©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd N o r t h e r n E u r o p e a n Russia Why Go? Kola & Karelia ............... 301 Cold hands, warm heart? The idiom has never rung more Petrozavodsk ................ 301 true than in this land of polar winters and cliché-busting Around Petrozavodsk ... 307 Russian hospitality, where those braving daunting long hauls and off -radar destinations are rewarded with a hearty Northern Lake Ladoga ... 309 reception by curious locals. Kem & But the allure of Northern European Russia (Северно- Rabocheostrovsk ........... 311 Европейская Россия) goes deeper than vodka shots and con- Solovetsky Islands ......... 312 vivial conversation: the realm that spawned the epic poetry of Central Kola ................... 317 the Kalevala is home to a profound historical and scenic land- Murmansk ..................... 322 scape that includes the iconic wooden architecture of Kizhi Vologda ......................... 329 Island, the far-fl ung Solovetsky Islands’ imposing monastery/ Totma ............................ 334 erstwhile Gulag camp, and a vast, lush wilderness that’s just Veliky Ustyug ................ 336 beginning to recognise its tourism potential. It’s also one of the best places to witness the eerie northern lights. Kargopol ........................ 338 For all its trademark Arctic majesty, the region’s short Around Kargopol........... 340 summer is also a great time to visit, perfect for making boat Arkhangelsk .................. 340 connections, fi shing for prize salmon and frolicking beneath Malye Karely ................. 345 the midnight sun. W h e n t o G o Best Places to Eat Murmansk » Karelskaya Gornitsa (p 305 ) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 30/86 6/150 » El Fuego (p 343 ) 20/68 » 10/50 Puzatiy Patsyuk (p 333 ) 4/100 0/32 » Traktir Zhily-Bily (p 326 ) -10/14 -20/-4 2/50 -30/-22 Best Places to -40/-40 -50/-58 0 Stay J FDNOSAJJMAM » Botel Onega (p 303 ) Late Apr–May Late May–late Late Nov–mid- » Hotel Priyut (p 316 ) Watch winter melt Jul The fleeting Jan Scan the » Hotel Dvina (p 341 ) away as the land- summer is ideal perpetually » Hotel 69 Parallel (p 325 ) scape transforms for island access sunless skies for almost overnight. and fun in the the gasp-inducing » Hotel Angliter (p 332 ) midnight sun. aurora borealis. 300 Tromsø 0 200 km Alta Vadso 0 120 miles NORWAY Kirkenes Barents Sea Nikel Zapolyarnye Prirechny Severomorsk Lapland Ivalo Murmansk Biosphere Kola Reserve Olenegorsk NORTHERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA RUSSIA EUROPEAN NORTHERN SWEDEN Lovozero Lake Lovozero Monchegorsk Revda Apatity Lake Poliyarniye Zori KirovskSeydozero Kandalaksha Kemijärvi Alakurtti Kola Peninsula le Umba Arctic Circ Rovaniemi Loukhi Varzuga Kemi Kuusamo Mezen Lulea ea Pyaozerskiy W h i t e S Gulf of Oulu Bothnia Kalevala Rabocheostrovsk Solovetsky Islands Kem Pinega Kostomuksha Severodvinsk Arkhangelsk Belomorsk Kajaani Pinega R KARELIA Onega Kholmogory Yasny iver Lieksa Obozersky Kuopio Seve Medvezhegorsk rnaya FINLAND Mirny Kenozero Dvina Pieksämäki Lake National Plesetsk Joensuu Onega Park Martsialnye Troitsa R Vody Kizhi iver Sortavala Kolatselga Pudozh Tampere Shala Lyadiny Nyandoma Kotlas Petrozavodsk Lake Yadrikha Lappeenranta Salmi Besov Nos Lekshmo Kargopol Father Priozersk Petroglyphs Frost's Valaam Vytegra Belsk er tic Estate iv HELSINKI Lake Olonets Vosnesenye Konosha Vyborg Vol B Veliky y Ca na R Kotka Ladoga a o Ustyug Volga-Bal l Lipin Bor kh na u Waterwa t g S Gulf of Finland ST PETERSBURG l ic a- Ferapontovo Totma Nikolsk Pushkin Belozersk Kirillov Kharovsk Sheksna TALLINN Narva Vologda ESTONIA Cherepovets Tartu Veliky Novgorod Rybinsk Staraya Russa Kostroma Pskov Yaroslavl LATVIA Ivanovo Nizhny Œ Pushkinskie Volga River R GA Gory Tver Novgorod Vladimir Cheboksary BELARUS MOSCOW Northern European Russia Highlights 1 Marvel at the glorious 3 Swim with the human 5 Hunt for the aurora ancient wooden architecture walruses then board a nuclear borealis or bask in the of Kizhi (p 307 ), including icebreaker in Murmansk midnight sun on the all-or- the iconic multidomed (p 322 ), the world’s biggest nothing Kola Peninsula Transfi guration Church Arctic city (p 301 ) 2 Go monastery-hopping at 4 Stuff your stocking in 6 Try your hand at the sylvan retreat of Valaam Veliky Ustyug (p 336 ), home traditional folk art in the (p 310 ) and the ever-evocative to the Russian Santa, Ded tranquil town of Kargopol Solovetsky Islands (p 312 ) Moroz (p 338 ).