Overview
Recommended period: middle May - September
Destination: Petrozavodsk, Kizhi island, Sortavala, Valaam island, Karelian village Kinerma
Main sights: sightseeing tour in Petrozavodsk, the Kizhi Open-Air Museum of Wooden Architecture, the Kivach Nature Reserve, Marsial Waters, the cathedral of the Transfiguration in Valaam island, Ruskeala mining park, Karelian village Kinerma
Accommodation: Hotel Severnaya Petrozavodsk 3*, Hotel Piipun Piha 3* (Sortavala)
Transport: comfortable air-conditioned car/minivan/minibus
Itinerary
1 day
Welcome to Petrozavodsk - the capital of the Republic of Karelia! Guide will meet you in the airport or at the railway station and you will make a sightseeing tour of Petrozavodsk.
The city was founded by Peter the 1st and it’s an essential part of Russian history. You will get acquainted with the history of Petrozavodsk and visit it's major places of interest. You can make photoes near the monument to Peter the Great on the shore of Lake Onega.
Afternoon you will go to Kizhi Island by hydrofoil, the way takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Upon arrival you will find yourself in Ancient Russia, admire the beauty of the Russian North, enjoy a walking tour along the Kizhi Open-Air Museum of Wooden Architecture. Kizhi is one of the first open-air museums and one of the most popular unique tourist attractions in Russia. The pearl of the museum is its world-known wooden church ensemble dating back to the 18th - 19th centuries which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.
After this excursion your guide will offer you lunch box.
Then you will take the way back to Petrozavodsk by hydrofoil along the picturesque Onega lake .
Then your guide will help you to check-in at the hotel (after 14.00). There you can rest and relax, as well as have a dinner on your own in one of the nearby restaurants - your guide will be happy to tell you where to go.
2 day
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
After breakfast in the hotel we will go for excursion to the Kivach Nature Reserve.
We will get acquainted with the second highest plain waterfall in Europe and typical and rare Karelian plants. The eco system of the Kivach Nature Reserve is unique. Apart from the picturesque landscapes you will enjoy its crystal clear air. Also you can make amazing and vivid photoes.
After lunch on the territory of Kivach reserve we offer you to visit the first Russian spa - Marsial Waters Spa, founded by Peter the Great in the 18th century. The water, rich with iron, was discovered in the area in the 18th century and Peter the Great ordered to erect the first Russian spa on this territory. In the Soviet time it was the best sanatorium in Karelia and till today this is a very popular place. Of great importance are not only the healing springs, but also the tranquil atmosphere and unique microclimate of the area. You can taste water from 3 healing springs. Then you will visit an ancient Church of Apostle Peter built in 1721 at the decree of Peter the Great, according to his design and drawings.
Transfer back to Petrozavodsk.
In the everning you can walk along the city center by yourself or stay and relax at the hotel.
3 day
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant, check out.
This day you will wake up early in the morning and after check out you will make an unforgettable trip to Valaam Island. There located one of the largest and oldest Orthodox monasteries in Russia - Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaamsky monastery. And also it is one of the few places on earth where nature is unique and amazing.
First you will go to town Sortavala by bus about 4 hours on the way and have a breakfast there. From Sortavala you will take a hydrofoil to the Valaam Monastery, this way along Ladoga Lake takes about 50 minutes.
On arrival on the island you will have an excursion program around the Central Monastery Complex. You will get acquainted with one of the main orthodox sacred places in Russia and visit the cathedral of the Transfiguration. After a walk around the monastery complex you will also visit one of the sketes. Then your guide will invite you to try a simple monastic food during the lunch in the monastery's refectory.
After lunch you will turn back to Sortavala by hydrofoil (50 minutes).
This last night in Karelia region you will spend at cozy hotel in Sortavala. Your guide will accompany you to the hotel and you will have a rest after the day full of impressions or to walk in city center on your own.
4 day
Breakfast at the hotel restaurant, check out.
After breakfast and check-out we invite you to go to the mining park of Ruskeala. The road will pass among the picturesque landscapes of Karelia and will take you about 40-50 minutes.
Ruskeala mining park - the basis of the complex is an object of cultural heritage, a historical monument - a former marble quarry filled with groundwater. During excursion you learn how the Marble Canyon came into being and the most significant moments of its three-century history. You will see its sheer cliffs and emerald lakes, you can try extreme entertainment and see the picturesque Ladoga Lake.
We continue this day by a visit of an ancient Karelian village Kinerma - a unique complex monument of the folk wooden architecture of Karelia of the 19th century. A local resident will meet you and show the main sights of the village, which are houses of the end of the 19th century and the wooden chapel of Virgin Mary of Smolensk erected in the 17th century. After the excursion you will be invited to have lunch in a Karelian house.
After excursions you will turn back to Petrozavodsk and guide will accompany you to the airport or to the railway station.
