Winter entertainment in Karelia

Dear friends! We invite you to feel deeply our winter atmosphere, to be surrounded by snow-crowned trees, by songs of winter bullfinches. Winter is a perfect time to visit Karelia. In winter Karelia provides great opportunities for active tourism.  

You can enjoy wonderful relaxing rest in Russian banya – the best way of time-passing one frosty day. From times immemorial it has been believed that Russian sauna brings health, recovery and life-giving forces. Sauna lovers live longer, look and feel better.  Can you imagine!! !! You take a birch brunch , you sit on an aspen bench and you breath in a hot dry steam filled with flavor of birch, aspen or needles.. And then you shoot out and jump into the snowdrift!!! Yes! It’s the main part of winter banya! After such a rite you’ll be full of health and forces and will be ready to start more exciting activities!!!

Would you like to try a real arctic riding a snowmobile on the frozen lake of Onega through the surreal beauty of frozen desert covered with fluffy Russian snow?! And there will be plenty of it, for sure!

And what about the unique and unforgettable experience of a journey along the frozen lakes and snowy taiga on dogsledges. You will love the pristine wilderness, the thrill of being surrounded by abundant wildlife and the majestic winter scenery. The clear air and the endless snowy forest will transport you to the world from a winter fairy- tale. Karelia offers you breath-taking and challenging adventures in the Russian North.

For hardier people we can offer different ross-country ski routes that run along the woodlands, the frozen lakes and through old traditional villages, where beautiful treasures of Russian wooden architecture can be found. Enjoy the quiet beauty of the Karelia and plenty of snow!

For those who prefer short-time activities we can offer skating. Our stadium, which is situated in the center of Petrozavodsk, gives you a possibility to rent the skates! Cheerful music, bright lights on the ice – all for an excellent way of rest!

As for the guests who come in February we are glad to offer you to visit or even to participate in another winter magic! International Winter Festival of the North "Hyperborea" held in Petrozavodsk each February. This is a Festival of Snow and Ice sculptures, where different music & dance societies take part in a great concert, where you can see masterpiece sculptures made of ice and snow! Usually the holiday ends by gorgeous fireworks!!

Karelia in winter attracts you by enormous ways of spending time! Winter in Karelia - time of unimaginable beauty. A ringing crystal frosty air, the crunch of pure snow, which for many people large cities have become a distant childhood memory, sparkling snow caps of giant pines and firs, and even the northern lights - a real winter kingdom!