Discover Northern Lights in Murmansk
Forest trees, dressed in fascinating outfits, boundless fields of sparkling snow, the shimmering ice of the Karelian lakes and the northern lights provide a fairytale-like background of the tour "Northern lights" in Russia which opens new faces of the countries beauty to the delight of the traveller' s eyes. Murmansk, in the extreme north-west near Finland, enjoys over 40 days of uninterrupted night, making it one of the world’s premier destinations for the Aurora Borealis, and with over 300,000 residents you can enjoy all the cosmopolitan comforts of civilisation amidst the serenity of the Arctic.
You can get to Murmansk by train (30h) or flight (2h) from Moscow or St Petersburg, what makes this region is easiest to get in order to experience the Northern Lights from late August to May, with the condition that the night temperature is below -10 °C, so plan your trip for mid-September to mid-April. The Northern Lights is a poorly predicted phenomenon and depends on the magnetic activity of the Sun. In other words, you have to wait and literally “hunt” it, which means it’s worth a week or more to go.
You can get to Murmansk by train (30h) or flight (2h) from Moscow or St Petersburg, what makes this region is easiest to get in order to experience the Northern Lights from late August to May, with the condition that the night temperature is below -10 °C, so plan your trip for mid-September to mid-April. The Northern Lights is a poorly predicted phenomenon and depends on the magnetic activity of the Sun. In other words, you have to wait and literally “hunt” it, which means it’s worth a week or more to go.
Program 8 days/7nights - Northern Lights V3
1 DAY: SAINT PETERSBURG
Meeting with guide at the airport.
Transfer airport – hotel. Check in.
2 DAY: SAINT PETERSBURG
Breakfast in the hotel.
Meeting with a guide in the hotel lobby.
City bus tour with a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
During the bus sightseeing tour you will see the main architectural masterpieces of Saint-Petersburg: the unique ensembles of the Palace, Senate, St. Isaac's Squares, Arts Square, the arrows of Vasilievsky Island, the Field of Mars, the “strict, slender look” of Neva embankments, magnificent palaces and cathedrals, unique bridges and lattices, historical monuments.
Free time for lunch (not included).
OPTIONAL EXCURSION TO PUSHKIN (Palace and Park)
Pushkin's sights are unique architecture in protected areas. Catherine Park of Pushkin is the most striking object. It is a great place to spend time visiting museums, or just walk around, inspired by the beautiful views everywhere. The territory covers 107 hectares and offers a place to admire architectural monuments, walk along picturesque alleys and get a taste of Russian history. We recommend visiting the Catherine Palace with its world-famous Amber room. The modern Catherine Palace is a late Russian Baroque style. It acquired this appearance during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna thanks to the reconstruction of the architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1752-1756). The work lasted four years and the 325 – meter-high majestic Palace, named Catherine's Palace in memory of her mother, the first Russian Empress Catherine I, was presented to shocked foreign guests. All the emperors of Russia lived in luxurious paintings, inlays of halls and magnificent interiors of apartments, arranged balls and masquerades, received foreign ambassadors, and celebrated anniversaries.
Return to hotel.
3 DAY: SAINT PETERSBURG
Breakfast in the hotel.
Free time.
OPTIONAL RUSSIAN MUSEUM OR THE MUSEUM OF FABERGE
Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum is the world’s largest collection of Russian art, housed in a unique architectural complex in the historical centre of Saint-Petersburg. The museum collection contains over 400 000 exhibits covering all major periods and trends in the history of Russian art, all main types and genres, trends and schools of Russian art over more than a thousand years: from the X to the XXI century. The State Russian Museum today is an extensive museum complex. It is a large authoritative research, restoration, preservation, and educational centre, supervising the work of all art museums of the country.
Museum of Faberge
The world's largest collection of Carl Faberge masterpieces is located in the Shuvalov Palace of Saint-Petersburg. The Museum was established on the basis of the world's largest collection of works by the House of Faberge. The items of greatest value in the collection are nine Easter eggs made by artisans employed by the House of Faberge for the last two Russian emperors. They are all masterpieces of jewelry art and have unique historical value, as they are linked to the reign and personal lives of Alexander III and Nikolai II. Today, Faberge Museum's collection is made up of over 4000 display items which also represent the many different things created by the House of Faberge: Easter masterpieces, fantasy-themed objects, jewelry, miscellaneous small items, silverware, home decor and objects of worship.
Free time for lunch (not included).
Optional: Lunch in a local cafe.
Transfer to railway station. Night train Saint-Petersburg (23:20) – Petrozavodsk (06:50).
4 DAY: KIZHI ISLAND
Transfer to hotel. Early check-in.
Breakfast in the hotel.
Excursion to Kizhi island.
