The motor ship on Valaam. Valaam: the map. Cruise to Valaam

Valaam Island, located in the north of Ladoga Lake in Karelia, has always been interesting for tourists who come to this protected place every year. Here you will find unique beauty of nature: a combination of sheer rocks and pine forests, numerous lakes, as well as the Transfiguration Valaam Monastery. Everyone can touch history, after all the motor ship on Valaam goes often. The distance from St. Petersburg to Valaam is 210 km, and from the northern shore of Ladoga Lake you can reach quite quickly, since the distance to the island is only 18 km.

Historical digression

Some historians agree that the name of the island means high ground. By the way, there is a small island in the islands archipelago, but the high island is Skitsky: its height is 58.2 m. In any case, a cruise on Valaam is an excellent opportunity to feel part of nature among rocks, bays, islands, straits and coniferous forests . This unique combination can not boast of every resort! It is believed that the Valaam Monastery was founded during the Baptism of Rus by the Reverend Herman and Sergius. In the XV century the monastery was called the Great Lavra. The heyday of the monastery was in 1839-1917. Today this complex attracts tourists from all over the world.

How to get there

You can get to the holy island in several ways. The most popular, comfortable, but not cheap - a motor ship on Valaam from St. Petersburg. This cruise assumes a trip in the cabin (the degree of its comfort depends on the cost of the purchased ticket) with meals. The ticket price also includes various excursions and entertainment. Some routes involve stops, for example, on the island of Konevets, in Sortavala or Svirstroy, but such events are paid separately.

The second way is to get to the island on a meteor from Priozersk. This route is organized by the Pilgrimage Service of the Valaam Monastery. First pilgrims travel by bus to Priozersk - it takes about three hours, then the group is transplanted to a meteor and within an hour gets to the island.

Which tour to choose

Tourist companies offer ample opportunities to visit this legendary island. As already mentioned, the most convenient way is a motor ship on the Valaam route, for example, St. Petersburg-Valaam-St. Petersburg, designed for one day and two nights. Within the framework of this tour you are expected:

1. In St. Petersburg, tourists are registered, then the ship travels along the Neva to Ladoga Lake. For this time, tourists are waiting for dinner, various music programs.
2. At 8 am - arrival to the island in Nikonovskaya bay. Here, tourists will be offered a guided tour to the Monastery Bay, from which you can get back for additional funds on a small boat. Within the second day, tourists will be offered a tour of the monastery - a visit to the Znamensky Chapel, the monastery garden, the brotherly cemetery, and the Savior's Transfiguration Cathedral. You will also have free time, after which you will have an excursion to the Scythians of Valaam.
3. Morning - return to the river station in St. Petersburg.

You can get to Valaam by helicopter, and at any time of the year. True, this method of travel is not always available. As a rule, 20 people can fit in a helicopter, and even if the tourists do not have enough of the necessary number of tourists, places should be bought out. Travel to the island from Moscow is quite a long - a week, so it's easier and more profitable to get to St. Petersburg and from there get on the ship to Valaam.

How much is

In the framework of this tour the motor ship to Valaam in September will cost:

• On the boat deck, the cabin cost is 8700 (double) and 10500 rubles (single).
• On the average deck, the cost is as follows: a two-seat double room - 11200 rubles, a single cabin - 10100 rubles, a double - 8400 rubles.
• Tickets on the main deck - 8000 rubles for a double cabin.
• On the lower deck a triple cabin will cost 7,000 rubles.

If you choose a motor ship on Valaam, ticket prices include accommodation in cabins, three meals a day, dinner on the evening of departure, all excursions and entertainment programs included in the itinerary.

Excursion to Kizhi and Valaam

To get to the holy island can be several tours, which are offered by modern travel agencies. For example, a longer cruise on the ship to Valaam with an extended program is the route "St. Petersburg-Svirstroy-Kizhi-Petrozavodsk-Mandrogi-St. Petersburg". This tour is for 6 days / 5 nights. Departure - from St. Petersburg with dinner on the boat. Then the tourists come to Valaam, where they are waited by a walking tour of the sketes, the central metochion, a visit to the Cathedral, a trip along the Monastery Bay. Then the group goes to Lodeynoye Pole, where a bus excursion to the monastery of Alexander Svirsky will be carried out. An unforgettable experience will be presented by an excursion to Kizhi - an island that consists of unique buildings of the XVII-XIX centuries. The next destination is Petrozavodsk and a walk along it, then the group stops in Mandrogi's retro-village. Then the ship returns to St. Petersburg. The cost of such a trip will be from 17,370 rubles per person.

What is interesting on the island of Valaam

The map shows that in a relatively small area a lot of places worthy of attention. Of course, the main attraction of the island is the Transfiguration Cathedral. Earlier here was the center of Orthodoxy, and now in the monastery there are about 200 inhabitants. Life in the hermitage is actively reviving. The only functioning at the moment is the Resurrection Skete, which houses the Pilgrimage Service of the monastery, which organizes excursions around the island. Here, on the top of the Mount of Olives, there is a chapel of Ascension, from which a beautiful view of the Malaya Nikonovskaya bay opens.

As a rule, a pilgrimage season to the island is opened during the feast of the memory of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas and the feasts of the Nikolsky Skete. It is at this time that excursions to Valaam on the ship become popular. By the way, the air temperature here is rarely high because of the constantly blowing winds, so you should take warm things with you.

When to go

Excursion tours to Valaam operate from May to October, while from St. Petersburg you can get there in several ways. Modern travel agencies offer several options for routes. The most popular is a tour to Valaam by boat from St. Petersburg, but many are interested in weekend tours, for example, Valaam-Kizhi or Valaam-Mandrogi. You can choose longer cruises, and on the island there are hotels where you can stay. Firstly, it is a hotel at the monastery. Secondly, all year round there are hotels "Winter", "Mansard" and "Igumen". You can stop in the tent camp - such a holiday will be appreciated by those who prefer to feel as close to the environment as possible. Here you can have a bite to eat, and in summer there are many cafes on the island, where you can fully eat.

Popular excursions on the island

The basic excursion is considered a tour of the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral and the central metochion. It is included in almost all cruises. Also often visited is the Nikolsky Skete on the Nikolsky Island. If there is time, the guide suggests visiting the Igumen cemetery. In addition to the usual excursions, on the island you can visit the museum of local lore, located on the pier of the Monastery Bay, Red Cape, a weather station located here. You can rent a boat for a walk around the island - it will cost from 2000 rubles.

Guides note that excursions to the existing monastery should be carried out in accordance with the rules and the charter of the monastic life, accordingly, some travel within the tour can be canceled depending on the life of the monastery.

Balaam's sketes: what's special

As part of the excursion to the Resurrection Skete, tourists are first invited to visit the Gethsemane monastery, then the group ascends to Mount of Olives to the Ascension Chapel. At the end of the trip you can visit the monastery farm and treat yourself to fresh milk and bread. In the framework of riverine tours, it is often suggested to visit defensive structures, which until now remained on Cape Krasny. It is very beautiful here, because a quiet bay harmoniously combines with rocky canals. Many tourists note that defensive structures look disgusting on the background of nature, but they indicate that in our life there are dark and bright sides.

So, if you want to plunge into nature and history at the same time, traveling to Valaam is a great way to do it. Choose river cruises, because that's how you can better know the native expanses of Russia and get closer to nature.