Northern European Russia

Why Go?

Russia's far north, with its stunning and often harsh natural beauty, is a place of startling extremes, best typified by the perpetual darkness of polar night and the midnight sun of polar day.

The inspiration for the epic poetry of the Kalevala, this vast region contains some of Russia's most celebrated sights, including the iconic wooden architecture of Kizhi Island, the remote Solovetsky Islands whose monastery once housed a notorious Gulag camp, and the frigid shores of the Barents Sea. This is also one of the best places to witness the northern lights as well as to explore Soviet-era ruins.

Travelling in Northern European Russia takes a lot of patience at times, and the weather can be unpredictable, with blistering sunshine turning quickly into icy rainstorms. But the reward for perseverance is an insight into one of Russia's most mesmerising regions.

When to Go

AEarly Mar–Apr Days are long and there's plenty of snow for dog sledding and skiing.

AEarly Jun–late Jul The fleeting summer is ideal for island access and fun in the midnight sun.

ALate Nov–mid-Jan Scan the perpetually sunless skies for the gasp-inducing aurora borealis.

Best Places to Eat

A Genatsvale

A Izba

A Karelskaya Gornitsa

A Sem Vecherov

A Terrasa

Best Places to Stay

A Hotel Angliter

A Hostel Troika

A Solovki Hotel

A Azimut Hotel Murmansk

A Mini-Hotel Ilma

Northern European Russia Highlights

1 Kola Peninsula Hunting for the aurora borealis amid the sprawling Arctic wilderness.

2 Solovetsky Islands Discovering these far-flung islands' long history, from ancient labyrinths to Stalin's prisons.

3 Teriberka Wandering the Arctic coastline in this ever-evocative fishing village.

4 Kizhi Spending a day exploring this island's architectural wonders.

5 Murmansk Swimming with the human walruses and boarding a nuclear icebreaker in the world's biggest Arctic city.

History

Petroglyphs and mysterious stone labyrinths attest to a now-mysterious religious life that existed as early as the 3rd millennium BC in this northern region.

From the 11th century AD, Russians from Novgorod made hunting, fishing and trapping expeditions to the White Sea area. Some of their seasonal camps eventually became permanent settlements. These Pomors (coast dwellers) developed a distinct material culture and their own lively dialect of Russian.

Moscow grabbed the Vologda area in the early 15th century and annexed the rest of the northwest from Novgorod in 1478. Shortly after, the unexpected arrival of English sailors seeking a northeast passage to China gave Ivan the Terrible the idea of founding a port and commencing trade with the west. That port, Arkhangelsk, bloomed, as did many towns on its river supply route. All this changed, however, once Peter the Great founded St Petersburg in 1703, offering much easier access to the sea. Formerly forgotten Karelia was suddenly the supply centre for building Peter’s new capital, and Petrozavodsk was founded a year later to produce armaments for his wars with Sweden.

Founding Murmansk

The northwest’s biggest city, Murmansk, was founded during WWI when embattled tsarist Russia was in desperate need of supplies from its Western allies. But no sooner had the Murmansk–Moscow railway been laid than the October Revolution changed circumstances entirely. The Western allies, which opposed the new Bolshevik regime, occupied Murmansk and Arkhangelsk for two years and at one point advanced south almost to Petrozavodsk.

From the 1920s the Murmansk railway helped Soviet governments unlock the Kola Peninsula’s vast mineral resources, bringing new towns such as Monchegorsk and Kirovsk into existence. Gulag prisoners were part of the force that built the region’s new factories and the White Sea–Baltic Canal.

WWII & After

Stalin invaded Finland in 1939–40. Having been independent from Russia only since 1917, Finland allied with Germany to counter-attack along the entire Soviet–Finnish border, eventually occupying Petrozavodsk. Once again, anti-German allies fought desperately to prevent a Russian defeat, sending highly risky supply convoys from Scotland to embattled Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. Those ports held out but were both bombed to rubble by the Luftwaffe. In 1944 the Red Army fought back, pushing the Nazis out of Norway and claiming a chunk of southeastern Finland, which remains part of Russia’s Republic of Karelia today. Many ethnic Finns and Karelians (a Finno-Ugric people related to Finns and Estonians) fled to Finland, and today only about 10% of the Republic of Karelia’s 720,000 population is actually Karelian.

In the 1990s the Kola Peninsula’s heavy industries and naval and military installations were especially hard hit by the collapse of the USSR’s command economy, and cities suffered a big population decline. Despite ongoing problems, strong ties with Scandinavia mean the region's big cities have a progressive air that is unusual for provincial Russia.

Republic of Karelia

Stretching north and west of Petrozavodsk, Karelia is Russia’s Land O’ The Lakes, dotted with villages and with ample opportunities for fishing and hiking. Wild camping is permitted almost anywhere unless there are signs with the words ‘Не разбивать палатку’. Signs saying ‘Не разжигать костры’ mean ‘no campfires’. Lakes and rivers offer canoeing opportunities and some outfits offer rafting, albeit without many rapids. Culturally, the most rewarding day-trip destination from Petrozavodsk is Kizhi, a wonder of wooden architecture.

Petrozavodsk Петрозаводск

%8142 / Population 277,111 / Time Moscow

Set on a bay on vast Lake Onega, Petrozavodsk is the launching point for summer visits to two of the region's biggest attractions: Kizhi Island and Valaam Monastery. The name (‘Peter’s factory’) refers to a munitions plant founded here by Peter the Great in 1703, and superseded 70 years later by the Alexandrovskiy Ironworks (still standing). But Petrozavodsk is by no means the gritty, industrial city its name would suggest. Its neoclassical facades, a large student population and connections with Finland all make for a distinctly European atmosphere, and the appealing lakefront promenade is made for strolling. There are no truly must-see sights here, but it's a pleasant enough place to spend a day or two before or after a trip to Kizhi.

Petrozavodsk

1Top Sights

1Fine Arts MuseumF3

1Sights

2Lakeside PromenadeF2

3Museum of Regional StudiesD3

4Ploshchad LeninaD3

5Statue of Peter the GreatG2

6Statue of Yury AndropovD2

2Activities, Courses & Tours

Intourist-PetrozavodskC2

7Nordic TravelC2

4Sleeping

813 ChairsD1

9Hotel KareliaG3

10Hotel SevernayaC2

11Mini-Hotel IlmaE4

12Onego PalaceE1

5Eating

13Deja VuC2

Dobra KhataC3

14GenatsvaleB3

15Karelskaya GornitsaC3

16La ParisienneD3

17LotosB3

18SigmaC2

6Drinking & Nightlife

19FusionB4

20Kaffee HausC3

21KivachB3

3Entertainment

22Musical TheatreF3

23PhilharmoniaE2

24Rock Bar FME2

1Sights

oFine Arts MuseumMUSEUM

(Музей изобразительных искусств MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.artmuseum.karelia.ru; pr Marksa 8; R400; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; g8, 12, 17, 19)

Besides the permanent exhibitions that feature medieval icons, and folk art such as embroidery, weaving and birch-bark creations, there's a collection of 18th-century Russian Masters that includes a dark and creepy Christ in Gethsemane by Ilya Repin, and interesting temporary exhibitions.

Museum of Regional StudiesMUSEUM

(Карельский государственный краеведческий музей MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.kgkm.karelia.ru; pl Lenina 1; R150; h10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; g5, 8, 12, 17, 19)

Besides exhibitions on trade between Russia's north and the Byzantine world, the history of the city and regional trades, this excellent museum (with English captioning) introduces you to the mysteries of ancient stone labyrinths and the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, which was pieced together in the 19th century from northern Karelian song-poems.

Lakeside PromenadePARK

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; g5, 19, 25, 29)

On a fine summer's day, scores of strolling families, rollerbladers and cyclists take to the Lake Onega promenade – an appealing park area scattered liberally with summer cafes serving shashlyk (meat kebab) and beer, and a host of contemporary sculptures by home-grown and international talent. The most striking of them are the silver Fishermen throwing in a net and the elk-like Sleeping Beauty, symbolising unity between Karelian woman and nature.

Ploshchad LeninaSQUARE

(Площадь Ленина MAP GOOGLE MAP )

The circular pl Lenina is the original heart of neoclassical Petrozavodsk, skirted by matching semicircular buildings built in 1784. In its centre is a 1933 statue of Lenin. Steps pass an eternal flame into the pretty riverside park, from where a bridge crosses to the surprisingly grand facade of the former Alexandrovskiy Ironworks, now part of the vast Onezhskiy Tractor Factory.

Statue of Yury AndropovMONUMENT

(Памятник Юрию Андропову MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Andropova; g4, 5 , 12)

Unveiled to protests and arrests in 2005, a youthful statue of Yury Andropov commemorates the USSR’s 1982–84 supremo and chief of Petrozavodsk’s Komsomol (Communist Party youth wing) some 50 years earlier. Andropov was a long-term KGB director and some believe that had he not died, he would have implemented necessary reforms without breaking up the Soviet Union, unlike Gorbachev.

Puppet HouseMUSEUM

(Дом Кукол GOOGLE MAP ; http://kukla.karelia.ru; nab La Rochelle 13; R175; hnoon-5pm Mon-Sat; g21)

A remarkable and somewhat creepy collection of handmade creations by one of Russia’s foremost puppet mistresses. Storybook heroes, mythological creatures and folk-tale evil-doers are re-created here and each doll is unique.

