Let's go to Karelia

1 day

Spend your vacation in Karelia. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”: we pack our suitcases, take cameras, masks, good mood and...

At 13:00 - leave Moscow for the Republic of Karelia (1,100 km) One night in a comfortable bus - and you are in the edge of crystal lakes, pure rivers, endless forests and cliffs! And while the journey begins, admire the magnificent natural landscapes from the bus window!

The route passes through cities:

13:30 - Khimki (at the BUTAKOVO stop opposite the Grand shopping center)

14:15 - Zelenograd (stop "Bayonets" opposite McDonald's)

15:00 - Solnechnogorsk (departure to the highway M11)

15:45 - Klin (McDonalds, Pervomaiskaya str. 2)

17:15 - Tver (TC "Globus", October Avenue, 101)

19:00 – Vyshny Volochek (departure to the M11 highway)

23:00 – Veliky Novgorod (stop at the bypass p. Podberezye, after the post of the traffic police, at the cafe)

2 days

06:00/07:00 - We are welcomed by the "cultural capital" of Karelia, the city of Kondopoga.

Today's program:

- Breakfast at the hotel cafe is a buffet.

Walking tour "Hello, Kondopoga, let's meet." A small provincial town is replete with creations of modern architecture: sparkling glass and stone Palaces - Ice and Arts, Singing Field, musical clock-carillons. Dutch bells play out a leisurely time every hour. Today, familiar melodies are just for you!

Program with national color "Karelian gatherings":

Learning to play the ancient Finno-Ugric musical instrument Kantel. Let the "Karelian ghusli" sing about the wind and the warm cozy house, it will always be happiness and joy.

Culinary master class "Kalitka" (pie made of rye flour). We will sit together at a wide table and, under the guidance of an experienced master, prepare the famous rupittetu (gates).

While the northern cakes in the stove are blushing, we're rigging. The amulet “Inseparables” is a wonderful souvenir to the memory of Karelia and a talisman for family well-being.

Tea with products of own production - wickets.

(“Tea table” in the hotel – round the clock, free and always at your service).

Accommodation in the hotel "Karelia" *** (Kondopoga, Lenin Square 5).

- Get off the road.

Lunch at the hotel - buffet. The cost is 350 rubles. Man.

Excursion program to the natural mysteries of Karelia:

- Welcome to Girvas - a unique geological object, the oldest (about 2 billion years) crater of the volcano in Karelia!! You will see a section of more than 20 lava flows with a capacity of up to 32 m and fossilized volcanic "bombs", including gas voids.

Do not forget the video camera to create proof that you have visited a real volcano!

Bright attraction of Karelia - reserve and waterfall "Kivach".

“Diamond falls a mountain from a ledge with four rocks...” – Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, the first poet-lyricist of Russia, wrote admiringly about it. A pleasant addition to the raging water element will be the grove of Karelian birch, which has become the decoration of the arboretum of the reserve. This is a mystery tree with amazing wood marble pattern. Even in the twenty-first century, scientists have debated its origin. Admire the souvenirs from the "scarlet" - you can in the Museum of Nature.

- Stop at Paleozero. It impresses tourists with clean water, wide sandy beaches and an abundance of coniferous trees that fill the air with amazing aromas. On the shore of the lake you can find a stone that will remind you of our region.

Dinner in the hotel cafe - buffet. The cost is 300 rubles per person.

3 days

Free day. The choice today is yours:

* Option 1. Excursion to Solovki Island (Strictly booked when buying a tour):

Attention! Due to the busy schedule, there is no dinner on the route, please take care of a snack in advance. You can order lunch boxes at the hotel. Cost: 350 rubles. Man.

- 02:30 - Departure to the port of Workoestrovsk.

Tune in to the fact that the 390 km long path will take 5-6 hours.

- Lunch box, on the way.

- 8:00 - Give me the moorings! We're going on a sea voyage. Keep the camera ready - a meeting with a ringed seal or a sea hare is possible, and from the end of June with a beluga whale. Photos among the endless White Sea will receive many likes in Contact.

Welcome to the famous island of Solovki - a unique architectural monument and a place of pilgrimage for believers from all over the world.

Upon arrival on the island:

Lunch in a cafe on the island (complex). The cost is 400 rubles. Man. (payment at the hotel the day before).

- Large sightseeing tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin.

