6 Days: St. Petersburgh, Petrozavodsk

Tour Overview
Arrive in St. Petersburg, Russia’s charming former capital, known for its imperial palaces and museums. Discover all the city’s splendors before boarding a train to Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelia situated at the banks of Lake Onega. Explore the village of Kinerma, considered as one of the most beautiful in Russia where you experience a traditional Karelian pie master class. Visit a husky farm and learn interesting facts about sled dogs, before enjoying a 30km (18 mi) snowmobile ride in the breathtaking landscapes of the Karelia forest.

Day 1 (Wednesday): St. Petersburgh – Petrozavodsk

Arrival in St, Petersburg, transfer to Hotel Ambassador**** or similar, check-in

Day 2 (Thursday): St. Petersburg – Petrozavodsk

St. Petersburg is an amazing city. Its imperial palaces and museums enjoy worldwide fame, while the Neva River and the many canals have deservedly given the city is covered in snow it has a special romantic atmosphere. During the morning sightseeing tour we get acqainted with all the spendours of the day: the Winter Palace, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of the Bleeding Saviour, the Nevsky Convent and much more. In the afternoon we go to the Karelia Railway Station and board the train bound for Pertrozavodsk. Arrival and transfer to Hotel Karelia**** or similar. (B)

Day 3 (Friday) Petrozavodsk

Petrizavodsk is the capital of Karelia and stands directly at the banks if Lake Onega. We start our Karelia winter adventure with a tour if the center and the main sights of Petrozavodsk. The tour continues to the ancident village of Karelia, Kinerma, which is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Russia. We see the main places of interest, such as the houses of the late nineteenth century and the woodern chapel of the St. Mary the Virgin of Smolensk erected in the seventeenth century. After the tour through the village we enjoy a lunch at a typical Karelian House and we have the opportunity to experience a traditional Karelian pie master-class before we reurn back to Patrozavidisk. (B,L)

Day 4 (Saturday) Petrozavodsk

In the morning we depart with the ferry to Kizhi Island in the Lake Onega. Upon Arrival Kizhi we visit the Onega. Upon arrival in Kizhi we visit the open Air Museum of the Woodern Architecture in Kizhi. This is one of the first open-air museums and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Russia. The main attractions of the museum is the Kizhi Pogost, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1990, with its world-famous church of the Transfiguration, the bell tower (19th century) and the Church of Intercession. We learn there about the restoration process of the churches of Kizhi. We see how they are restored and learn secrets of Russian traditional woodern church architecture. On the way back we make a stop near the highest point of Kizhi to enjoy the splendid panoramic view. Lunch at a local restaurant and transfer back to Petrozavodsk. (B,L)

Day 5 (Sunday): Petrozavodsk – St. Petersburg

Today we continue our winter adventure with a visit to a husky farm. We get acquainted with friendly sled dogs and learn interesting facts about the breed and their character. Afterwards, we learn how to prepare the sled dogs and how to operate a sleigh pulled by them. We enjoy a 3 km ride along the picturesque Shuya River shore in the scenic pine forest and return to the husky farm for a traditional lunch in a tent. After the lunch we continue with a snowmobile ride. The ride covers the distance of 30 km and we enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of the Karelia forest covered with a white blanket of snow. In the afternoon we return back to Petrozavodsk to catch train to St. Petersburg. Arrival to St. Petersburg and transfer to Hotel Ambassador**** or similar. (B,L)

Day 6 (Monday): St. Petersburg departure

Departure transfer to St. Petersburg airport. (B)

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