Statue of Peter the GreatMONUMENT

(Памятник Петру I MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Karla Marksa)

Close to the hydrofoil terminal is a jaunty statue of Peter the Great pointing to the spot where Petrozavodsk would be founded.

2Activities & Tours

Intourist-PetrozavodskTOURS

(Интурист-Петрозаводск MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-592 900; http://ru.go-karelia.com; Hotel Severnaya, pr Lenina 21; g17, 1)

Multilingual agency that can help arrange fishing, skiing and adventure tours around Karelia.

Nordic TravelTOURS

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-762 330; www.nordictravel.ru; ul Engelsa 10; g17)

Tours of Karelia, the Russian Arctic and Solovetsky Islands.

RussiaDiscovery North-WestADVENTURE

(%921-458 6465; www.russiadiscovery.ru)

Specialist in active Karelia adventures such as quad-bike tours and snowmobile tours. Based in Moscow.

zFestivals & Events

Hyperborea FestivalFIESTA

(hJan-Feb)

Chase the winter blues away at this festival celebrating all things snow and ice. Held lakeside.

4Sleeping

oMini-Hotel IlmaHOTEL$$

(Гостиница Илма MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8-911-661 4516; www.ilmahotel.ru; ul Volodarskogo 10; s/d/dm from R2500/2500/650; W; g20)

Well-located mini-hotel with a fresh colour scheme, friendly staff and a small guest kitchen. Also has a hostel out back with bunk beds in bright rooms. Breakfast costs an extra R150.

Hotel SevernayaHOTEL$$

(Гостиница Северная MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8-800-700 1670; www.otel-severnaya.ru; pr Lenina 21; s/d/ste R2250/2450/6000; nW; g4, 5, 12)

This centrally-located, refurbished Soviet-era hotel has a mixture of anonymous rooms and elegant en suite accommodation. Front-facing rooms suffer from street noise. The grand in-house restaurant (mains from R290) has its own brewery. Included breakfast buffet.

13 ChairsHOTEL$$

(Бутик-отель 13 Стульев MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8-921-220 4444; http://13hotel.ru; nab Neglinskaya 13; s/d/ste from R3300/3800/5500; nWs; g4, 8, 14)

The rooms at this boutiquey hotel are designed to imitate a romantic 19th-century fantasy without actually investing in period furniture. Extra (anachronistic) pampering comes in the form of a pool, sauna and spa.

Hotel KareliaHOTEL$$$

(Отель Карелия MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-733 333; www.karelia-hotel.ru; nab Gyullinga 2; s/d/apt/ste from R3000/3800/4400/10960; pnW; g19, 25)

This bustling multistorey tower feels a little like an upmarket clinic, with a health-spa complex offering various massages, baths and beauty treatments. Many rooms have good lake views. The beds in the cheaper options aren't particularly comfortable.

Onego PalaceHOTEL$$$

(Гостиничный комплекс Онего Палас MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-790 790; www.onegopalace.com; ul Kuybysheva 26; s/d/ste from R2500/3100/5700; W; g101)

This monolith looks a bit like a UFO looming over the lake from which it takes its name. Thankfully its interior is a lot less gauche, with classically styled rooms and three upmarket restaurants. Athletic types will appreciate the gym and saunas; for everyone else, there’s a 24-hour lobby bar.

5Eating

Petrozavodsk is the best place to try traditional Karelian food, including the kalitki pastries that are sold everywhere. For self-catering, head to the well-stocked Lotos (Лотос MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Anokhina 37; h8am-midnight) or Sigma (Сигма MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Lenina 18; h8am-10pm; g17).

La ParisienneCAFE$

(Парижанка MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.parizhanka-cafe.ru; pr Marksa 22; mains from R230; h8am-midnight; W; g17)

Come to this spacious European-style cafe for the good coffee, tea, and tasty pastries. Order the dill-topped pizza at your peril, though.

Deja VuFUSION$

(Дежавю MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Lenina 20; mains from R195; h9am-2am; W; g17)

Small but inexpensive salads, soups and light mains served in an upbeat, youthful atmosphere where the déjà vu in question is the Eiffel Tower, a giant photo of which is echoed in ironwork motifs above the bar.

oGenatsvaleGEORGIAN$$

(Генацвале MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Lenina 35; mains from R310; W)

Despite a somewhat gaudy facade, Genyatsvale is a laid-back, tastefully decorated Georgian cafe with blown-up photos of the motherland on the walls. Serves perfectly made khachapuri po ajarski (flatbread filled with melted cheese and a runny egg). Friendly staff and a good Georgian wine list.

oKarelskaya GornitsaKARELIAN$$

(Карельская Горница MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.gornica.ru; ul Engelsa 13a; mains R320-850; hnoon-midnight; g17)

Claiming to be the first Karelian restaurant in the world, this ye-olde hot spot boasts excellent, hearty fare, including rabbit borsch and rich, gamey and fishy mains, washed down with its own medovukha (honey mead). The wild mushroom soup (pokhlebka gribnaya) is superb.

Dobra KhataUKRAINIAN$$

(Добра Хата MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Engelsa 13; mains from R275; hnoon-midnight; W)

The rustic Ukrainian theme is worked to the max here – expect a cheery stove, woven tablecloths, sunflowers, clay jugs and nostalgic sepia prints of Ukrainian peasantry. Maidens in traditional costume serve you all the favourites: draniki (potato fritters), vareniki (filled dumplings), borsch, grilled meats and tankards of kvas (fermented rye bread water).

6Drinking & Nightlife

oKivachBAR

(Кивач MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Lenina 28; h8am-2am Sun-Thu, 8am-5am Fri & Sat; W; g4, 5, 12)

Popular with a youngish crowd, this centrally-located bar-cafe serves pizza and grilled meat dishes (mains from R310), and has imported beers on tap. It also has table football.

Kaffee HausCAFE

(Кофейный Дом MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Lenina 23; h9am-1am; W; g17)

Widely acclaimed for Petrozavodsk’s best coffee and cakes.

FusionBAR

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Krasnoarmeyskaya ul 33; h8.30am-2am; W; g17)

This super-sleek Russo-Japanese-style hang-out by the train station dishes up lethal cocktails every bit as delicious as the authentic sushi snacks (from R85). Popular with the young trendies.

3Entertainment

Rock Bar FMLIVE MUSIC

(Рок-бар FM MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.vk.com/rockbarfm; ul Kirova 12; cover from R150; h6pm until late; g12)

This large student-oriented basement bar beneath the Philharmonia is where Peterozavodsk's fledgling and established rock bands come to strut their stuff.

Musical TheatreTHEATRE

(Музыкальный театр GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-783 738; www.mrteatr.onego.ru; pl Kirova 1; g5)

This magnificent Parthenon pile stages light operas, plays, ballets and folk-group shows.

PhilharmoniaCLASSICAL MUSIC

(Филармония MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-769 208; www.philharmonia.onego.ru; ul Kirova 12)

The top place for classical music and ‘sympho-jazz’.

Musical TheatreTHEATRE

(Музыкальный Театр MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-783 738; www.mrteatr.onego.ru; pl Kirova 1; hticket office 11am-8pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun; g8, 12, 17, 20)

International ballet and opera performances are hosted in the theatre's becolumned neoclassical building.

8Information

Karelia Tourism Portal (www.ticrk.ru/en) Extremely useful website for all things Karelia.

Komart (www.komart.karelia.ru) Handy addresses and 'what’s on' listings.

Petrozavodsk Tourist Office (Информационный туристский центр РК GOOGLE MAP ; %8142-764 835; www.ticrk.ru; ul Titova 3; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat; g29) Very obliging English-speaking staff offer loads of information and advice.

Post Office (Почта GOOGLE MAP ; ul Dzerzhinskogo 5; h8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat) Main post office.

8Getting There & Away

For updated transport timetables, both urban and intercity, consult www.ptz-trans.ru.

Boat

In summer, hydrofoils leave up to five times daily from the Hydrofoil Jetty ( GOOGLE MAP ; off pr Marksa) to Kizhi (R2900 return). You can buy tickets in advance at the Hydrofoil Terminal.

Bus

From the bus station (Автостанция GOOGLE MAP ; ul Chapaeva 3) there are departures every day except Saturday for Helsinki, Finland (R2700, 13 hours, 5am), St Petersburg (R900, 8½ hours, four to five daily), Sortavala (R680, four to seven hours, seven to eight daily), and Vologda (R1130, 12½ hours, 7.10am Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday). There's a handy bus schedule and price list in English pinned to the bus station wall.

Train

From the train station, there are departures for Moscow (R1459, 12¾ to 16¼ hours, four to eight daily), with the ideal overnight choice being train 17, which departs at 8pm and arrives at 9am. The best timed of five services to St Petersburg is train 11 (R800), departing at 10.40pm and arriving at 6.24am. Between six and seven services run daily to/from Murmansk (R1417, 18¾ to 24 hours), the swiftest being train 16. Train 294 (departing at 7.40pm) is the best of a bunch of inconveniently timed trains for Kem (R860, 8½ hours), arriving at 4.03am, although you'll need to kill a few hours at the train station when you arrive before the 8am boat to the Solovetsky Islands.