During the excursion we will visit the territory of the central complex of the monastery, active temples, monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, objects of economic activity, Solovetsk fortress and the exposition “Monastic Prison”. Learn about the life of monks and the unique heating system of the monastery.

Impressions will be complemented by a walk to Cape Labyrinths. Colorful mosses and lichens, short junipers, curved dancing birches, clinging to scanty northern soil and ... stones. Smoothly polished by glaciers, they are the decoration of famous islands and keep their many secrets. It is said that during the time of Atlantis there was one of the most advanced civilizations of the Hyperboreans.

On the island in your free time you can buy the famous white sea cabbage, as well as cosmetics made of kelp, visit the operating temple or swim in the White Sea.

The time spent on Solovki Island is 9 hours.

21:00 - Arrival on a large land in the port of Workoestrovsk.

On the already familiar road, return to Kondopoga.

Estimated arrival at the hotel ~ 02:30.

Duration of the tour with transfers: 24 hours.

The cost of the tour: 6,900 rubles / person, a child under 10 years old (not inclusive) - 4,700 rubles.

or

* Option 2. Expedition to the ancient cult complex on the mountain - the forces of Vottovaar (with dinner in a village house).

(Strictly booked when buying a tour):

Attention! There is no lunch on this route. You need to take care of a snack on the road in advance. You can order lunch boxes at the hotel. Cost: 350 rubles. Man.

Also, the route provides a long climb uphill, so we recommend comfortable clothes and sports shoes.

- 06:30 - early breakfast at the hotel - buffet.

- 07:00 - Departure by bus to the village of Gimola, Muezer district (180 km).

Transfer to UAZ cars, moving 17 km along a difficult road to the most mysterious place in Karelia to the foot of the mountain. Hiking up the mountain - the forces of Vottovaar.

And here we are at the highest point of the West Karelian hill - 417.3 m above sea level, which holds many secrets. About 9,000 years ago there was a powerful earthquake, which formed a giant failure. So in the center of the mountain there was a natural amphitheater, dotted with small lakes, rocks and amazing trees twisted into a knot or growing down the top. At the top of Vottovaara there are about 1600 stones (sades and boulders), stacked in a mysterious order. Scientists put forward several theories of the emergence of an ancient cult complex - this is the melting of the glacier, and the work of ancient civilizations and the parking lot of Sami tribes.

After the tour, transfer by UAZ cars to Gimola.

- Country dinner in the hut.

- Return by bus to the hotel, approximate arrival at 24:00.

Duration of the tour with transfers: ~ 17 hours.

The cost of the tour: 3 700 rubles / adult, 3000 rubles / child.

For those who did not go on excursions:

- Breakfast at the hotel is a buffet. Free time.

You can use rental services on the shore of Lake Onega (300 m from the hotel):

- fun boats (capacity up to 4 people, cost 150 rubles). /person / hour, each subsequent hour 100 rubles / person.).

Bicycles (100 rubles per hour)

- fishing rods and spinning (from 70 rubles) for fishing in the Bay of Onega Lake.

Lunch in the hotel cafe (buffet/covering). Cost 350/300 rubles. Man.

Dinner in the hotel cafe (buffet/covering). The cost of 300/270 rubles / person.

4 days

- Late breakfast at the hotel - buffet.

Water excursion to the famous island of Kizhi (Booked by buying a tour):

UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site since 1990.

Travel by water 1 hour and 30 minutes one way on covered taxi boats from Kondopoga. During the water cruise we will admire not only Lake Onega, but also numerous islands - Kiga skerries.

And here we are – a temple complex, built almost without a single nail.

We will learn about all its secrets when inspecting the ensemble of the Kizhsky Pogost, visit the estate of a Zaonezh peasant and one of the oldest wooden churches in Russia - the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, rumored to have the ability to heal all ailments. You will also have a unique opportunity to visit the Church of the Transfiguration, opened after a long restoration work.

Duration of the tour: about 6 hours.

Time spent on Kizhi Island: 2.5 hours.

The cost of water transfer to Kizhi Island:

- 3,000 rubles/adult

- 2 300 rubles / child up to 12 years.

In addition, the hotel pays entrance fee to the island of Kizhi:

- adult - 700 rubles per person *

- pensioners - 400 rubles per person *

- a child under 16 years - 300 rubles per person *.

Lunch in the hotel cafe - buffet. The cost is 350 rubles. Man.