Sightseeing tour of the Kizhi ensemble of museum of Russian wooden architecture on the air with a Cup of tea.
Kizhi Museum-Reserve is one of the largest open-air museums in Russia. This is a unique historical, cultural and natural complex, which is a particularly valuable object of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia. The basis of the museum collection is the ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The most striking monument of wooden architecture are the many-headed temples of the Kizhi churchyard, in which the harsh power of the chopped walls is combined with the sophistication of the silhouette and the shadowy pattern of chapters covered with ploughshare. The 22-head Church of the Transfiguration was built in 1714, and almost the whole world followed the unique process of its restoration, which ended just recently!
Return to hotel.
5 DAY: PETROZAVODSK
Breakfast in the hotel. Check out.
City tour of Petrozavodsk.
Petrozavodsk is the capital of the Republic of Karelia, named after its founder, Peter I, the industrial and cultural center of the region, the City of military glory and one of the greenest cities in the north-west of Russia. In 1703, an arms factory was built here, a year later becoming the largest in Russia. You will get acquainted with the main attractions of Petrozavodsk, interesting facts from the history of the city and the republic. The highlight of the tour will be a visit to the embankment of Lake Onega, where there is a unique collection of modern avant-garde sculpture donated by twin cities.
Free time for lunch (not included).
Optional: Lunch in a local cafe.
Transfer to railway station.
Night train Petrozavodsk (17:14) – Murmansk (11:44).
6 DAY: MURMANSK
Breakfast in the train. Meeting with a guide at the railway station in Murmansk.
Transfer to hotel. Check in.
City tour of Murmansk.
Return to hotel. Free time.
Evening tour “Northern Lights” with a professional guide-photographer. Duration 4-6 hours (depending on weather conditions).
7 DAY: MURMANSK
Breakfast in the hotel.
Tour to the ocean in Teriberka. Duration 8-9 hours.
The winter road to Teriberka is accompanied by charming northern landscapes and a rare sun. You will learn what the Arctic climate zone is all about, you will feel all the power and indomitability of the Arctic Ocean, which does not freeze along the entire coast of the Kola Peninsula. A sleigh ride behind snowmobiles to the ocean coast with a rocky shore. The time spent on the beach is approximately 20-30 minutes.
Lunch in a local cafe.
Return to the hotel in Murmansk.
Evening tour “Northern Lights” with a professional guide-photographer. Duration 4-6 hours (depending on weather conditions).
8 DAY: MURMANSK
Breakfast in the hotel. Check out.
Transfer to the airport. End of the tour.
Meeting with guide at the airport.
Transfer airport – hotel. Check in.
2 DAY: SAINT PETERSBURG
Breakfast in the hotel.
Meeting with a guide in the hotel lobby.
City bus tour with a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
During the bus sightseeing tour you will see the main architectural masterpieces of Saint-Petersburg: the unique ensembles of the Palace, Senate, St. Isaac's Squares, Arts Square, the arrows of Vasilievsky Island, the Field of Mars, the “strict, slender look” of Neva embankments, magnificent palaces and cathedrals, unique bridges and lattices, historical monuments.
Free time for lunch (not included).
OPTIONAL EXCURSION TO PUSHKIN (Palace and Park)
Pushkin's sights are unique architecture in protected areas. Catherine Park of Pushkin is the most striking object. It is a great place to spend time visiting museums, or just walk around, inspired by the beautiful views everywhere. The territory covers 107 hectares and offers a place to admire architectural monuments, walk along picturesque alleys and get a taste of Russian history. We recommend visiting the Catherine Palace with its world-famous Amber room. The modern Catherine Palace is a late Russian Baroque style. It acquired this appearance during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna thanks to the reconstruction of the architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1752-1756). The work lasted four years and the 325 – meter-high majestic Palace, named Catherine's Palace in memory of her mother, the first Russian Empress Catherine I, was presented to shocked foreign guests. All the emperors of Russia lived in luxurious paintings, inlays of halls and magnificent interiors of apartments, arranged balls and masquerades, received foreign ambassadors, and celebrated anniversaries.
Return to hotel.
3 DAY: SAINT PETERSBURG
Breakfast in the hotel.
Free time.
OPTIONAL RUSSIAN MUSEUM OR THE MUSEUM OF FABERGE
Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum is the world’s largest collection of Russian art, housed in a unique architectural complex in the historical centre of Saint-Petersburg. The museum collection contains over 400 000 exhibits covering all major periods and trends in the history of Russian art, all main types and genres, trends and schools of Russian art over more than a thousand years: from the X to the XXI century. The State Russian Museum today is an extensive museum complex. It is a large authoritative research, restoration, preservation, and educational centre, supervising the work of all art museums of the country.
