The Murmansk Express train holiday

The Murmansk Express train holiday

Day 1: Arrival in Saint Petersburg by plane or by a tour taxi from Helsinki (6 hours). In evening leave for Petrozavodsk using train tickets provided by us. Overnight on the train. You will visit Saint Petersburg at the end of this journey.

Day 2: Arrive in Petrozavodsk in the morning. You can leave your luggage in a storage room of the railway station. Have a hike in the city. At the Excursion bureau in the harbour you collect the boat tickets. Board a boat to Kizhi Island for sightseeing there. Return to Petrozavodsk; visit museums and walk through the city as you wish. Depart for Kem in the evening. Night arrival in Kem. Transfer to a hotel in the harbor. Check-in. Overnight.

Day 3: Get ferry tickets to Solovetsky Islands at the reception. Leave for Solovetsky Islands at 08:00. Arrival in Solovetsky at 10:00. Explore the Island on your own or take guided excursions (Optional). Return by boat to Kem. Transfer to the railway station. Leave for Murmansk by the night train. Overnight in the train.

Day 4: Arrive in Murmansk; hotel check-in. Explore the city on your own or take Optional excursions with a personnel guide. We suggest you to visit the Regional Historical Museum, the Art Museum and the Folk Art Centre. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 5: There are a number of interesting places to visit that are related to the sea and maritime culture. We suggest you to visit the highest point of Murmansk city - the Memorial of the Second World War "Alyosha" and to see the city from a bird's eye. Also it's interesting to see a harbour where atomic icebreakers can be. You can visit the first nuclear icebreaker "Lenin". Another places of interests include the Naval Museum and the Oceanarium (tickets can be reserved for this upon request). Overnight at the hotel.

Day 6: Start a journey by bus through the Kola Peninsula. Arrive in Monchegorsk before noon; check-in at hotel. Places to visit in Monchegorsk include the largest Orthodox Cathedral on the Kola Peninsula and the mineralogical museum. You may also take a short yacht-trip around Imandra Lake with its multitude of islands. For dinner there is an excellent small restaurant close to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: Continue by bus to Kirovsk in the Khibiny Mountains; hotel check-in. The town has an interesting Museum of History. The hotel serves good meals for reasonable prices. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 8: You can visit the Botanical Garden located close to Kirovsk (ask a receptionist to call a taxi for you). Apatity city is located 15 km far from Kirovsk. You can take a taxi to reach it (RUR 300) or use a public bus. Apatity has an interesting Museum of the European North of Russia as well as Museum of Colored Stones; shop "Salma" sells Northern souvenirs made of wood, stone, horns and beautiful paintings made of stone crumbs. In the evening leave by train for Saint Petersburg. Overnight in the train.

Day 9: Arrive in Saint Petersburg at Ladozhsky railway station in the evening; meeting by a car from a hotel; transfer to the hotel; check-in. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 10: You can explore the city on your own or take a guided excursion. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 11: You can explore the city on your own or take a guided excursion. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 12: Departure. Transfer to airport. Or you can take a tour taxi to drive to Helsinki (6 hours).

The Murmansk Express train holiday

The Murmansk Express train holiday can be extended with the following optionals:

• Petrozavodsk:
  • Trip to Zoo Complex located 70 km far from Petrozavodsk.
  • Trip to Kinerma Village with excursion and lunch located 100 km far from Petrozavodsk.
  • Combination of trips Zoo Complex and Kinerma village in a round drive. A taxi picks you up from Petrozavodsk, waits at the places and brings you back to Petrozavodsk.
  • Local guide-interpreter.
  • Entrance fees to Museums in Petrozavodsk will be between 5 and 10 euros per person.
  • Boat excursion to Kizhi Open Air Museum.
• Kizhi Open Air Museum:
  • Two-way boat tickets in Kizhi Island.
  • English speaking guide in Kizhi Island.
  • Audio guide on Kizhi Island: EUR 4,-- per person
  • See link above for more info.
• Solovetsky islands:
  • Two-way boat tickets
  • Entrance tickets to expositions. Price to exhibitions approx. EUR 3 to 5 per person.
  • Guided excursions for groups from 10 persons: from EUR 8 to 18 per person
  • Extra overnights in hotel: approx. EUR 51 per person per night in twin room or approx. EUR 85 in single room
  • See link above for more info
• Kirovsk area:
  • Excursion in Mineralogical Museum in Kirovsk.
  • Excursion in Museum of the North in Kirovsk
  • Excursion in Northern Botanical garden near Kirovsk
  • Alpine skiing on the best slopes of NW Russia in Kirovsk
  • Cross country skiing on lighted tracks near Kirovsk
  • Info about Snow-village near Kirovsk
  • Info about Snow-mobile safaris in Khibiny Tundra
  • See link above for more info
• What to see in Murmansk:
  • The city has a Regional Historical Museum, where you can listen to an excursion in English language. The museum includes historical, mineralogical, nature, cultural and other exhibitions.
  • You can visit the Picture-museum; exhibitions of different painters or the Sport Museum where you will know about the famous sportsmen and a story of the development of the Northern sports.
  • In the Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (PINRO) you will meet the fascinating world of the dwellers of the sea bottom.
  • The Museum of Northern Navy will show you different models of military ships and submarines, uniforms of the Russian navy military and many other things connected to Northern Russian Navy.
  • Nuclear Icebreaker "Lenin". Watch Worlds first nuclear icebreaker in the passenger harbour. Everyday free excursion on board. See Murmansk by the Captains eye from the bridge, the cabins and engine room.
  • Regional Centre of Folk Arts may interest you in the special for Russia kind of handicraft.
  • You can visit Russian Orthodox Temples and enjoy listening to a nice church choir.
  • You will see the enormous Memorial of a Warrior named by citizens 'Alyosha' which dominates above the city like a huge tower.
  • Memorial of the sunken submarine Kursk. It sunk the 12th August 2000, all 118 Seamen died. The Kursk memorial you can find on the territory of the Memorial Complex to the Soldiers and Seamen Who Died in Peaceful Time.
  • You can have a walk in the shining with lights city in Winter time, or under the never setting sun in Summer.
  • And at night you can have dinner in a restaurant with a nice variety show.
• Murmansk:
  • Tickets for museums and museum excursions cost between RUB 100 and RUB 1000 per person.
  • Entrance ticket to Atomic Icebreaker to join an excursion in Russian language: RUR 600 pp. Individual excursion to Atomic Icebreaker with a lecture in English language can be arranged.
  • City excursion in Hero city Murmansk.
  • Trip to Husky kennel close to Murmansk.
  • Trip to Saami Settlement close to Lovozero.
  • Trip to Teriberka and the Barents sea shore.
  • Trip to Husky Park close to Lovozero.
  • Trip to Lovozero village; Capital of the Saami.
• Saint Petersburg:
  • Folklore program in Nikolaevsky Palace "Feel yourself Russian" inclusive traditional Russian snacks.
  • Guided hiking excursions in St-Petersburg, 3 hours.
  • Guided hiking and driving excursion in St-Petersburg, 3 hours.
  • 7 hour excursion to Tsarskoe Selo/Pushkin and Ekaterina Palace.
  • 7 hour excursion to Peterhof by hydrofoil “Meteor".
  • Entrance tickets for Hermitage: approx. EUR 18 per person.
  • Local guide-interpreter.