Karelia Winter Adventure Tour February - March 6 days/5 nights

Day 1 (Wednesday): Arrival St. Petersburg

Arrival in St. Petersburg, optional 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 the title “The Venice of theNorth”. When the city is covered in snow it has a special romantic atmosphere. During the morning sightseeing tour we get acquainted with all the splendours of the city: 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 Petrozavodsk.Arrival and transfer to Hotel Karelia**** or similar.

Day 3 (Friday): Petrozavodsk

Petrozavodsk is the capital if Karelia and stands directly at the banks of Lake Onega. We start our Karelia winter adventure with a tour of the center and the main sights of Petrozavodsk. Thetour continues to the ancient village of Karelia, Kinerma, which is considered one of most beautiful villages in Russia. We see the main places of interest, such as the houses of the latenineteenth century and the wooden 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 Karelianhouse and we have the opportunity to experience a traditional Karelian pie master-class before we return back to Petrozavodsk.

Day 4 (Saturday): Petrozavodsk

In the morning we depart with the ferry to Kizhi Island in the Lake Onega. Upon arrival in Kizhi we visit the Open Air Museum of Wooden Architecture in Kizhi. This is one of the first open-airmuseums and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Russia. The main attraction 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 wooden church architecture. On the way back we make a stop near thehighest point of Kizhi to enjoy the splendid panoramic view. Lunch at a local restaurant and transfer back to Petrozavodsk.

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, welearn 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 huskyfarm 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 forestcovered 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.

Day 6 (Monday): St. Petersburg Departure

Optional departure transfer to St. Petersburg airport.