Museum of Faberge
The world's largest collection of Carl Faberge masterpieces is located in the Shuvalov Palace of Saint-Petersburg. The Museum was established on the basis of the world's largest collection of works by the House of Faberge. The items of greatest value in the collection are nine Easter eggs made by artisans employed by the House of Faberge for the last two Russian emperors. They are all masterpieces of jewelry art and have unique historical value, as they are linked to the reign and personal lives of Alexander III and Nikolai II. Today, Faberge Museum's collection is made up of over 4000 display items which also represent the many different things created by the House of Faberge: Easter masterpieces, fantasy-themed objects, jewelry, miscellaneous small items, silverware, home decor and objects of worship.
Free time for lunch (not included).
Optional: Lunch in a local cafe.
Transfer to railway station. Night train Saint-Petersburg (23:20) – Petrozavodsk (06:50).
4 DAY: KIZHI ISLAND
Transfer to hotel. Early check-in.
Breakfast in the hotel.
Excursion to Kizhi island.
Sightseeing tour of the Kizhi ensemble of museum of Russian wooden architecture on the air with a Cup of tea.
Kizhi Museum-Reserve is one of the largest open-air museums in Russia. This is a unique historical, cultural and natural complex, which is a particularly valuable object of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia. The basis of the museum collection is the ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The most striking monument of wooden architecture are the many-headed temples of the Kizhi churchyard, in which the harsh power of the chopped walls is combined with the sophistication of the silhouette and the shadowy pattern of chapters covered with ploughshare. The 22-head Church of the Transfiguration was built in 1714, and almost the whole world followed the unique process of its restoration, which ended just recently!
Return to hotel.
5 DAY: PETROZAVODSK
Breakfast in the hotel. Check out.
City tour of Petrozavodsk.
Petrozavodsk is the capital of the Republic of Karelia, named after its founder, Peter I, the industrial and cultural center of the region, the City of military glory and one of the greenest cities in the north-west of Russia. In 1703, an arms factory was built here, a year later becoming the largest in Russia. You will get acquainted with the main attractions of Petrozavodsk, interesting facts from the history of the city and the republic. The highlight of the tour will be a visit to the embankment of Lake Onega, where there is a unique collection of modern avant-garde sculpture donated by twin cities.
Free time for lunch (not included).
Optional: Lunch in a local cafe.
Transfer to railway station.
Night train Petrozavodsk (17:14) – Murmansk (11:44).
6 DAY: MURMANSK
Breakfast in the train. Meeting with a guide at the railway station in Murmansk.
Transfer to hotel. Check in.
City tour of Murmansk.
Return to hotel. Free time.
Evening tour “Northern Lights” with a professional guide-photographer. Duration 4-6 hours (depending on weather conditions).
7 DAY: MURMANSK
Breakfast in the hotel.
Tour to the ocean in Teriberka. Duration 8-9 hours.
The winter road to Teriberka is accompanied by charming northern landscapes and a rare sun. You will learn what the Arctic climate zone is all about, you will feel all the power and indomitability of the Arctic Ocean, which does not freeze along the entire coast of the Kola Peninsula. A sleigh ride behind snowmobiles to the ocean coast with a rocky shore. The time spent on the beach is approximately 20-30 minutes.
Lunch in a local cafe.
Return to the hotel in Murmansk.
Evening tour “Northern Lights” with a professional guide-photographer. Duration 4-6 hours (depending on weather conditions).
8 DAY: MURMANSK
Breakfast in the hotel. Check out.
Transfer to the airport. End of the tour.
Departures 2024
19 Jan 2024 – 26 Jan 2024
02 Feb 2024 – 09 Feb 2024
09 Feb 2024 – 16 Feb 2024
16 Feb 2024 – 23 Feb 2024
23 Feb 2024 – 02 Mar 2024
09 Mar 2024 – 16 Mar 2024
16 Mar 2024 – 23 Mar 2024
02 Feb 2024 – 09 Feb 2024
09 Feb 2024 – 16 Feb 2024
16 Feb 2024 – 23 Feb 2024
23 Feb 2024 – 02 Mar 2024
09 Mar 2024 – 16 Mar 2024
16 Mar 2024 – 23 Mar 2024
What is included and not included in the tour?
Our prices include:
Supplementary:
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR:
We drive as far as possible from the city, within 150 km
We find a clear sky and a good point to observe the Northern Lights
We expect the beginning of the heavenly performance, from about 1 to 3 hours
When the Northern Lights appear, we begin a photo shoot
The Northern Lights generally do not appear immediately, this is due to its activity, or to weather conditions.
For example, sometimes you have to wait until the clouds disperse.
