Start your 12 Days tour from so-called Northern Venice – Saint Petersburg. During your stay here enjoy the main sights of the city such as Hermitage, Peter & Paul Fortress, St Isaac Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood.
Then you will move further to Northern part of Russia called Karelia. You’ll visit here Kizhi Island with unique wooden architecture. Get acquainted with Karelian culture – take part in master class in the Karelian culture centre, visit ancient village Kenerma which still keeps up old traditions and customs. Enjoy the beautiful northern nature visiting Kivach reserve and taking boat ride on lakes and rivers system of Solovki Islands.
St. Petersburg - Petrozavodsk - Kizhi - Sortavala - Valaam - Medvezhyegorsk - Solovki - St.Petersburg
12 days/11 nights.
Day 1. Arrive St Petersburg.
Bus transfer to the hotel with ES guide. Introductory to St Petersburg.
Day 2. Full day sightseeing/Bus & ES guide
• AM Early opening of Hermitage
• Lunch City restaurant.
• PM City Tour with visit to Peter & Paul Fortress
Day 3. Full day sightseeing/Bus & ES guide.
• AM Pushkin. Catherine Palace with Amber workshop visit (With glass of campaign and small present).
• Lunch Podvorye Restaurant
Day 4. Day at leisure
• Lunch Hotel restaurant.
Late check-out
• Dinner City restaurant.
Transfer to the railway station
• 23.20 Overnight train to Petrozavodsk (2 berth compartment).
Day 5. Arrive Sortavala at 8.28 am
• AM City tour of Sortavala.
• AM Departure to Valaam. Tour of central country estate. Excursion of Valaam Skits.
• Lunch In monastery refectory room.
• PM Arrive back to Sortavala. Accommodation at Piipun Piha Hotel. Dinner.
Day 6.
• AM Breakfast.
• AM Mountain park Ruskeala. Marble canyon.
• Lunch at a local cafe.
• PM Transfer to Kinerma Village. Excursion around the village.
• Dinner In the native’s house in traditional style. Accommodation in Petrozavodsk at Karelia SPA-Hotel.
Day 7.
• AM Breakfast.
• AM Depart by hydrofoil to Kizhi Island.
• Lunch Cafe on Kizhi Island. Excursion around the village.
• PM Excursion in Museum Kizhi. Visit of the Transfiguration Church without guide. Way back to Petrozavodsk.
• PM Visit to Fine Arts Museum with a workshop on Karelian souvenir.
• Dinner Hotel restaurant, accompanied by a Folklore Show.
Day 8.
• AM Departure to Medvezhyegorsk. Arrive to Kivach waterfalls. Tour led by biologist around the closed for ordinary public territory
• Lunch on base Malaya Medvezhka
• PM See the first sluice of the White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal. Transfer to Kem. Accommodation at Prichal Hotel.
• Dinner Hotel restaurant.
Day 9.
• AM Departure to Solovki. Excursion in the Solovetsky Monastery
• Lunch Hotel restaurant
• PM Accommodation.
• Dinner Hotel restaurant.
Day 10.
• AM Boat ride on the rivers and lakes (5 km).
• Lunch Hotel restaurant
• PM Short sea trip to Zayatsky Island. Pagan temples, Andreevsky Skit
• Dinner Hotel restaurant.
Day 11.
• AM Mountain Sekirnaya – one of the highest points of Big Solovetsky Island. Stop at Botanic Garden
• Lunch Hotel restaurant
• PM Arrive to Kem
• Dinner City Restaurant
Transfer to the railway station.
• 20.49 Departure to St Petersburg by overnight train. (4 berth compartment)
Day 12 .
• 12.10 Arrive to St Pet at 12.10. Transfer to the airport for evening home flight.
