Silver Ring of Karelia - Kizhi, Valaaam, Solovki

Ville, Adresse

TOUR OVERVIEW

We invite you to join us a 5-day tour around Karelia and visit all its major sights. You will visit Kizhi and Valaam Islands, Kivach Waterfall and Solovki, see the true beauty of the Russian North, try monastic food and national Karelian cuisine.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• wooden churches and houses of Kizhi Island
• Valaam monastery
• orthodox church singing
• biggest lakes in Europe — lake Ladoga and lake Onego
• images coming from the Stone Age carved on the rocks
• Solovki Monastery and its impressive fortress

OUR SUMMARY

Day 1:
07:00 Arrival in Petrozavodsk. Meeting with the guide. Breakfast.
08:00 City tour around Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia, with its major sights and a walk along the embankment of Lake Onego. Photo stop near the monument to Peter the Great.
11:30 Transfer to Kizhi Island by hydrofoil (1 hour 15 minutes).
12:45 Excursion in the Kizhi open-air museum of wooden architecture and cultural history. Lunch boxes.
16:45 Departure for Petrozavodsk.
18:00 Arrival in Petrozavodsk. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.
19:00 Dinner at the hotel.

Day 2:
Today you will wake up early in the morning to make an unforgettable trip to Valaam Island.
06:30 Departure for Sortavala (250 km). Boxed breakfast.
11:00 Transfer to the Valaam Monastery by hydrofoil (50 minutes).
12:00 Excursion program around the Central Monastery Complex.  In a small cozy church above the Holy Gates you will listen to the singing of the Valaam choir that reflects the spiritual atmosphere of the place. After a walk around the monastery complex you will also visit one of the sketes and try simple monastic food during the lunch in the monastery's refectory.
17:00 Departure to Sortavala by hydrofoil (50 minutes).
18:00 Dinner in Sortavala.
23:00 Arrival in Petrozavodsk.

Day 3:
Breakfast at the hotel.
09:30 Departure for Kem (500 km).
On the way a short stop in the Kivach Nature Reserve. You will see the second largest plain waterfall in Europe and listen to the melody of its roaring waters. You will also visit the museum of nature, get acquainted with the wildlife of Karelian taiga and walk along the alley of well-known Karelian birches.
14:00 Lunch in Medvezhyegorsk.
17:00 Excursion to one of the most favourite tourist routes ”Belomorsk Petroglyphs“. It is an archaeological complex comprising over 2000 images of wild animals, sea animals, people and boats including the oldest images of a skiing man not only in Northern Europe but in the whole world. During the excursion you will make a trip to the Karelian past and comprehend the mysteries of the Stone Age people.
20:30 Accommodation at the Pritchal Hotel in Kem. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 4:
Breakfast.
07:30 Boarding time.
08:00 Departure for Solovky by boat (2 h).
10:00 Arrival on Solovky. Transfer to the hotel to leave the luggage.
11:00 Walking excursion round the Central Architectural Complex of the Solovetsky Monastery. You will learn the unique history of one of the most northern monasteries of Russia, observe the massive walls and towers of the Solovetsky Kremlin, outstanding for the Middle Ages household achievements of the monastery and its austere white stone churches.
14:00 Lunch. Accommodation. Free time on the island.
18:00 Boarding time.
20:00 Departure for Kem. Accommodation at the Prichal Hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5:
Breakfast boxes.
05:30 Transfer to the railway station.
06:19 Departure for St. Petersburg/Moscow.

Description

Ville / Quartier / Région
Département

1 janvier

Petit Fûté