8Getting Around

The 2GIS website (www.2gis.ru) provides up-to-date transport route info online and via its handy app. Trolleybuses and buses (R25) trundle up and down pr Lenina. From the train station, trolleybus 1 is the most useful, going straight through the heart of the city and down as far as the lake.

Kizhi Кижи

This enchanting green sliver is by far the most visited of Lake Onega’s 1600-plus islands. This is thanks to the magnificent Transfiguration Church, Russia’s most iconic wooden landmark, which dominates the stunning Kizhi Museum Reserve.

Visitors typically get four hours on the island, which is more than enough time to visit the main reserve and stroll up to the lived-in Yamka village. Guided excursions are on offer but much of what you’ll see is self-explanatory and placards are in English. Stay on the marked paths – a decline in the island's poisonous-snake population has led to proliferation of ticks that potentially carry encephalitis.

There is a small cafe (Кафе GOOGLE MAP ; near hydrofoil dock; kalitki R75; h9am-7pm; W), just as you get off the boat.

1Sights

oKizhi Museum ReserveMUSEUM

(Музей-заповедник 'Кижи' GOOGLE MAP ; www.kizhi.karelia.ru; R500, audio guide R150; h8am-8pm Jun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep–mid-Oct & 15-31 May, 10am-3pm mid-Oct–mid-May)

One of Russia's unmissable attractions, the reserve is home to dozens of 18th- and 19th-century log buildings, some furnished in period style, which were moved here from Karelian villages during Soviet times. Topped with 30 miniature domes, the magnificent Transfiguration Church is its star. Be aware that renovation works expected to be completed by 2020–21 currently spoil the view somewhat.

Hydrofoils (R2900 return) from Petrozavodsk dock at a landing flanked by souvenir kiosks. From the ticket office, head south into the main reserve.

An obvious coastal path loops around the main attractions, followed anticlockwise by most visitors, starting with the unmissable Kizhi Enclosure (Корпус музея 'Кижи'). It contains a striking pair of churches, their cupolas covered with wooden 'scales', a modest graveyard and an 1862 wooden bell tower. Kizhi's world-famous 1714 Transfiguration Church features a chorus of wooden domes, gables and ingenious decorations to keep water off the walls. Entry isn’t allowed as it’s undergoing extensive renovation. However, the lovely nine-domed Church of the Intercession (1764) next door hosts a rich collection of 16th-to-18th-century icons and a splendid iconostasis.

Directly south of the Kizhi Enclosure, the 1876 Oshevnev House is typical of larger historical Karelian rural homes where house and stable-barn were combined into one unit. Notice the ‘bed cupboard’ and the dried herbs hanging from the ceiling (Old Believers considered tea drinking a sin).

Further south is a black banya, a tiny wooden bathhouse hut so known because there was no chimney to allow the escape of smoke from the heater fires.

Outside the furnished 1880 Elizarov House, a craftsman carves little human and animal figures, while within the Chapel of the Archangel Michael, note the 'sky' – the wooden icons that make up the ceiling. A merry ringing of church bells usually accompanies your visit.

Just south of Schepin House is a working smithy, while in the southernmost Sergiev House an exhibition compares the coexisting worlds of male and female peasants in the late 19th century. Women were in charge of cooking, embroidery, sewing and child rearing, while men worked in the fields and fished. No surprises there.

Further north, the little 14th-century Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus from Murom monastery is the oldest structure on Kizhi – some claim it to be the oldest wooden building in Russia.

An interesting carpentry exhibit en route to Yakovlev House gives a great visual explanation of how wooden buildings were made without nails. The house itself is the most affluent of the lot, with lace tablecloths and a group of weavers who burst into Old Russian song as you walk in.

From here you could return to the dock past a carved wooden cross, a once common roadside waymarker in rural Karelia. Alternatively, stroll on to Yamka. You can also rent bicycles at the entrance to the reserve for R300 per hour. No deposit is required.

YamkaVILLAGE

(Ямка GOOGLE MAP )

The village of Yamka is home to extravagantly bearded Old Believers, as well as genuinely lived-in (and well-labelled) historic houses. Its pretty lake-side setting is a 15-minute walk up the east coast of the island from the reserve. The reserve’s seasonal staff sleep communally here in the 1905 Pertyakov House, with a traditional-style outdoor banya hut (like a sauna) at the waterside. Two doors south, outside Moshikova House, is a curious blue-eyed pagan totem that’s somewhat reminiscent of an Easter Island moai.

Veronica's Veil ChapelCHAPEL

(Часовня Спаса Нерукотворного из д. Вигово GOOGLE MAP ; Kizhi island)F

Dating from the 17th century, the view from Veronica’s Veil Chapel offers wonderful panoramas right across Kizhi. Walk west across the island from Yamaka village towards Vasilyevo village to get here. It's on top of a picturesque hill. An alternative path from here leads back to the hydrofoil landing for transport back to Petrozavodsk.

8Getting There & Away

From the end of May until late August, hydrofoils (return R2900) make the 90-minute-trip from Petrozavodsk to Kizhi between one and five times daily, according to demand and weather. In summer, there are scheduled departures at 10.30am, 11.30am and 12.15pm, returning at 3.45pm, 4.45pm and 5.30pm, with extra departures depending on demand. Check the Petrozavodsk Transport website (www.ptz-trans.ru/interurban/ships-interurban/timetable_ships.html) for up-to-date timetables. Double-check a day ahead at Petrozavodsk's Hydrofoil Terminal ( GOOGLE MAP ; pr Marksa). Sporadic boats run in early May and from September to mid-October.

In winter, some tour agencies can arrange visits to Kizhi by snowmobile or hovercraft.

Northern Lake Ladoga

The top attraction in Europe’s largest lake is the monastery island of Valaam. Coming from Petrozavodsk, it’s most conveniently reached via Sortavala, though there’s an alternative hydrofoil connection from the historic castle town of Priozersk (formerly Käkisalmi) in Leningradsky Oblast, as well as pricey cruises from St Petersburg.

Sortavala Сортавала

%81430 / Population 18,746 / Time Moscow

Founded by the Swedes in 1632, sleepy Sortavala became better known as Serdobol during its first Russian phase (1721 to 1812), when its quarries provided much of the stone for St Petersburg’s great palaces. It was part of Finland until WWII, when, after severe bombing, its population evacuated and the area was forced into the USSR.

Sortavala is primarily a launching point for reaching Valaam, but it's well worth peeking into the Kronid Gogolev Museum (Музей Кронида Гоголева GOOGLE MAP ; www.artgogolev.ru; ul Komsomolskaya 6; R125; h10am-8pm) near the dock. The highlights here are the remarkable tableaux carved out of wood by local artist Kronid Gogolev.

A couple of blocks away is the statue of Karelian rune singer Petri Shemeikka ( GOOGLE MAP ; pl Vainamoinen) plucking a kantele (traditional Karelian stringed instrument)

4Sleeping & Eating

Uyutnyy Dom ApartmentsAPARTMENT$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %8-921-224 8489; nikitkaonego@yandex.ru; Kirova 18; apt R1200-2000; nW)

Uyutnyy Dom consists of several fully equipped apartments for two to four people, all within a few minutes' walk from the pier. Ideal for self-caterers. Call ahead so that the owner can meet you.

Hotel KaunisHOTEL$$

(Отел Каунис GOOGLE MAP ; %81430-24 910; www.hotelkaunis.ru; ul Lenina 3; s/d R2900/3650; W)

A good upmarket portside option. Rooms are spacious, with decent linen and powerful showers, but the lack of netting on windows means you either roast or become a mosquito buffet in summer (bring repellent). English is spoken and the restaurant (mains from R290) overlooks the water.

Hotel Piipun PihaHOTEL$$

(Пийпун Пиха GOOGLE MAP ; %8-921-526 1111; www.piipunpiha.ru; ul Promishlennaya 44; s/d R3100/4000)

A 15-minute walk from the centre, this lakeside hotel's bright and comfortable rooms all have terraces. There is also a good restaurant on the 1st floor serving Russian and European food (mains from R350). Staff will meet you at the bus or train station.

oKalitkaKARELIAN$

(Калитка GOOGLE MAP ; ul Komsomolskaya 9; kalitki from R40)

This tiny, cosy cafe takes its name from the ubiquitous kalitki (open-face pies) found all over the region. Choose from tasty potato, meat, cheese and spinach or cabbage fillings.

BoulevardRUSSIAN$

(Бульвар GOOGLE MAP ; ul Karelskaya 35; mains R230-390; h10am-2am Sun-Thu, 10am-2am Fri & Sat)

Though the diners boogieing down to Russian pop on the dance floor take away from the Parisian sophistication that Boulevard's wall prints intend to convey, the dishes are nicely presented and the service is congenial and prompt. Choose from such delights as ukha (hearty fish soup) with vodka, and chicken stuffed with mushrooms. Best restaurant in town.

8Information

Sberbank (Сбербанк GOOGLE MAP ; ul Komsomolskaya 8) has a 24-hour ATM.

