LAND OF THE WHITE NIGHTS (St.Petersburg / Kizhi / Solovki Archipelago)

GROUP TOUR

 The tour combines two very different environments of the North-Western Russia: St. Petersburg, as one of the biggest and the most beautiful cities of Europe; and Karelia, vast sparsely populated country with endless evergreen pine forests (taiga), romantic lakes, clean rivers abundant with fish, and rich cultural and religious heritage. In fact Karelia is one the last areas of untamed nature of such size in the whole Europe, some of its forests had never been cut down for the industrial exploration. The remoteness of Karelia has made it a favorite place for monks and hermits, as well as for freemen escaping troubles and political oppression of Central Russia. Later during the Romanovs and Stalin it became a place of exile, sort of European Siberia. Nowadays Karelia is one of the favorite tourist destinations for the Russian city dwellers who want to change for a short while the stress and commotion of a metropolis for the tranquility and peace of the fabulous Karelian nature, as well as it is the magnet for the foreign visitors who want to explore the excellent cultural monuments of the past such as Kizhi, Valaam and Solovki. Karela makes a perfect break from visiting St. Petersbug, the former imperial capital of Russia and the primal attraction of most of the tourists, travelling in Russia. The number of attractions in the Capital of the North is huge, and the pace of life is fast, so most of the travellers will welcome the Karelian city break as the chance to recharge the batteries.

The program of the tour:

Day.1		Arrival to St.Petersburg. Transfer to the hotel accompanied by a Comintour representative. Check-in. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 2		Breakfast. City tour, introducing exteriors of the most of the famous monuments such as St. Isaak Cathedral, Church on the Spilled Blood, the Winter Palace, the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre. The tour also includes a visit to the Peter & Paul Fortress. From this fortress the city itself had started, there most of the emperors of the Romanov dynasty are buried. Lunch in a city restaurant. In the afternoon tour of the Hermitage museum.
Day 3		Breakfast. Trip to Pushkin, for the tour of the Catherine's Palace. Home to the famous Amber Room, the palace and surrounding park are among the best masterpieces of the Russian landscape design and architecture. Lunch. Proceed to Pavlovsk for the tour of the Emperor Paul's Palace. Return to the hotel. Dinner in a city restaurant. Transfer to the train station. Departure to Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic of Karelia, by the overnight train.
Day 4		Arrival to Petrozavodsk. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in. Breakfast. Transfer to the river-boat station. Trip to the Kizhi Island by hydrofoil across the Ladoga Lake (lasts for 1,5 hours). Tour of the island, known as museum-preserve of the wooden architecture. Among the island's highlights is world famous The Church of Transfiguration of the Savior crowned with 22 cupolas and built without a single nail. Return to Petrozavodsk by hydrofoil. Lunch aboard the ship (lunch boxes packed at the hotel). Sightseeing tour of the city (upon arrival), including the Museum of Dolls (Dolls' House). Lunch. Dinner.
Day 5		Breakfast. Check-out. Departure by bus to Kem' (440 km away from Petrozavodsk). Lunch (on the way). Arrival to Kem'. Transfer to the river-boat station for a 3-hour trip to the Solovetsky Archipelago (consists of 6 big and a number of small islands) with its famous monastery which in the Imperial and Soviet time also served as a place of the political exile. Transfer to the Solovki hotel **. Check-in. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 6		Breakfast. The trip by rowing boats (6-8 persons in each) along the Smaller Circle of the canals showing the hydrotechical structure of the monastery: the canals, locks, piers and dykes. Picnic on the shore. Visiting the Sekirnaya Hill, the place where the prisoners were executed (the name of the hill comes from 'Sekira', which is Russian for 'pole axe'). The tour of the unique Botanical Garden (located less than 100 miles South from the Polar Circle!). Dinner at the hotel.
Day 7		Breakfast. Walking tour of the Solovetsky Monastery, one of Russia's oldest and most famous, including the Ascension Cathedral, the country house of the Archimandrite and the necropolis. After the schism of the Russian Orthodox Church (17th century) the monastery became the stronghold of the Old Believers (the religious schism persecuted by the Tsars and the Church). After the revolution of 1917 the monastery was closed and turned by Bolsheviks into political prison, the remains of which (very few) can be seen during the tour. Lunch at the hotel. Departure to Kem' by boat. Dinner. (upon arrival) at the river-boat station. Transfer to the train station. Overnight train to St.Petersburg.
Day 8		Arrival to St.Petersburg. Breakfast in a city restaurant. Transfer to the airport. Departure.

 
The price of the tour is quoted by request.

**) Hotel 'Solovki' is situated within a short walk from the Monastery. All rooms are equipped with showers. The hotel has a restaurant (Russian and European cuisine) for 90-100 guests, and a bar.