Go to the shore of Lake Onega (300 m from the hotel).

- Animated program "Visiting the shaman". In a real Sámi plague at a hot fire, together with a hospitable host, we will get a sacred fire, call the spirits of fire with diamonds and guess on the runes. A wise master will spread the ashes of sad thoughts to the wind, predict the future, burn all your failures in the fire and teach Karelian, Vepsian dances.

- Karelian bowling master class. The shaman will show you how to play the most popular game of the northern people. The old Karelian game "KYUKKYA" is a good training of memory, agility and ingenuity.

- Visit to the sled dog nursery, the nursery - the garden of husky puppies and the contact mini-zoo (northern deer, goat, geese, ducks, caesars, etc.). In the "puppy" d / garden you can squeeze fluffy lumps and go for a walk with them. And of course, all pets will be happy with a photo session in pleasant company.

- Petroglyphics master class. It is time to get the lake stones from Paleozero, learn about the ancient rock paintings and make a painting for memory.

Dinner in the hotel cafe - buffet. The cost is 300 rubles per person.

5 days

- Breakfast at the hotel cafe is a buffet.

We go on a long trip to the north of Karelia (110 km). On the route:

- Track tour "Karelia during the Finnish occupation".

- Stop at Mount Bald (climbing the mountain according to weather conditions). This rocky hill is a monument of military history. Here is a fortified area, once part of the defensive Masel line, built during the Finnish occupation in 1941-1944. Since the height of the mountain is 138 meters above sea level and the terrain is visible from it for a long distance, the choice of it for the construction of defensive structures is quite understandable.

- The city of Medvezhyegorsk (Karhumyaki). On a sightseeing tour we will get acquainted with the city in the Bay of Povenets Bay, standing surrounded by picturesque rocks and hills. Many popular films were shot in these places: “Love and Pigeons”, “Trees grow on stones”, “Plate 2”.

- Visit the shop of the factory "Karelian patterns". Today it is one of the largest enterprises of Folk art crafts in the North-West of Russia, producing linen products with traditional embroidery.

* Lunch (cover) in the cafe of Medvezhyegorsk. The cost of 350 rubles / person.

- Visit to the great construction site of the country of the Soviets - the White Sea-Baltic canal named after Stalin.

The most famous of all the channels of Russia, thanks to the immortal cigarettes of the same name and the first where the labor of prisoners was used. The canal connecting the White Sea with Lake Onega and having access to the Baltic Sea. The idea of its construction arose during the Northern War and belonged to Tsar Peter I. Then the “Osudarya road” was laid - an overland route from the Nyhcha pier on the White Sea to Povenets. They returned to the project in the middle of the XIX century and even received a gold medal for the development at the Paris exhibition, but the construction of the canal began in detail only in the XX century.

- The Church of Nicholas the Wonderworker. Built in memory of the prisoners of the Gulag who died in the construction of the BBK. The architecture of the temple is so unusual that it surprises all tourists who have visited these places. The church resembles a defensive tower with small loophole windows, and its wooden belfry is a camp watchtower.

The Sandarmokh Memorial Complex is one of the largest graves of victims of Stalin’s repressions during the Great Terror in Northwest Russia. There are 58 nationalities buried there.

Back to the hotel.

Dinner in the hotel cafe - buffet. The cost is 300 rubles per person.

6 days

- Breakfast at the hotel cafe is a buffet.

We go on an excursion program, on the route:

- Popular health resort, the first Russian resort "Martial Waters". It was opened in 1719 by decree of Peter I. The emperor several times rested and was treated at the resort, and also loved to play with his retinue in "Birylki".

- Excursion to the Church of the Apostle Peter. People call her a “foreigner.” This is not surprising, because he led the construction of a unique temple designed by the emperor Dutchman Wilhelm Genin. The church has preserved candlesticks from Karelian birch, carved and painted under marble by Peter I himself.

Tasting useful iron water from four sources will give new strength before climbing to the cult place from the national epic "Kalevala" - Mount Sampo. It has long been known that this mountain fulfills all the most secret desires. Check it out?

* Lunch in a cafe in Petrozavodsk (cover). The cost is 350 rubles. Man.

The capital of the Forest Republic is Petrozavodsk.

What is the city of Petra? This city is a port, the forest capital of miners, fishermen, romantics.

