Mosaic of the Russian North. Sightseeing tour of the Vologda region

16 more

This tour contains priceless treasures of the Russian North that you can see, learn and taste.

You will go to ancient Vologda with its unique "carved palisades", the Kremlin and quiet provincial streets, learn the secrets of ancient craftsmanship and buy original souvenirs at the Severnaya Cherny jewelry factory in Veliky Ustyug. Visit the ancient interactive village of Semenkovo, which will take you back to the past and allow you to nostalgic for bygone times. Kirillov will surprise with its authenticity, and Ferapontovo will amaze with the splendor of the frescoes of Dionysius in the Ferapontov Monastery.

Embark on this journey to admire the harsh beauty of Siberian nature, taste local cuisine and, of course, get to know the hospitable hosts.

Location

Vologda region, Cherepovets

Sightseeing tours

from

Contact the tour coordinator

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

Or text us in messengers

Tour highlights

Interactive immersion

Get acquainted with the architecture and 300-year-old history of the village and take part in an ethnographic performance

Veliky Ustyug silver

You will visit the Severnaya Chernya factory, which has preserved the traditions of the ancient Russian art of silver blackening, where you can take part in a master class

The lace capital of Russia

Go to Vologda and visit the unique lace museum, which will introduce you to the traditions of lace weaving

Ferapontov Monastery

In the famous monastery you will see with your own eyes the unique frescoes of Dionysius, which tourists from all over the world come to admire

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Cherepovets. City tour
Arrival in Cherepovets before 08:00.
Meeting with the guide at the railway station.
09:00 City tour "Welcome to Cherepovets!".
During the tour you will visit the most important sights of Cherepovets: the ancient Cathedral Hill, Sovetsky Prospekt with its ancient merchant buildings of the XIX-early XX centuries.
You will see the first stone building of the city – the Resurrection Cathedral, walk along Milyutin Square, where a monument to the famous Cherepovets mayor is installed, walk along Metallurgov Square, where in a cozy square you can make a wish by holding the hand of a sculpture of a bronze boy (monument "Continuity of Generations" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Cherepovets Metallurgical Combine).
11:00 Guided visit to the Museum of the metallurgical industry of the Severstal enterprise, the expositions of which, designed using modern technologies, tell about the history of metallurgy. The halls are equipped with interactive screens, electronic stands, audiovisual installations created on the basis of unique photo and video archives, documents and artifacts.
13:00 Lunch.
14:00 Excursion to the Vereshchagin family House Museum.
The most famous were the Vereshchagin brothers: Nikolai Vasilyevich, the founder of industrial dairy production in Russia, and Vasily Vasilyevich, the world–famous Russian artist. The house presents authentic works of the artist, reproductions of his famous paintings in the collections of museums around the world, photographs and documents.
15:00 Excursion to the Galsky Manor Historical and Art Museum - a monument of architecture and culture of the early 19th century, the estate of the Galsky noble family, who were called "local Yusupovs" for their economy and enterprise. A magnificent house, which contains the belongings of several noble families, a flower garden, a stable.
16:00 Transfer to Vologda (140 km).
18:00 Accommodation at the hotel.
Free time.
Overnight stay.
Day 2 - Ferapontovo village and visit to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:45 Meeting with the guide, boarding the bus at the hotel.
10:00 Transfer to Ferapontovo village (120 km) with travel information along the route.
12:00 A visit to the Ferapontov Monastery with a thematic tour of the frescoes of Dionysius with a visit to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.
Ferapontov-Belozersky Monastery was founded by St. Ferapont in 1398. It is located 18 km from Kirillov, between Pasky and Borodaevsky lakes. It is a unique monument of history, architecture and wall paintings of the XIV–XX centuries, which has survived to the present day in the architectural complex of the XV–XVII centuries.
Currently, the monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery house the Museum of Frescoes of Dionysius. At the end of 2000, the ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery with paintings by Dionysius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The monastery buildings are perhaps the only ones in the Russian North that have preserved all the characteristic features of the decor and interiors.
14:00 Transfer to Kirillov (20 km).
14:30 Lunch.
15:15 Visit to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery with a sightseeing tour of the territory of the "sovereign fortress" of Ivan the Terrible with architectural monuments of the XV-XVIII centuries and a visit to the exposition "monastic cell".
The monastery was founded in 1397 on the shore of Lake Siversky by Kirill Belozersky, a monk of the Moscow Simonov Monastery, a disciple of Sergius of Radonezh. The Kirillo-Belozersk monastery was the center of pilgrimage for many famous scribes and sages, a place of residence for exiled nobility and the largest religious and cultural center of the north of Russia.
The complex of architecture of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery was created over two centuries from the end of the 14th to the end of the 16th century.
17:45 Transfer to Vologda (130 km).
19:30 Arrival in Vologda.
Free time.
Overnight stay.

3 more photos
Day 3 - Vologda and Semenkovo
Breakfast at the hotel, room release.
08:45 Meeting with the guide, boarding the bus at the hotel.
09:00 City tour "Lace Line" – tourists will travel along an imaginary line, plunging into the legendary past of the provincial capital with ancient white-stone cathedrals and temples, the majestic Vologda Kremlin complex, the picturesque Vologda River embankment.
Inspection of wooden mansions with "carved palisades".
11:00 Excursion to the unique Lace Museum dedicated to the history of the development of the traditional Vologda craft and the world history of lace weaving.
12:00 A visit to the salon-shop of the lace company "Snowflake" with a wide range of products with Vologda lace from home textiles to designer jewelry will provide an opportunity for those who wish to try their hand at lace weaving – to weave the simplest element on a training pillow under the guidance of a master.
13:00 Lunch "Vologda-style" in a cafe / restaurant in the city, the menu of which includes dishes of authentic Northern cuisine, fragrant tea with northern pastries. During lunch, guests will be offered a tasting of the famous Vologda butter.
14:30 A visit to the architectural and ethnographic museum "Semenkovo" (12 km) will begin with an excursion through the territory of the restored village of the late 19th-early 20th centuries with an inspection of peasant huts and acquaintance with the origins of life, culture and spirituality of the Slavs of the Russian North.
Continue with participation in one of the interactive programs or a master class (the program depends on the capabilities of the museum).
16:30 Transfer to Totma (200 km) with a sanitary stop.
19:30 Accommodation at the hotel.
Supper. Free time.
Overnight stay.

