A trip to Karelia is a cherished dream of a person who is captivated by the dim beauty of northern nature and prefers its half-tones and quiet charm to the noisy and variegated colors of southern cities and villages. That is why tours to Petrozavodsk and the surrounding area will always remain in the top lines of the ratings of the favorite vacation spots of Russian travelers.
History with geography
The city of Petrozavodsk is spread out on the shores of Lake Onega and its quarters run down the steps of the lake terraces like an amphitheater. Surrounded by forest and lake surface, the city stretches for more than two dozen kilometers, and its magnificent panorama is best seen from Mount Kukkovka.
Lake Onega is the second largest in Europe. It has a system of canals connecting the city with five seas, and this list includes not only the White, Barents and Baltic, but even the Black with the Caspian.
Petrozavodsk became the city in March 1777, although the village of Solomennoye appeared on this place two centuries earlier. The main impetus for the development of the city was the weapons factory founded here by Peter I, which the emperor visited several times. After the victory in the war with the Swedes, the need for large quantities of military goods disappeared, the Petrovsky plant switched to peaceful rails and began to produce fountain pipes, nails and anchors for the Baltic Fleet.
As in the Far North
Due to the difficult climatic conditions, the city is equated to the regions of the Far North, and therefore the participants of tours to Petrozavodsk should listen to the weather forecast before traveling. The climate here is temperate continental, but the proximity of the sea affects both the temperature regime and the amount of precipitation.
Winter lasts a long time, but it is rather mild and the average temperature during the day is -10. Summer lasts much shorter and is not particularly warm. Thermometer columns in June rarely exceed +20, but daylight hours, on the contrary, take at least 22 hours.
White nights in the capital of Karelia is another good reason to buy a tour to Petrozavodsk in May or June, especially since a period of prolonged rains begins in the middle of summer.
Briefly about the important
- You can get to Petrozavodsk by road or by train. The distance from the capital is slightly more than 1000, and from St. Petersburg - 400 kilometers. There are regular flights to the local airport from both capitals and Helsinki. The best way to get around the rather long city is by trolleybuses, minibuses or buses.
- As part of the tour to Petrozavodsk, it is worth taking an excursion to the center of wooden architecture in Kizhi. The fastest way to get there is by helicopter, which transports guests of the capital of Karelia weekly from November to May.