8Getting There & Away

From Sortavala’s bus station (Автовокзал GOOGLE MAP ; ul Chapaeva 3), daily buses and scheduled marshrutky (fixed-route minibuses) run to Petrozavodsk (R680, four to seven hours, up to six daily). There are also daily bus departures to St Petersburg at 1.31pm (R650, 6½ hours) and 5pm (R600, four hours). Train 350 from St Petersburg (R661, 5½ hours) arrives in Sortavala on Friday at 8.21pm. However, there is no direct train link from Sortavala to St Petersburg at present.

Valaam Валаам

%81430 / Population 200 / Time Moscow

This beautiful, mostly forested archipelago in the north of Lake Ladoga consists of around 50 isles tightly clustered around a 27.8-sq-km main island, where the Transfiguration Monastery (Валаамский Спасо-Преображенский монастырь GOOGLE MAP ; www.valaam.ru; Valaam; h8am-7pm) is the main drawcard. If you're overwhelmed by the stampede of pilgrims, explore a dozen other smaller churches, chapels and sketes on pretty headlands, quiet inland bays or bridged islets. It's by no means an essential sight, however – if you are island-hopping in the region and pressed for time, Kizhi and the Solovetsky Islands have far more to offer.

Mystics like to claim that Valaam was visited by St Andrew within a generation of Christ’s crucifixion. True or not, a monastery was founded here around the late 14th century. Its dual role as fortress against Swedish invaders failed in 1611 when the Swedes destroyed it completely. Rebuilt in the 18th century with money from Peter the Great, the monastery burned down again in 1754. In the 19th century Valaam pioneered the idea of sketes, sort of halfway houses between hermitages and monasteries, where novice monks could retreat and learn from more experienced peers.

When the Soviet Union took northern Lake Ladoga from Finland in WWII, many of the monks and much of the monastery’s treasure were moved to a site near Karvio, Finland, where the Uusi Valamo (New Valaam) monastery remains active. Today there’s a renewed community of about 200 monks, the Transfiguration Monastery is beautifully restored and several outlying sketes have been rebuilt.

One of the few parts of the island that's easily accessible on foot from the monastery is the forested Nikonovskaya area, dotted with chapels and sketes.

Amid trees directly above the Nikonovskaya jetty, the modest red-brick Resurrection Church isn’t a real attraction, but sporadic minibuses (R70) shuttle visitors to the main monastery from here. If none materialise, the 6km walk is blissfully peaceful.

Alternatively, walk 1km west along the main track then, just beyond the pretty wooden Gethsemane Skete, take the forest footpath to the left, turning left again soon after that. This path winds round past the Ascension Chapel, with lovely views down to a wood-lined bay, then curves down and back around past the Konevsky Skete to the Valaam monastery farm complex. From here you can return to Gethsemane Skete, or walk 2km back to the main track near Tikhvin Bridge and hope for a passing vehicle to pick you up (not assured).

For a great picnic site, stroll about 20 minutes north of the Transfiguration Monastery to the quaint, heptagonal bell tower of Nikolski Skete.

4Sleeping

In summer, booking ahead is essential.

Hotel ZimnyayaHISTORIC HOTEL$$

(Гостиница Зимняя GOOGLE MAP ; %8-921-629 3311, 8-921-728 7681; www.vp.valaam.ru; s/d from R2300/2550)

Don’t be put off by the Gostiny Dvor building’s decrepit entrance and stairways: the Zimnyaya’s vaulted cell-rooms are (aptly) austere and overpriced for what they are, but they’re clean and cosily decorated. All but three have shared bathrooms. In spite of its name, the Winter Hotel receives guests year-round.

Hotel LetnayaHOTEL$$

(Гостиница Летняя GOOGLE MAP ; %81430-44 593; ul Tsentralnaya; s R2600-3000, d R3200-3400)

A tasteful alternative to traditional Valaam accommodation. From the outside, it looks more like a stately home than a monks’ cloister. Rooms are modest, yet comfortable.

Hotel IgumenskayaMONASTERY$$

(Гостиница Игуменская GOOGLE MAP ; %8-921-629 3311; www.valaam.com/hotels/73; s/d R3600/4000)

Wood-panelled rooms inside the monastery with simple beds come complete with an icon in a corner niche. From the top of the main approach stairway, enter the first lilac-scented courtyard of the main monastery, turn right and press the buzzer at the third door. There’s no sign. Not the best ratio of guest numbers per shared bathroom. Mainly caters to pilgrims.

8Getting There & Away

From June till early September it’s usually possible to reach the island daily from Sortavala, though not 100% guaranteed. Scheduled hydrofoils typically sail at 9.30am and 11am (R1600 return, 45 minutes), but they are reserved for tour groups, so solo travellers will only get a seat if there's space. In peak season, private speedboat captains round up solo travellers and charge the same as hydrofoils for the journey to/from Valaam. Double-check the return times from the island. Booking a tour with one of many Petrozavodsk agencies is a safer bet.

In February and March a hovercraft runs from Sortavala, ice conditions allowing. With a minimum of seven passengers, tickets cost around R2000 per person; book through Intourist in Petrozavodsk.

Overnight river cruises run regularly in summer from St Petersburg.

8Getting Around

Most boats and hydrofoils from Sortavala arrive at the Monasterskaya landing, close to the main Transfiguration Monastery. Numerous souvenir stands at both ports sell useful, if flawed, maps of the archipelago. Electric bicycles are for rent (R300 per hour) at the landing point.

White Sea Белое море

Kem & Rabocheostrovsk Кемь и Рабочеостровск

If you’re heading for the Solovetsky Islands, the most reliable boat connection is from tiny Rabocheostrovsk, 12km northeast of the logging town of Kem and easily reachable by bus 1 (R60, 20 minutes, every 20 to 40 minutes from around 6.30am to 8.30pm) from Kem's railway station. A taxi to Rabocheostrovsk costs around R400. The ATMs at Kem's Sberbank (Кемовский сбербанк GOOGLE MAP ; pr proletarskiy 19, Kem) and train station are your last chance to withdraw cash, as there are no ATMs on the Solovetsky Islands.

If you need somewhere to stay before or after heading to the islands, Turkomplex Prichal (Рабочеостровской Туркомплекс Причал GOOGLE MAP ; %81458-56 060; www.prichalrk.ru/eng; Naberezhnaya 1, Rabocheostrovsk; s/d/tr from R1200/1600/2400; nW) offers fairly bright, well-maintained, pine-furnished rooms in eight chalet-style blocks. ‘Superior’ rooms have fireplaces, while the windows in the cheapies don't open. An on-site cafe serves light meals (mains R275). Boats for Solovetsky Islands leave from behind the hotel; the helpful reception staff can book your ticket, ideally with advance notice.

There are eight daily trains from Murmansk (R1028, 11 to 13½ hours) to Kem, although only the 598, which goes via Petrozavodsk, will get you into town (4.03am) in time to catch the 8am boat from the islands. From Petrozavodsk, there are six trains daily to Kem (R845, eight to 11 hours).

If you catch the 4pm boat from the islands, you can make the night trains heading both north and south: the 21 to St Petersburg via Petrozavodsk leaves at 8.55pm (R1234), and there are two trains departing for Murmansk at 8.41pm and 8.51pm (R1028).

Solovetsky Islands Соловецкие Острова

%8183590 / Population 950 / Time Moscow

Alternatively called Solovki, these distant, lake-dappled White Sea islands are home to one of Russia’s best-known monasteries. Transformed by Stalin into one of the USSR’s most notorious prison camps, Solovki was described in Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago as being so remote that a ‘scream from here would never be heard’.

Visiting the islands is an adventure. The brief summer is pretty much your only window of opportunity as the autumn brings storms and soup-thick fog, and during the long winter Solovki are swept clean by howling blizzards. Solovki warrant several days' exploration to properly absorb the history and the silence of the forests, bays and outer islands. Bring mosquito repellent, warm clothes and plenty of patience.

The archipelago has six main islands and more than 500 lakes. By far the largest island, Bolshoy Solovetsky (24km by 16km) is home to the main monastery, which dominates the rural idyll of Solovetsky Village, the islands' main settlement.

PRISONERS OF THE MOTHERLAND

Billed ‘the mother of the gulag’ by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Solovki was home to one of the USSR’s first labour camps. Established in 1923, it was given the name SLON (Solovetsky Lager Osobogo Naznachenia; Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp). In Russian, ‘slon’ means ‘elephant’, and upon receiving their sentences, Solovki-bound prisoners grimly joked that they were ‘off to see the elephant’.

Back-breaking logging duty, coupled with inadequate tools and clothing, very little sleep and starvation rations, was enough to reduce most prisoners to shells within weeks. Escape from the islands was very difficult, as prisoners had to break out in groups, navigate their way across the sea and then avoid all settlements en route to the Finnish border. In the gulag's history, only three escape attempts were successful.

This wasn’t the first time the monastery was used for less-than-pious purposes – ‘undesirables’ had been shipped off to the White Sea outpost since the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Prisoners of note included Count Pyotr Tolstoy – forebear of novelist and anarcho-pacifist Leo Tolstoy – and Cossack leader Petro Kalnyshevsky, who was incarcerated here for 25 years and died on the island in 1803…aged 111!