Until the Northern Lights begin, we can arrange a photo shoot in the night forest, against the background of the starry sky or the Milky Way.
We also always have hot tea and cold snacks / sweets. You can always get warm in the car/bus.
We recommend to take with:
Should any evens of International or Federal importance coincide with the dates of the tours (such as Economic and Legal forums in Saint-Petersburg etc.), we reserve the right to review the rates and /or offer a non-central hotel as a substitute
*The program is preliminary. The excursion blocks can be replaced with the similar ones, without changing main waypoints
**Groups of different languages can be combined in one bus with individual guides
***Please always consider a single supplement when the number of pax is odd
* If restrictions are imposed on the entrance to museums for a certain number of people, we can serve group requests with the division of groups into smaller ones, with the predominant use of the same transport (or with a different number and capacity of transport), but with a large number of guides.
** Some museums or excursions can be excluded from the program if circumstances beyond the control of the tour operator require it (time constraints due to covid-19 / bans on the operation of facilities). At the same time, as far as possible, we will offer an alternative replacement.
- Double accommodation in 4* hotels:
- In Saint-Petersburg – Holiday Inn Moskovskye Vorota or similar
- In Petrozavodks – Piter Inn or similar
- In Murmansk – Azimut hotel or similar
- Bed and breakfast in hotels
- Night train Saint-Petersburg (23:20) — Petrozavodsk (06:50)
- 4 beds compartment (accommodation with other passengers)
- Night train Petrozavodsk (17:14) – Murmansk (11:44)
- 4 beds compartment (accommodation with other passengers)
- Excursion program with entrance tickets
- Catering per program
- Early check in in Petrozavodsk on Day 4
- All transfer and transportation services per program
- Local English / French / German speaking guides or assistance for translation from Russian per program
- Catering and accommodation for drivers and guides when necessary
- Visa support letter
Supplementary:
- Optional visits (can be prebooked only)
- International flight to Moscow and from Saint-Petersburg
- Pre-tour program in Moscow and / or in Saint-Petersburg or in region
- Supplements for business class for domestic fights
- Twin accommodation in Night train Saint-Petersburg – Petrozavodsk in 4 beds compartment
- Twin accommodation in Night train Petrozavodsk – Murmansk in 4 beds compartment
- Late check out in Saint-Petersburg on Day 3
- Lunch and Dinner on Day 3 in Saint-Petersburg
- Volga Balt tour escort for the whole tour
- Non obligatory Insurance of medical, medical transport and other expenses
- Non obligatory accident insurance
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR:
We drive as far as possible from the city, within 150 km
We find a clear sky and a good point to observe the Northern Lights
We expect the beginning of the heavenly performance, from about 1 to 3 hours
When the Northern Lights appear, we begin a photo shoot
The Northern Lights generally do not appear immediately, this is due to its activity, or to weather conditions.
For example, sometimes you have to wait until the clouds disperse.
Until the Northern Lights begin, we can arrange a photo shoot in the night forest, against the background of the starry sky or the Milky Way.
We also always have hot tea and cold snacks / sweets. You can always get warm in the car/bus.
We recommend to take with:
- Backpack or travel bag
- Comfortable hiking clothing: warm pants, warm sweater,
- Wool socks (2 pairs), simple socks (2-3 pairs), T-shirts, warm jacket, wool hat, gloves, warm loose shoes.
Should any evens of International or Federal importance coincide with the dates of the tours (such as Economic and Legal forums in Saint-Petersburg etc.), we reserve the right to review the rates and /or offer a non-central hotel as a substitute
*The program is preliminary. The excursion blocks can be replaced with the similar ones, without changing main waypoints
**Groups of different languages can be combined in one bus with individual guides
***Please always consider a single supplement when the number of pax is odd
* If restrictions are imposed on the entrance to museums for a certain number of people, we can serve group requests with the division of groups into smaller ones, with the predominant use of the same transport (or with a different number and capacity of transport), but with a large number of guides.
** Some museums or excursions can be excluded from the program if circumstances beyond the control of the tour operator require it (time constraints due to covid-19 / bans on the operation of facilities). At the same time, as far as possible, we will offer an alternative replacement.
Contacts
Feel free to write and call us
+7 922 1841362 whatsapp/telegram
info@inrussiaconmax.com
info@inrussiaconmax.com
Registered office in Russia
Maxelenatravel LLC - Ulitsa Turistskaya 2-2, Moscow
Company in Italy for tourism promotion
Italhouse Srls - Via Piraineto 44, 90044 Carini (PA)
Maxelenatravel LLC - Ulitsa Turistskaya 2-2, Moscow
Company in Italy for tourism promotion
Italhouse Srls - Via Piraineto 44, 90044 Carini (PA)
