Karelia & St Petersburg (EXAKR)

Duration: 6 days (may vary)
Areas: Russia
Tour types: History & Culture, Short Breaks

Description

Karelian Village Life
Our adventure begins in St Petersburg, the glorious city of Peter the Great; acclaimed by many to be Europe's most beautiful, it has nurtured some of Russia's finest artists and cultural movements and never ceases to impress. Journeying into the vast expanse of Russia's north, we don snowshoes for a stroll in the forest by torchlight and spend time in local homes discovering the lifestyles and crafts of the villages of South Karelia. There's also a chance to escape the cold and experience the steamy delights of a traditional Russian Banya (a type of sauna)!

Across the ice to Kizhi
From charming Petrozavodsk on the shores of Lake Onega we set out across the frozen lake on an exhilarating journey by ice-hovercraft to remarkable Kizhi, one of the 1600 islands that pepper the lake. Once a Pagan ritual site, Kizhi is a museum-reserve of traditional wooden architecture, the outstanding gem of which is the UNESCO-listed Transfiguration Church, famous for its fabulously ornate multitude of onion domes. Returning across the ice we catch an overnight train back to St Petersburg, with time to make a tour of the city's most outstanding highlights and marvel at some of the exquisite treasures in the Hermitage.

Tour itinerary

Day 1

Join St Petersburg; drive Umostu, snow-shoeing by torchlight.

Day 2

AM snow-shoeing/cross country skiing. Tour of villages, birch bark weaving workshop /museum visit.

Day 3

Drive Kinerma, village lunch, optional banya (Russian sauna); drive Petrozavodsk.

Day 4

Ice-hovercraft to Kizhi Island, return Petrozavodsk, visit doll museum; overnight train St Petersburg.

Day 5

St Petersburg city tour by bus, PM visit Hermitage.

Day 6

End St Petersburg.