History

Many millennia ago, the ancestors of the present-day Sami adorned these islands with stone ‘labyrinths’ and burial mounds, possibly considering Solovki a gateway to the spiritual world. Permanent occupation began in 1429 when monks from Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery founded a wooden hermitage at Savvatevo. Bequests and royal patronage meant the monastery rapidly grew into a rich landholder, and in the 1570s the complex became enclosed within vast fortress walls, useful as a defence against Swedish incursions. Ironically, greater damage was self-inflicted when, from 1668, the monastery endured an eight-year siege for opposing the ecclesiastical reforms of Patriarch Nikon – doubly ironic as Nikon had been a young monk here (on Anzer Island) – before being betrayed by one of its own.

In a bizarre sideshow to the Crimean War, two British frigates sailed by and bombarded the kremlin with nearly 2000 cannonballs. Given that Russia lost that war, punching a hole in one of the ships and not losing a single man put Solovki back into the minds of Russia’s faithful. Donations rolled in and monks arrived to repopulate the monastery, which remained vibrant until the Soviet government closed it in 1920.

Three years later the islands were declared a work camp for ‘enemies of the people’. At first, the prisoners were permitted to work fairly freely, keeping up the monastery’s botanical garden and libraries. But it wasn’t long until the camp was repurposed, turning into one of the USSR’s most severe and dreaded Gulag camps. Over 350,000 prisoners from all over the Soviet Union and beyond passed through Solovki, and for 20,000 or so the islands became their grave. The prison was closed in 1939, and replaced by a naval training base.

Restoration work on the badly damaged monastery began in the 1960s. Monks started returning in the late 1980s and the islands acquired Unesco World Heritage listing in 1992. Today the monastic community is flourishing but reconstruction remains a long-term task. The islands are today a popular pilgrimage site for Russian Orthodox Christians.

In recent years, as President Putin has forged an alliance with the powerful Russian Orthodox Church, critics have alleged that the history of the Gulag camps on the islands is being downplayed. Some Orthodox officials have also called for strict limits to be placed on ‘secular’ tourism on the islands. For now, however, there is nothing to prevent you visiting.

VISITING THE MONASTERY

AEntry to the kremlin yard at Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery, and to some churches within, is free. However, exhibition halls and linking corridors require a 'Riznitsa' (ризница) ticket, purchased inside the sacristy upstairs.

AAccess to the towers and the prison is limited to those on guided tours.

ADress code is typical for active monasteries: headscarves for women, trousers for men, and no shorts or short skirts allowed.

1Sights

Bolshoi Solovetsky Island

oSolovetsky Transfiguration MonasteryMONASTERY

(Спасо-Преображенский Соловецкий монастырь GOOGLE MAP ; www.solovky.ru; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; R250; hgrounds 8am-10pm, museums 10am-6pm)

This imposing, stone-walled monastery is the heart and soul of the Solovetsky Islands. Founded in 1429, it has played various roles throughout its existence: a hermit's retreat, a vibrant religious community, a rebel enclave that held out against the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, a fortress victorious against British warships, a gulag for the Soviet Union's damned and a museum. Revived post-perestroika, it flourishes once more as a spiritual institution.

The kremlin yard is contained within massive boulder-chunk walls with six sturdy fortress towers topped with conical wood-shingle roofs. These, along with a quivering flurry of church towers and domes, reflect magnificently in Svyatoe Lake. The centrepiece is the 1566 Transfiguration Cathedral (Спасо-Преображенский собор), with its blend of Pomorsky architecture, powerful foundations and whitewashed walls, clusters of domes covered in a dense carpet of wooden scales and a dazzling six-level iconostasis upstairs.

Upstairs is the vast dining room, connected to the rest of the complex by covered walkways. Next to it is the Assumption Church (Успенская церковь), a cavernous former refectory with sparse photo-history boards focusing especially on the 1992 return of the relics of monastery founders Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman.

The sacristy (ризница) upstairs was used to house the monastery's treasures, but many artefacts were carted off by the Bolsheviks and destroyed.

The tiny but magnificently mural-covered 1601 Annunciation Church (Благовещенская церковь) is entered through an unmarked door, one floor above the main gate.

The prison has been in use since the 16th century, first to house those who'd committed crimes against the faith and later to punish those who'd erred against the state. The harshest punishments (leg irons, dreadful food) was reserved for the 'secret' prisoners who arrived with nothing but accompanying papers stating the conditions in which they should be kept.

The monastery complex was heated using three powerful stoves and a series of heating vents that ran through the walls, with underfloor heating used to dry the grain before it was ground into flour. The 17th-century water mill, in turn, was powered by a network of canals that the industrious monks dug to connect the island's 500-something lakes.

oGora SekirnayaHISTORIC SITE

(Секирная гора GOOGLE MAP ; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island)

Literally translated as Hatchet Mountain, this infamous 71m-high hill was the site of tortures and summary executions described in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago. The unassuming hilltop Ascension Church (1857–62) that doubles as a lighthouse was used for solitary confinement. A faint path leads to the clearing where prisoners were dumped in unmarked graves. Сrosses now mark some of these burial sites – the numbers on each indicate how many bodies were found at that spot.

Near the stairs leading up to the church, a larger 1992 cross commemorates all who died on Solovki. The site is about 10km from the village, 7km beyond the botanical garden towards Savvatyevsky minor monastery. Tours cost R480 and can be booked with the island's tourist office. You could also hike or cycle there.

Solovetsky Forced Labour Camps & Prison 1920–1939MUSEUM

(Соловецкие лагеря и тюрьма особого назначения (1920–1939) GOOGLE MAP ; ul Zaozyornaya 7, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; adult/student R250/150; h10am-7.30pm)

Inside former gulag barracks, this excellent exposition (in Russian) takes you through the different stages of the Solovetsky gulag – from punishing 'counter-revoluntionary elements' and providing a slave labour force to build the infamous Belomorsky Canal, to the summary mass executions during the Great Terror of 1937–38. Bold displays are interspersed with gulag prisoner testimonies. A tour by the knowledgeable local archivist (R550) makes the visit particularly worthwhile; book at the tourist office.

Botanical GardenGARDENS

(Ботанический сад GOOGLE MAP ; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; R250; h9am-7.30pm)

Around 3km northwest of the village, the botanical garden enjoys a special microclimate – monks have grown vegetables and hothouse fruits here for centuries. For views, climb nearby Alexander Hill, topped by the miniature Alexander Nevsky Chapel (1854).

Archaeological ExhibitionMUSEUM

(Експозиция Подземные Археологические Соловки GOOGLE MAP ; Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; R150; h10am-6pm)

Contains exhibits detailing the history of the monastery, including the ruins of monks' cells dating from the 16th century.

Annunciation ChurchCHURCH

(Благовещенская церковь GOOGLE MAP ; Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island)F

This tiny but magnificently mural-covered church dates from 1601.

Other Solovetsky Islands

oBolshoy Zayatsky IslandISLAND

(Большой Заяцкий остров GOOGLE MAP ; tour including entry to island R750)

This small, wind-whipped island is famous for its 13 labyrinths, including the largest one in northern Russia. A boardwalk loops around the island from the dockside wooden church. Bolshoy Zayatsky Island was used for female solitary confinement during gulag years, but not a trace remains. Independent travel to the island is prohibited, but there is no obligation to stick with the tour guide once you arrive. Buy tickets for daily tours at the tourist office. Boats make the trip in around 40 minutes.

Anzer IslandHISTORIC SITE

(Остров Анзер GOOGLE MAP )

The second-largest island in the archipelago, Anzer Island has its share of stone labyrinths and burial mounds, as well as a scattering of monastic sketes, the oldest dating back to the 17th century. One of these was used as a typhoid hospital in the 1920s, and hundreds of prisoners died here.

Full-day visits to Anzer costs R1600 per person and can be arranged at the tourist office. Tours run from early May to October.

Bolshaya Muksalma IslandISLAND

(Большая Муксалма GOOGLE MAP )

The third largest of the Solovetsky Islands, Bolshaya Muksalma is connected to the main island by a dam built by monks in the 19th century. It's an impressive sight and the trip here passes through some eye-catching natural landscapes. Tours can be arranged with the tourist office on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.

MYSTERIES IN STONES

Dating back around 4000 years, concentric swirls of shrub-covered stones known as labyrinths occur widely in northern Scandinavia, the Kola Peninsula and the outer Solovetsky Islands. Each has a single entrance and a cairn at its heart. Their purpose is still unknown, but since no human remains have been found in the few labyrinths excavated, it is assumed that they were used for religious ceremonies.

Human and animal remains have been found, however, underneath the stone mounds that dot the outer Solovetsky Islands. Given that the remains are relatively few in number, it is believed that only the most unquiet of souls were given a burial on remote islands.

Stones played an important spiritual role in the lives of the Sami ancestors. Anthropomorphic rocks and mounds of rocks scattered around the Kola Peninsula, known as seids, are believed to have been worshipped as deities.

2Activities

Bicycle RentalCYCLING

(Велопрокат GOOGLE MAP ; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; bike rental per hour/day from R120/600)

Rents everything from single-gear Soviet sturdies to mountain bikes – the latter are by far the best for tackling the unpaved, bumpy roads. A deposit in the form of a valuable (driver's license, watch, mobile phone) is required. There are a number of offices on the island, including one at the Solovetskaya Sloboda hotel. Look out for the signs that say Велопрокат.

Whale WatchingWILDLIFE

(Мыс Белужий )

In early summer, white beluga whales breed off Cape Beluzhy (west coast) and raise their young here. Whale-watching tours (R750 per person, minimum 15 people) involve a 6km walk along the cape to the observation points and can be booked at the tourist office.

