Karelia

Karelia is a region in Northern Russia with ancient traditions and unique monuments. It’s the favorite place for travelling among the tourists of Scandinavia (especially tourists from Finland)

Karelia is famous for its forests and lakes, the most famous of which are Ladoga and Onega. Mezhoziorye is a part of Karelia, located between the two mighty lakes, which is considered to be the birthplace of many Karelian ethnic groups. Since the ninth century the Slavs began to settle here.

The island of Kizhi is the main tourist site in Karelia. It is the unique collection of wooden buildings of the North of Russia, and an open-air museum. Transfiguration Church is considered to be the pearl of the ensemble. Having been built without any nails, the church was recognized by UNESCO as a only monument of wooden architecture in the world. A trip to Kizhi is necessarily included into the travel program to Karelia.

Another place of Karelia which should really be visited is the island of Valaam. One of the oldest monasteries of the Orthodox Church is situated here.

Except for the cultural tours, tour operators of Karelia offer a wide range of various trips: from fishing to rafting-tours to the Karelian lakes and rivers.