Winter Activities in Karelia, Petrozavodsk

Duration: 4 days / 3 nights

Karelia is one of the best places to truly immerse yourself in the Russian winter. When snow covers lands and forests, Karelia transforms into a magical place with frozen lakes, scenic views and fresh, frosty air. Many winter activities are available during the tour: snowmobiling, skiing, dog-sledding, ice-fishing and many others.

The capital of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, is in 400 km north-east from St. Petersburg, the journey by fast train ‘Lastochka’ takes only about 5 hours.

We can offer best country clubs and hotels for accommodation, professional guides and instructors, comfortable transportation and traditional Karelian meals. The best time to travel is from mid-December till mid-March.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Fly to St. Petersburg

Transfer from airport to Hotel in St. Petersburg with guide’s assistance

Day 2: Petrozavodsk, country club

05:40Check out of Hotel with luggage and transfer to Ladozhsky Train Station

06:32Departure by a fast train ‘Sapsan’to Petrozavodsk

11:50Arrive to Petrozavodsk. Meet and greet with local guide.

Petrozavodsk city-tour
This tour includes the main attractions of the city, including 19th century Governour’s palace, monument to Peter the Great, Lake Onega embankment and a famous open-air Museum of Modern Sculpture.

Lunch in the city restaurant (pre-set), tasting of the Karelian national dishes.

Transfer to one of the country-clubs (30-80 km). Checking into hotel / or cottages

Free time (skates, skies, sleighs are available for rent)

Optional: Master class in cooking traditional Karelian pastries – ‘kalitka”. Tea drinking with cooked pastries.

Dinner in the restaurant (pre-set).

Folk show

Day 3: Country club

AM Meeting the snowmobile instructor. A short training course on safety measures and a test drive.

Circle snowmobile route in the forest. We can arrange snowmobile drives for up to 80 km depending on the group skills.*

Lunch (pre-set)

Free time for winter activities / or ice fishing

Dinner (pre-set)

Bathhouse with a special steam procedure (3 hours)

*in Feb-March, when ice on Lake Onega is hard enough, we can also arrange a 2 day Snowmobile Safari to Kizhi Island with overnight in a comfortable guest-house.

Kizhi is one of the best-known open-air historical, architectural and ethnographic museums in Karelia. The main attraction is the Kizhi architectural ensemble, an outstanding monument of folk architecture included into the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.

Day 4: Country Club and train to St. Petersburg

Check out

AM Drive with luggage to the Kivach waterfall

Tour the Kivach Reserve, exploring the waterfall, visiting the Nature Museum and the avenue of Karelian birch.

Kivach waterfall – the second largest plain waterfall in Europe – falls in four ledges from the height of 10,7 m. The name of the waterfall comes from the Karelian word ‘kivas’ – a snow mountain.

Transfer to the Husky dog kennel – the starting point of the dog sledding safari
A group of several sleds will move along the route of 5-10 km, the guide’s sled will move ahead to ensure your safety. You can manage the sled yourself or enjoy the ride as a passenger.

Lunch (pre-set)

16:00Transfer to Petrozavodsk (80 km) to catch 18:00 fast train to St. Petersburg*

Optional packed dinner on the train

22:56Arrive to St. Petersburg, Ladozhsky Station

*you can also depart for Moscow by 22:00 overnight train arriving at 08:52 next morning

Transfer to Hotel, check in

Order of tours may change depending on accommodation.

TOUR EXTENSIONS

Upon request, this programme can be extended for sightseeing in St. Petersburg / or Moscow