4Sleeping

With the exception of Hotel Priyut and Solovetskaya Sloboda, accommodation options operate from early June to early September. Basic camping on private land is possible – contact the tourist office for details.

Peterburgskaya HostelHOSTEL$

(Петербургская Гостиница GOOGLE MAP ; %8183590-375; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; dm/s/d/tr R550/1250/1700/2375; n)

Once a 19th-century inn, the Peterburgskaya Hostel is located in a large wooden building beside the monastery walls and its range of spartan rooms caters primarily to groups. The overall vibe is one of function over form.

oHotel PriyutHOTEL$$

(Гостиница Приют GOOGLE MAP ; %8183590-297; shelter_solovki@mail.ru; ul Primorskaya 11, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; s/d from R2200/2850; n)

Charming, family-run Priyut comprises two homely converted houses. The cheaper Yellow House (shared bathrooms) is adorably kitted out with dried flowers and endearing bric-a-brac, while the Green House’s downstairs rooms have private facilities. Upstairs rooms enjoy fabulous monastery views, and there's a guest banya. The delightful cafe (breakfast/dinner R350/450) opens only for resident groups.

Khutor VaryazhskiyHOTEL$$

(Хутор Варяжский GOOGLE MAP ; %8-921-721 7138; alleya Varyazhskaya 1, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; s with/without bathroom R2100/1700, d R3200/2100; n)

This friendly family run hotel is set amid trees on the banks of Lake Varyazhskoe. It has pleasant, spacious rooms and a banya (R1500 per hour) for guest use. It's around 2km from Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery, but there is a transfer service for R200. It's also a pleasant bicycle ride, if the weather is good.

Solovetskaya SlobodaHOTEL$$

(Гостиница Соловецкая слобода GOOGLE MAP ; %8183590-288; www.solsloboda.ru; ul Zaozyornaya 17a, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; s/d/q/apt R4000/4500/4900/8500; nW)

This centrally located brick hotel has modern rooms ideal for couples, groups and families. There's functioning wi-fi and a restaurant serving a mix of European and Russian cuisine.

oSolovki HotelHOTEL$$$

(Гостиница Соловки-Отель GOOGLE MAP ; %8183590-331; www.solovki-tour.ru; ul Zaozyornaya 26, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; s/d/ste incl breakfast from R5000/5400/8700; nW)

With three double-storey log houses, a fine restaurant and a woodsy setting, this is the island’s poshest hotel. Standard rooms are cosy, with wi-fi, though more expensive ones have twee pseudo-antique painted headboards and share a sitting room with a giant bearskin.

5Eating

Locals are very proud of Solovetskaya herring, which you can sample from July onwards in pies and in salted, fried and raw forms.

EkspeditsiyaCAFE$

(Экспедиция GOOGLE MAP ; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; fish soup R120)

This small, cosy cafe to the right of the Solovetsky Transfiguration Monastery serves fish soup that is usually made from that morning's catch, as well as a range of basic dishes.

Hotel Solo CafeRUSSIAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Kovalyova 8, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; mains from R240; h9am-10pm)

Open to nonguests, this friendly hotel cafe serves inexpensive, tasty dishes from filled bliny (wheat pancakes) and grilled fish to hearty solyanka (a soup made from pickled vegetables and potato).

Solovetsky RaipoSUPERMARKET$

(Соловецкое Райпо GOOGLE MAP ; ul Zaozyornaya, Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; h9am-9pm)

Signposted simply as ‘Produkty’ (Продукты), this is the island’s best-stocked grocery store. The noticeboard at the entrance has advertisements for local apartments for rent.

oIzbaRUSSIAN$$

(Изба GOOGLE MAP ; ul Zaozyornaya 26, in Solovki Hotel Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; mains R350-560; h8am-10pm; W)

Don't let Izba's cutesy log-cabin-with-folky-embroidered-curtains interior fool you – this restaurant at Solovki Hotel serves the most sophisticated fare on the island, from cod poached in milk and expertly grilled meats to handmade fish pelmeni (Russian-style ravioli) and Solovki's very own herring. Help it down with a 'morozhka-ice' – one of its signature 'northern' cocktails made with lingonberry alcohol (R280). Also does a superb wild mushroom soup.

8Information

Bring plenty of cash with you as there are no ATMs on the island and cards are not readily accepted.

Slovetsky Tourist Office (Соловецкий центр гостеприимства GOOGLE MAP ; %8183590-241; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island; h10am-7pm) Information and a wide range of tours. Some English spoken. The website is a comprehensive and regularly updated source of info on the islands.

8Getting There & Away

Air

Planes are unable to land in fog or strong winds. As weather here can change incredibly rapidly, departures from Solovki can be confirmed only an hour before – once the incoming plane has actually left Arkhangelsk. Solovki airport ( GOOGLE MAP ; %8-818 246 2166; Bolshoy Solovetsky Island) is around 1.5 km from the village.

Nordavia (Нордавиа %800-200 0055; www.nordavia.ru/eng) flights to Solovki from Arkhangelsk (one way/return R5950/10,900, 50 minutes) take place between April and late October. Flights depart at 1.50pm on Monday and Friday, with the return flight at 3pm. In July and August there are additional flights on alternate Wednesdays, while in August there are departures on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The return flight to Arkhangelsk is at 3.30pm.

Boat

From early June to late August, the Vasily Kosyakov (Василий Косяков %81458-56 060; www.prichalrk.ru; adult/child R1000/500) passenger ferry departs Rabocheostrovsk for Solovki (two to three hours) at 8am and 12.30pm, leaving Solovki at 4pm and 7pm. It costs R1500, one way. There are also private boats for the same price, if the scheduled departures are full. The staff at Turkomplex Prichal in Rabocheostrovsk can help you get a place on one of these. Ice usually prevents sailings in May, but sporadic ferry services might continue as late as October. Ferries moor on Solovki at Prichal Tamarin (Причал Тамарин), a jetty just northwest of the village.

8Getting Around

To visit sites beyond the village on the main island, either join a tour offered by the tourist office or hire a bicycle from one of several rental outlets near the monastery. Island roads are bumpy, unpaved and suffer from sandy and muddy patches; it’s worth paying extra for a mountain bike with gears (per hour/day R250/1500).

Arkhangelsk Архангельск

%8182 / Population 351,226 / Time Moscow

In the 17th century Arkhangelsk was immensely important as Russia’s only seaport and in 1693 Peter the Great began shipbuilding operations here, launching the Russian navy’s tiny first ship, the Svyatoy Pavel, the following year. Though the founding of St Petersburg in 1703 pushed Arkhangelsk out of the limelight, it later became a centre for Arctic exploration, a core of the huge northern lumber industry and a crucial supply point during the 20th-century world wars.

Only a few historical timber houses remain from the city's heyday, but there's a cosmopolitan charm to the city's parks and waterfront promenade, and Arkhangelsk's lively jazz scene and smattering of good restaurants make it a good stopover en route to two of the region's big attractions: the Solovetsky Islands and the beautifully preserved wooden architecture of Malye Karely.

Arkhangelsk was also the dystopian setting for much of British author Robert Harris' dark novel Archangel.

Arkhangelsk

1Top Sights

1Fine Arts MuseumB2

2Northern Naval MuseumB4

3Regional Studies MuseumB2

1Sights

4AA Borisov MuseumB4

5Archangel Mikhail CathedralD5

6Captured British Mark V TankB1

7EK Plotnikova House-MuseumB4

8Gostiny DvorA3

9Lair of Art GalleryC3

10Naberezhnaya Severnoy DvinyA2

11Prospekt Chumbarova-LuchinskogoC4

2Activities, Courses & Tours

Kompaniya SolovkiB4

12Pomor TurD1

4Sleeping

13Hostel TroikaB3

14Hotel DvinaB3

15Hotel SevernitsaD5

16Pur Navolok HotelA2

17Stolitsa PomoryaA2

5Eating

18Bratya GrillB1

19ChaykhonaB2

20El FuegoB3

21Pekarnaya na ChumbarovkeC4

Polina CafeB4

22Restoran PomorskyB4

6Drinking & Nightlife

23Biblio-CaféA3

24Lock StockD5

25Route 66C2

3Entertainment

26Arkhangelsk JazzB4

27Kamerny ZalA1

28PhilharmoniaA2

Transport

29NordaviaB4

30RossiyaB3

1Sights

oNorthern Naval MuseumMUSEUM

(Северный Военно-морской музей MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.northernmaritime.ru; nab Severnoy Dviny 80; R120; h11am-7pm Tue-Sun; g1, 54)

Beautifully presented nautical exhibits cluster around the striking centrepiece – the prow of a ship – in the light-filled main hall of Arkhangelsk's most modern museum. Lose yourself amid fishing and whaling tools, maps of northern seas and fine models of icebreakers, and then head upstairs to check out the miraculous rescue of the passengers of naval ship Cheliuskinets, who lived for three weeks on ice when their ship was crushed.

oRegional Studies MuseumMUSEUM

(Архангельский областной краеведческий музей MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Lenina 2; adult/child R160/80; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; g1, 54)

The history section charts the development of the harsh north, from its settlement by dispossessed and exiled peasantry in the 1930s, to the Gulag camps, to the suffering of the 'second St Petersburg' during WWII, with the second-highest number of civilian casualties in Russia. Downstairs, the extensive nature section shows off the taxidermied wildlife of the land shaped by retreating ice.

oFine Arts MuseumMUSEUM

(Музей изобразительных искусств MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Lenina 2; adult/student R100/60; h10am-5pm Wed-Mon; g1, 54)

Arkhangelsk’s most compelling art gallery has regularly changing exhibitions that range from modern reflections on Soviet propaganda to pop art. Upstairs are impressive icons, bone carvings and decorative art displays.

