giant of the Mari people.
Next, you will go to the museum and ethnographic complex "Ancient Mari Manor", which recreates the estate of a local peasant from the end of the 19th century.
In the courtyard there is a house with an entrance hall, a "black bathhouse", a well, a barn and a barn.
Master classes on ancient crafts are waiting for you.
You will try to grind flour, run a mill, weave from vines, put on Mari bast shoes and onuchi, and see how hemp canvases are woven on an old warbler.
At the end of the program, guests will have a lunch with national dishes.
Transfer to Yoshkar-Ola (150 km).
Check-in at the hotel.
Free time.

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Day 2 - Bus and pedestrian sightseeing tour of Yoshkar-Ola. National Museum of Mari El
Breakfast at the hotel.
Bus and walking sightseeing tour of Yoshkar-Ola.
The National Museum of Mari El.
"Earth born of Heaven" is an exhibition that creates a space for the visitor to immerse himself in the middle world, where spirits, people and gods coexist.
To this day, the Mari people believe in their divine patrons, revere them and address them in prayer groves (Yumyn oto or Xoto).
Here you can get acquainted with the rituals of the life cycle and the culture of the Mari people of the late 19th – mid-20th century.
This unique exhibition project was made possible thanks to government support within the framework of the National Project "Culture" in 2023.
Lunch at a restaurant in the city.
Let's stop and look at a mechanical miracle: a city clock with a dynamic sculptural composition "The Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God "Troeruchitsa".
National Art Gallery.
One of the most striking museum and exhibition projects telling about the history, culture and traditions of the Mari people is the exhibition "A Century-long Journey".
This is the result of the joint creative work of three museums in Mari El: the Republican Museum of Fine Arts, the T. Evseev National Museum and the A.V. Grigoriev Art and Historical Museum in Kozmodemyansk.
Guided tour along the Bruges Embankment.
The amazingly photogenic and elegant embankment appeared here only in 2010.
The scale of construction and the skill of copying ancient buildings in the styles of several European countries are striking.
Free time.
Overnight at the hotel.

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Day 3 - Travel to Cheboksary
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Cheboksary.
Bus and walking sightseeing tour.
The Chuvash National Museum.
The building on the central square of the city is the main repository of historical, material and spiritual cultural monuments of the Chuvash, Russian, Mari and other peoples living in Chuvashia for many centuries.
Unique exhibits, witnesses of the most important historical events, will introduce you to the mysteries and mysteries of the history of this region.
Lunch at a restaurant in the city.
Tractor Museum.
This is the only museum of its kind in all of Russia.
The uniqueness of the museum lies in the fact that it provides the most complete picture of the evolution of the world tractor industry, which began its journey from primitive tools and live traction, the mechanisms of Leonardo da Vinci and Ivan Kulibin, the steam engine by Nicolas Cunha, the tractor with an internal combustion engine by William Deering to the machine of the future - a high-energy mechanism with artificial intelligence.
Check-in at the hotel.
Free time.
Overnight at the hotel.

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Day 4 - A bus tour of Kazan and a walking tour of the Kazan Kremlin. Completion of the tour
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Kazan (about 160 km).
Bus and walking sightseeing tour.
Excursion to the Kazan Kremlin.
The Kazan Kremlin is the oldest part of Kazan, which is a complex of architectural, historical and archaeological monuments that reveal the centuries–old history of the city.
Today, the Kazan Kremlin is one of the most popular tourist sites in Russia, which is visited by more than 4 million people annually.
In 2000, the XXIV session of the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Committee decided "To include the historical and architectural complex of the Kazan Kremlin in the World Heritage List."
Free time in the city.
16:00 Transfer to Kazan airport for flights departing after 20:00.

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Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Hotel

3 nights

Comfort

Upscale

The tour includes hotel accommodation in Yoshkar-Ola and Cheboksary.

The cost of the tour for 1 person in rubles:

2-/3- local (standard) 37,500 rubles.
1-seater (standard) 40,800 rubles .

The options for hotels are presented below, and it is possible to replace them with similar ones.

A good option for an active tourist! The Virginia Hotel is located in Yoshkar-Ola. This hotel is within walking distance of the city center.

There is also a bar for guests. It's time to remember your daily bread! A restaurant is available for guests. A cafe is open for coffee and snack lovers. Do you want to stay in touch? The hotel has free Wi-Fi.

If you are traveling by car, you can park in the parking lot nearby. The following services are also available to guests: sauna, steam bath, steam room and hammam. Here we will pamper ourselves with water treatments: there is an indoor swimming pool. A conference room is provided for business events.

If you plan excursions, pay attention to the hotel's tour desk. You can take a pet on a trip. It is possible to accommodate a pet for an additional fee. For ease of movement, a transfer can be arranged. Laundry facilities, private check-in and check-out, and ironing services are also available.

The hotel staff will support the conversation in English and Russian.

A TV and a bathrobe will be waiting for you in the room. The equipment depends on the selected room category.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 2 to 17 tourists

Minimum age

10 years old

Duration

4 days 3 nights

Group meets at

Russia, Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan

Included in price

transportation services according to the program;
accommodation in 3* hotels, in rooms with all amenities;
breakfast in hotels;
lunch of national cuisine in the Mari village of Shorunzha;
lunch on days 2 and 3 of the program;
entrance tickets and guided tours in museums according to the program;
services of a professional tour guide;
radio guide equipment - for convenient listening to excursions.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Kazan and back;
lunch on the day of the end of the program;
dinners;
other personal expenses.

It's important to know

Departure from St. Petersburg:

Nordwind N4 247 (departure at 8:30, arrival at 10:50) or Aeroflot SU 6593 (departure at 7:55, arrival at 10:20)

Departure from Moscow:

By any flights, with arrival in Kazan no later than 11:00

Attention! Please purchase air tickets only after the tour is declared guaranteed. We are not responsible for the purchase of non-refundable air tickets until the guaranteed recruitment of the group.

Dates and Prices

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8 – 11 May 4 days 3 nights

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12 – 15 Jun 4 days 3 nights

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$426

14 – 17 Aug 4 days 3 nights

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1 – 4 Nov 4 days 3 nights

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Reviews

O
Olga

about provider

30 Oct, 2024

A wonderful tour with a rich and engaging itinerary. Our guide, Svetlana, was very responsible and did an excellent job, explaining everything in detail. I was pleased with both the hotels and the food. Adding extra lunches was a great decision; it made everything more convenient, and I especially enjoyed the Pomor-style lunch at the Pomor restaurant. The transportation was also comfortable and reliable.

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Kazan Khanate – Between East and West