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 Petrozavodsk at 7.00 am
• AM Buffet breakfast. Petrozavodsk orientation tour with visit to Fine Arts Museum (excursion led by director of museum who is specialist in icon painting). Depart by hydrofoil to Kizhi Island.
• Lunch Local restaurant upon arrival.
• PM Excursion in Museum Kizhi.Visit of unique restoration center of the Transfiguration Church. Way back to Petrozavodsk.• Dinner Hotel restaurant, accompanied by a Folklore Show.
Day 6.
• AM Departure to Sortavala. Stop at Karelian culture center Elämä. Master classes of Souvenir from Karelia. Stop in old traditional village Kinerma.
• Lunch In the native’s house in traditional style
• PM Arrive to Sortavala. Accommodation in park hotel “Dacha Wintera” – Near house built 100 years ago by Doctor Gustav Winter
Day 7.
• AM Departure to Valaam. Tour of central country estate. Concert of the choir of Valaam Monastery. Excursion of Valaam Skits
• Lunch In monastery canteen
• PM Arrive back to Sortavala. Mountain park Puskeala. Marble canyon. Way back to Petrozavodsk.
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. Return to the base and accommodation in cottages.
• Dinner Hotel restaurant.
Day 9.
• AM Departure to Solovki. Early check-in Solovki-Hotel.
• Lunch Hotel restaurant
• PM Solovetsky Monastery
• 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.