EK Plotnikova House-MuseumMUSEUM

(Усадебный Дом Е. К. Плотниковой MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pomorskaya ul 1; adult/student R150/60; h10am-5pm Wed-Mon; g1, 11)

This historical building houses an impressive collection of Russian art from the 18th to the 20th centuries, including works by Karl Bryullov of The Last Day of Pompeii fame (although that one's in St Petersburg). Its main focus, however, is charting the switch to 'critical realism' in the late 19th century, when peasants and other 'common people' became the subjects of paintings.

Sovoletsky Stone in Honour of Gulag VictimsMONUMENT

( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Gagarina; g7)

This 1.5m-by-1m granite stone was brought to Arkhangelsk from the Sovoletsky Islands in 1990 as a monument to the victims of Soviet-era Gulag camps. Located in an attractive park, its inscription reads 'To the Victims of Political Repression.' There are similar stones in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Take bus 7 from the River Terminal to Prospekt Sovetskikh Kosmonavtov and it's a 300m walk down Prospekt Gagarina and through Lomonovsky Park.

Captured British Mark V TankMEMORIAL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Troitsky pr 102; g1, 54)

A British tank on the streets of a Russian city is an unusual sight indeed. This one, which saw service in WWI, was captured by the Red Army in 1919 after foreign forces landed in Russia in an attempt to quash the fledgling Bolshevik state before it had a chance to get going. It was first displayed as a memorial to the Russian Civil War in 1940, and has stood in a number of locations in Arkhangelsk since.

Archangel Mikhail CathedralCATHEDRAL

(Собор Архистратига Божия Михаила MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pl Profsoyuzov; g1,41)

The construction of this 72m-high cathedral, which stands on the site of a prerevolutionary cathedral that was destroyed by the Soviets in 1938, is due to be completed in 2018-19. Even unfinished, the cathedral, with its four golden onion domes, is already a local landmark. Construction began in 2008 as part of a drive by the Russian Orthodox Church to build scores of new churches across Russia.

AA Borisov MuseumMUSEUM

(Музей А. А. Борисова MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pomorskaya ul 3; R150; h10am-5pm Wed-Mon; g1, 11)

Artwork by AA Borisov, dedicated to the Arctic scenery of Novaya Zemlya and settlement of the north.

Gostiny DvorHISTORIC BUILDING

(Гостиный Двор MAP GOOGLE MAP ; nab Severnoy Dviny 85/86; per exhibition R90; h10am-9pm Tue-Sun; g1, 4)

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Arkhangelsk’s heart and soul was this merchants' yard, a grand, turreted brick trading centre built between 1668 and 1684. The huge, fortress-like complex has been largely restored and its exhibition rooms host anything from contemporary photography and landscape paintings by regional talent to literary displays honouring Tove Jansson, the creator of the Moomins.

Prospekt Chumbarova-LuchinskogoSTREET

(Проспект Чумбарова-Лучинского MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Chumbarova-Luchinskogo)

Arkhangelsk's appealing pedestrian street is lined with a a few surviving traditional timber houses that are in the process of being restored, cosy cafes, and a score of whimsical statues that passers-by rub for good luck.

Naberezhnaya Severnoy DvinyPARK

(Набережная Северной Двины MAP GOOGLE MAP )

Given the first hint of warm summer weather, Arkhangelskians emerge to stroll this broad promenade and loiter in any of its many seasonal beer-and-shashlyk (meat kebab) tents.

Lair of Art GalleryGALLERY

(Марфин Дом MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-208 802; www.marfin.wmsite.ru; pr Chumbarova-Luchinskogo 38; R100; h11am-8pm)

In the fine Marfin Mansion, the Lair of Art Gallery hosts occasional mini-concerts, but is most interesting for its furnished interior and large model of how Arkhangelsk looked a century ago.

WORTH A TRIP

MALYE KARELY WOODEN ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM

Set in pretty rolling dales 25km southeast of Arkhangelsk’s centre, the well-presented Malye Karely Wooden Architecture Museum (Музей деревянного зодчества и Народного Искусства Малые Корелы www.korely.ru; Mon-Fri R500, Sat & Sun R750; h10am-5pm Jul-May, to 9pm Jun; g104, 108) is Arkhangelsk’s foremost attraction. Featuring dozens of 16th-to-19th-century wooden buildings relocated here from rural villages during the 1970s – churches, windmills, peasant houses and barns – it's a lovely place for a stroll, especially if you possess even a passing interest in architecture. The museum is divided into four sectors, with buildings grouped according to their geographical origin.

You enter the Kargolopsko-Onezhsky sector past a series of boxy windmills, in the largest of which you can admire the complete interior workings. Cut across to the impressive 1669 Ascension Church (Вознесенская церковь) with its top-knot of wooden domes and forest-scented, icon-plastered interior. The 19th-century Tretyakov House displays curious furnishings of the era, while the quaint little Miracle Worker’s Chapel (Часовня Макария Унженского, Chasovnya Makariya Unzhenskogo) has retained intact its eight-panelled octagonal ceiling icons ('skies').

To reach the other sectors, take the path heading north from the bell tower by the Ascension Church, descend the steep steps, cross the river and walk up another flight of stairs; you'll have to return the same way.

The village-like Dvinskoy sector consists of a smattering of wealthy peasant houses. Notice the curious Rusinova house, former Old Believers' home, with a tiny chapel hidden in a back room. Unlike other Russian peasants, each family member had his or her own eating utensils and a guest's utensils were thrown out. The sector’s centrepiece is the enormous 1672 St George’s Church (Георгиевская церковь), displaying a small but valuable selection of remarkable wayside crosses including one gigantic example that virtually fills the nave.

In both Pinezhsky sector and Mezensky sector, check out the chyornye izby (black cottages), so-called because their lack of a chimney resulted in smoke-stained walls. Mezensky sector's 19th-century Elkino House has an exhibition on Pomor fishing and boat-building and there's a great view over the river below.

Just 200m from the museum entrance is the holiday-hotel complex Turisticheskaya Derevnya Malye Karely, which consists of modern timber cottages and apartments. The excellent restaurant has an olde-Russia theme, serving anything from grilled meats and poached fish to vareniki.

Every 20 to 30 minutes, little bus 104 from Troitsky pr in central Arkhangelsk runs all the way to Malye Karely (R70, 45 minutes), while bus 108 runs directly from Arkhangelsk's bus station, both terminating opposite the hotel complex. A taxi from Arkhangelsk costs around R600.

TTours

oPomor TurTOURS

(Помор Тур MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-203 320; www.pomor-tur.ru; ul Voskresenskaya 99; h10am-7pm Mon-Fri; g1, 10)

City and regional excursions, including themed tours to the Solovetsky Islands and one-week paddle-steamer cruises along the Dvina to Kotlas/Veliky Ustyug. As from 2016, Pomor Tur also offers trips on icebreakers. These last from two to five days and take place from January to April. Costs start at R23,000, and foreigners need to apply at least six weeks in advance to receive the necessary FSB clearance for travel into the Russian Arctic. Accommodation is in two-berth cabins.

Kompaniya SolovkiTOURS

(Компания Соловки MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-655 008; www.solovkibp.ru; 5th fl, Troitsky pr 37; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri; g1, 11)

Good range of tour options to the Solovetsky Islands, Kargopol and around, White Sea regional tours and more.

4Sleeping

oHostel TroikaHOSTEL$

(Хостел Тройка MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8-818-265 0535, 8182-650 535; www.hostel-troika.ru; ul Karla Libknekhta 8; dm R550-600, dm R1600; nW; g1, 11)

This friendly, centrally located hostel is perhaps the region's best budget option. Clean and bright rooms are equipped with bunk beds and shared toilet and bathroom facilities. Two double rooms also have their own toilets and bathrooms. A well-stocked kitchen has everything you need to fix yourself breakfast, as well as a good selection of books. On the 3rd floor of an office building.

Hotel SevernitsaHOTEL$$

(Отель Северница MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-430 013; nab Severnoy Dviny 32; s/d R2300/2500; nW; g1, 54)

This new hotel still has that just-opened sheen and the compact, flowery rooms are good value. It is tucked away in a courtyard, just a short walk from the centre. Gets extra points for chatty, friendly staff.

Stolitsa PomoryaHOTEL$$

(Отель Столица Поморья MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-423 575; www.hotelarh.ru; nab Severnoy Dviny 88; s/d/ste from R3400/4000/5700; nW; g1, 54)

Appealing business hotel with a cracking location overlooking the Dvina. The compact, modern rooms are particularly well geared towards solo travellers and perks include an on-site banya and massage centre. Add R400 for a river-view room.