On a sightseeing tour we will get acquainted with its sights and walk along the Onega embankment. According to good tradition, each twin city leaves here a piece of “their soul” – a sculptural composition. So the embankment turned into a museum of modern avant-garde sculpture in the open air and became a favorite place for walks of citizens. Everyone wants to see a piece of the starry sky of Neubrandenburg, whisper cherished words into the magical ear of the Tree of Desire and ask for material prosperity from the Wallet of Luck.

- Museum of History of Petrozavodsk. The guide will tell us about the development of the Petrovsky Sloboda and the fate of the Alexander Plant. And in the interactive hall you can work and study science with hands-on exhibits.

Gallery "Doll's House" by Tatiana Kalinina. Acquaintance with the Kyzh households, perfumes, the history of the Karelian doll and souvenirs from the masters of the kingdom.

- Shungite Center. We'll visit the relaxation treatment room. We will learn a lot about the useful properties of healing stone and try tea from shungite purified water. There you can also buy souvenirs from shungite.

Dinner in the hotel cafe - buffet. The cost is 300 rubles per person.

7 days

04:00 - Room release. Departure to Old Finland (290 km).

- Breakfast lunch is on the way.

To travel to the former lands of Suomi, we do not need a passport or visa.

And here is the ancient city of Serdobol (Sortavala). It is rightly called the “architectural encyclopedia of European architecture”. He gave creative inspiration to Robert Christmas, Bella Akhmadulina and many other poets and artists.

*09:00 - excursion "Legendary North Athos..." (Valaam Island).

The time of water travel by meteor from Sortavala to the island on Lake Ladoga is 45 minutes one way. Like the fabulous backs of whales or old giant fish rise from the water of Ladoga skerries - fjords. And here we are in the center of the spiritual, cultural and Orthodox life of Russia.

During the main excursion: acquaintance with the central estate of the monastery and a visit to the majestic architectural monument - the functioning Spaso - Transfiguration Cathedral, where the relics of the founders of the monastery Herman and Sergius of Valaam rest. Then return to the worldly bustle, to the mainland.

Duration of the tour: 4 hours. Time spent on Valaam Island is 2.5 hours.

Cost: adult - 3,000 rubles, a child up to 12 years inclusive - 1,700 rubles.

For those who did not go on an excursion - a walk around the city, a visit to the Church of Nicholas the Wonderworker, built at the expense of St. Petersburg merchants Eliseev in the Russian style according to the project arch. N. P. Grebenka, ascent to the observation deck of Kuhavuori Mountain and photo-stop “from a bird’s eye view”. Free time to buy souvenirs (Finnish chocolate and other products).

- 14:00 - We meet on the shore of Lake Ladoga.

* Lunch at the cafe in Sortavala (cover). The cost is 350 rubles. Man.

Departure to the Ruskeala Mountain Park. There's a cinema stop on the way.

- Inspection of the Akhvenkoski Falls ("sinking threshold"). The film “The Dawns Are Quiet Here...” began his “creative career.” Locals call it “Zhenkina River” after the name of their favorite heroine. Once there was a scene of bathing lumberjacks.

- Ruskeala Marble Park. Now it is one of the most beautiful places in Karelia. Artificial white marble rocks picturesquely hang over the emerald water surface of a small lake. Since Catherine’s times, marble was mined here to decorate the cathedrals and palaces of St. Petersburg. On the excursion (1.5 hours) we will explore the mountain park from a height, learn how the Marble Lake was formed, visit one of the tunnels and we will be able to take a souvenir-stones for memory.

Time spent in the mountain park is 2 hours.

- 18:30 - Goodbye to the Karelian guide. Going to your cities. Night move.

8th day

Estimated arrival in your city:

03:00 – Veliky Novgorod (stop at the bypass p. Podberezye, after the traffic police post, at the cafe)

07:00 – Vyshny Volochek (departure to the M11 highway)

09:00 - Tver (TC "Globus", October Avenue, 101)

10:30 - Klin (McDonalds, Pervomaiskaya str. 2)

11:00 - Solnechnogorsk (departure to the highway M18)

11:30 - Zelenograd (Bayonets stop opposite McDonald's)

12:10 - Khimki (at the BUTAKOVO stop opposite the Grand shopping center)

~12:30 - Moscow (metro station "River station", 1st car from the city center, access to Festival street, go towards the Leningrad highway, bus stop near the house No. 5 on Festival street).