3 more photos
Day 4 - Darkness and Conflagration
08:30 Breakfast, room release.
09:00 A sightseeing tour of the city "Small town with a great history" will take travelers to the provincial streets of the county town, discover the amazingly beautiful temples made in the architectural style of "Totem Baroque", tell them what cartouches are and why they glorified Totma all over the world.
12:00 Excursion to the house museum of I.A. Kuskov, an explorer of Alaska and California, the founder of Fort Ross fortress in North America, will invite you to travel with the heroes of Russian naval expeditions of the 18th and 19th centuries. (since 09/01/2023 the museum is closed for repairs).
The replacement object: Excursion to the Museum of Seafarers, which is located in the most recognizable place of the city. No tourist can pass by this majestic building.
Built at the expense of Totem merchant companions, sailors Gregory and Peter Panov, the entrance to the Jerusalem temple-ship with a bell tower-mast is considered one of the peaks of the northern Baroque.
Russian Russian Navy Museum was opened on the ground floor of the church, dedicated entirely to those amazing pages of the history of the city, thanks to which we can talk about the glory of Totma as the "city of Russian Columbians".
13:00 Lunch.
13:40 Visit to the historical and landscape territory "Old Usolye" in the village of Varnitsy near Totma, where a salt factory was located earlier in the XV-XIX centuries.
The tour will allow you to learn the secrets of the technology of the medieval salt industry, admire the natural landscapes and one of the best examples of the "Totem Baroque" (the Church of the Resurrection of Christ), touch the monuments of engineering (pickle pipes), try to get a bucket of brine from the well and taste it.
14:40 Transfer to the village. The fire (120 km).
16:20 Excursion introducing the architecture and 300-year-old history of the village, participation in an ethnographic performance dedicated to one of the holidays (matchmaking ceremony, Trinity). Purchase of unique souvenirs (weaving, weaving, toys).
18:00 Dinner of traditional dishes from the Russian oven.
18:30 Transfer to Veliky Ustyug (170 km).
21:00 Accommodation at the hotel.
Free time.
Overnight stay.

3 more photos
Day 5 - Completion of the program. Veliky Ustyug
09:00 Breakfast, room service.
10:00 Sightseeing tour of the city "My city of white bell towers" with an inspection of the main historical and architectural monuments.
Veliky Ustyug is one of the Russian cities with a particularly valuable historical heritage. The historical appearance of the city is formed by a harmonious combination of ancient stone churches and urban estates.
There are 150 cultural heritage sites of federal and regional significance in the city.
12:30 Visit to the Trinity-Gledensky Monastery.
The tour gives you the opportunity to admire the magnificent landscapes of the surroundings of Veliky Ustyug, see the confluence of the Sukhona and Yuzha rivers, get acquainted with the history of one of the oldest monasteries of the Russian North.
When visiting the Trinity Cathedral, guests will get acquainted with the unique carved iconostasis of the XVIII century.
13:30 Lunch.
14:30 A visit to the Severnaya Chernya factory with a tour of the showroom, a master class on a copper coin "Secrets of the old Master" and a visit to the brand store.
The Veliky Ustyug plant "Severnaya Chernya" is a unique enterprise of folk art that developed in the city of Veliky Ustyug in the XVII century, preserving and developing the three–hundred-year-old traditions of the ancient Russian art of blackening on silver, which has no analogues in modern jewelry art.
All products are made by hand in a traditional way for folk art craft, with observance of the basic techniques of ancient craftsmen in technology.
The style of Veliky Ustyug black art stands out vividly with its unique black decor, strict conciseness of forms and filigree finishing of silver products, and the trademark "Northern Black" is a guarantee of the highest quality of execution.
16:00 Free time in the city.
17:00 Transfer from Kotlas to the railway station "Kotlas Yuzhny" (70 km).
19:00 Arrival in Kotlas.
Trains depart from Kotlas Yuzhny station after 19:00.

Difficulty

For any person

Accommodation

Hotel

4 nights

Comfort

Midscale

The tour provides accommodation in hotels along the way.

The cost of the tour for 1 person / rub.:

Accommodation:	3-local	2-local	1-local
1st and 2nd nights – Vologda – Vologda Hotel	61450	63550	71600
3 nights – Totma – Russian Pier Hotel
4 nights – Veliky Ustyug – Dvina Hotel

The hotel "History" is located near the center of Vologda in the historical part of the city. The building was built in the classical style. It has 12 rooms from standard to business.

The rooms have a classic look. There is air conditioning, mini fridge, TV, comfortable furniture, work desk, seating. In the bathroom there is a shower or a large bathtub, a toilet, towels. Daily thorough cleaning, linen change once every three days.

The residents eat in a cozy restaurant located on the 1st floor. Breakfast is free of charge. Room service. The dishes are delicious, constantly fresh pastries.

The reception desk functions without interruption. The attendants help in ordering a transfer, organizing trips to the sights of Vologda. Paid services of ironing items, household appliances. Guests can use the swimming pool, sauna, hammam.