Hotel DvinaHOTEL$$

(Гостиница Двина MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-288 888; www.hoteldvina.ru; Troitsky pr 52; s/d/ste from R3000/3400/8200; nW; g1, 11)

This 13-storey pink Soviet beauty is a super-central, international-standard hotel that's been tastefully refurbished with quality linens, tiled bathrooms and a gym. Give the poor-value restaurant a miss though. Ask for mosquito netting for your window if it's missing; very helpful desk staff speak English.

Turisticheskaya Derevnya Malye KarelyHOTEL$$

(Туристическая деревня Малые Карелы GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-462 472; www.karely.ru; d/apt/ste from R3200/6000/8300; nW; g104, 108)

Just 200m from the Malye Karely museum entrance is this self-contained holiday-hotel complex. Bowling, billiards and fishing excursions are available, making the modern timber cottages and apartments a fun getaway alternative to central Arkhangelsk. The excellent restaurant has an olde-Russia theme, serving everything from grilled meats and poached fish to wild mushroom soup.

Pur Navolok HotelHOTEL$$$

(Отель Пур-Наволок MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-217 200; http://redstar-hotels.ru/hotels/arkhangelsk; nab Severnoy Dviny 88; s/d/ste incl breakfast from R5000/6500/10,500; nW; g1, 54)

Though the exterior resembles an air-traffic control tower, the professionally run Pur Navolok offers bright, international-style rooms accessed by glass elevator and there's a sauna, plunge pool and hammam complex to ward off the northern chill. Rates include an extensive buffet breakfast and the panorama bar is a fun place to hang out in. Reception staff are sticklers for registration slips.

5Eating

Pekarnaya na ChumbarovkeCAFE$

(Пекарня на Чумбаровке MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Chumbarova-Luchinskogo 29; business lunches R180; h9am-9pm; W; g1, 54)

This bright and cheery cafe is located halfway up pedestrianised Prospekt Chumbarova-Luchinskogo. Offers great-value business lunches as well as tasty pastries to go with your tea and coffee. Can get very busy at lunchtime: a good sign!

Bratya GrillRUSSIAN$

(Братья Гриль MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Troitsky pr 104; mains R295-420; h9am-midnight Mon-Fri, 24hr, closed 8am-9am Sat & Sun; W; g1, 54)

As befitting the name, buzzy 'Brothers Grill' specialises in grilled meats, though there are salads and cakes for non-carnivorous customers. The young staff are attentive, the drinks are unusual (cucumber lemonade, anyone?) and the wallpaper looks like something out of a bizarre fairy tale.

oPolina CafeCAFE$$

(Кафе Полина MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Troitsky 50; mains R270-450; h9am-midnight Sun-Wed, 9am-7am Thu & Sat; Wv; g1, 11)

This spacious cafe is popular with a young crowd and serves good pasta, as well as fish- and meat-based dishes. A sprouting of vegetarian dishes (such as mushroom and eggplant bake, R290) offer some welcome culinary relief for non-carnivores in provincial Russia. Also has a good selection of pastries and a decent wine list.

ChaykhonaCENTRAL ASIAN$$

(Чайхона MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mains R315-945; h11am-midnight Sun-Thu, 11am-1am Fri & Sat; W)

Spice alert in provincial Russia! This laid-back Central Asian–themed restaurant, part of a chain, serves plov (meat and rice, pilaf style), kutab (stuffed flatbread), grilled meat and good noodles.

Restoran PomorskyRUSSIAN$$

(Ресторан Поморский MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pomorskakay ul 7; mains R270-1200; hnoon-midnight; W)

Set in log-cabin-effect alcoves, this local favourite serves imaginatively named dishes such as 'bride of three bridegrooms' (salmon caviar bliny) and the 'herder bag' (pork stuffed with cheese). The affordable business lunch (R270) is filling, but not a thrill for the senses. It’s hidden on the rear of the 3rd floor of an office building.

El FuegoSTEAK$$$

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Chumbarova-Luchinskogo 39; steak R660-4400; hnoon-2am; W; g1, 11)

This Argentinian-style restaurant provides top-notch dining for the discerning carnivore. An exemplary steak menu that ranges from tender veal to Kobe rib-eye, and chefs of international calibre, make for a special night out. Its grill-scented, dark surrounds feel especially cosy during winter.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Lock StockPUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.lockstockpub.ru; nab Severnoy Dviny 30; h11am-1am; g1, 4, 11)

Hugely popular English-style pub with authentic local-boozer decor and a hugely comprehensive list of ales, stouts and beers from the UK and elsewhere.

Biblio-CaféCAFE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Lenina 3; h8am-11pm; W; g1, 11, 54)

Smart and sunny hideaway brewing strong coffees (from R140) behind the Arkhangelsk library.

Route 66BAR

(Роут 66 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pr Lomonosova 177; hnoon-2am; g1, 6, 10)

American-style diner-bar with orange leather seats and a surprisingly good selection of English beers on top of its palatable own brew. Live bands on weekends.

3Entertainment

Arkhangelsk JazzLIVE MUSIC

(Архангельск Джаз MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.arkhangelsk-jazz.com; Pomorskaya ul 3; cover from R400; h8pm-1am Sun-Thu, until 2am Fri & Sat; g1, 54)

This rickety-looking historic building plays host to the city's most exciting jazz and blues events. An international jazz festival takes place here in May and live gigs take place on weekends.

Kamerny ZalLIVE MUSIC

(Chamber Hall; Камерный Зал MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-208 066; www.pomorfil.ru; ul Karla Marksa 3; hticket office 1-7pm Tue-Sun; g1, 6, 10)

Kamerny Zal stages organ and chamber music in the 1768 Lutheran church of St Catherine. There’s a busy 'white nights' program in June.

PhilharmoniaCLASSICAL MUSIC

(Поморская филармония MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-215 669; www.pomorfil.ru; pl Lenina 1; hticket office noon-7pm Mon-Sat; g1, 54)

The Philharmonia hosts orchestral concerts and operas. Its Kamerny Zal stages organ and chamber music in the 1768 Lutheran church of St Catherine.

KolesoLIVE MUSIC

(Колесо GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-209 799; www.arkoleso.ru; ul Gaydara 4/1; h5pm-late; g1, 6)

The 'Wheel', an Arkhangelsk institution, hosts rock, thrash metal, folk, rockabilly and country gigs from local and visiting acts on weekends and some weeknights. Check the regularly updated website to see what’s on while you’re in town.

8Information

Post Office (Почта GOOGLE MAP ; Voskresenskaya ul 5; h8am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat & Sun) Main post office.

Tourist Office (Туристический информационный центр GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-214 082; www.pomorland.info; ul Svobody 8; h9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Thu, to 4pm Fri; g1, 54) Enthusiastic, well-informed, English-speaking staff are an inspiring source of information for the city and the whole of Arkhangelsk region. Extensive website.

The 2GIS website (www.2gis.ru) has an interactive map of the city with all transport routes marked. It's also available as a free app.

8Getting There & Away

A handy ticket desk in Hotel Dvina sells rail and air tickets for a small commission.

Air

Arkhangelsk’s main airport, Talagi (Талаги GOOGLE MAP ; www.arhaero.ru), is 12km northeast of the centre. Most flights are operated by Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.com), Nordavia (Нордавиа MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %800-200 0055; www.nordavia.ru/eng) and Rossiya (Россия MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %800-444 5555; www.rossiya-airlines.ru/en). Destinations include Moscow (1¾ hours, up to seven daily), Murmansk (two hours, six weekly), Solovetsky Islands (50 minutes, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday in summer), St Petersburg (1½ hours, up to six daily).

Weather permitting, further Solovetsky Islands flights leave in small planes from Vaskovo Airport (Аэропорт Васьково GOOGLE MAP ; %8182-462 166), 20km southwest of the city centre.

Bus

From the bus station (Автовокзал GOOGLE MAP ; ul 23-y Gvardeyskoy Divizii 13), services run to Veliky Ustyug (R1495, 11½ hours, 8am daily) and Kargopol (R1050, 13 hours, 8.15am Monday, Wednesday and Saturday).

Train

Two or three daily trains run to Moscow’s Yaroslavsky station (R2422, 20 to 23 hours) via Vologda (R1537, 11 to 14 hours) and Yaroslavl (R1965, 15½ to 18 hours). Daily train 009 for St Petersburg (R2574, 24½ hours) departs at 8.43pm.Train 371 heads to Kem on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday (R2380, 13 hours), arriving at 4.03am, which will give you ample time to make the morning boats for the Solovetsky Islands. One carriage detaches en route and heads for Murmansk (R2228, 26 hours).

8Getting Around

The 2GIS website (www.2gis.ru) and app offers complete coverage of all the city's transport routes.

Appearing as MR Vokzal (МР Вокзал) on destination boards, the River Terminal (Морской-речной вокзал GOOGLE MAP ; nab Severnoy Dviny 26) is a major hub for city buses and marshrutky. From here the rare bus 110 runs to Vaskovo Airport and frequent route 12 runs every few minutes to Talagi airport via pl Lenina and northern Troitsky pr.

Handy buses 4, 41 and 54 run down ul Voskresenkaya from the railway station and then turn east along Troitsky pr at pl Lenina. Bus 11 makes a loop around the city centre from MR Vokzal, and buses that run up and down Troitsky pr include 1, 4, 12 and 44.