In winter, Ruskeala is especially magical: Karelian nature does not seem to be asleep – it is simply transformed. Go to the park and wander along the snow-covered paths, breathing in the pleasant frosty air. You can travel from St. Petersburg and return back in one day. Get to the Northern capital, and we will tell you what to do next.
It will be convenient for you to get to Ruskeala from St. Petersburg and back, for example, by Lastochka No. 827CH: departure from the Northern capital at 8.31, arrival at the Ruskeala Mountain Park at 13.30. Round-trip tickets cost about 1,400 rubles.
If tickets are not available, please try other dates. Or rent a car.
What to see in Ruskeala?
Marble Canyon
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This is the main location of the park – marble was previously mined here, but the canyon was flooded with water, forming a huge lake. Above it rise powerful rocks of gray, bluish, greenish, white, black shades with multi-colored spots. There are many observation platforms around.
Entrance ticket to the park – 100 rubles.
Dungeon
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Do not think that in the adits you can only see traces of the development of marble quarries. Travelers say that the impressions from the descent to the “wrong side” of Ruskeala are the most fantastic. Multi-colored lighting and musical accompaniment create the feeling of another, mysterious world.
Entrance ticket – 1,500 rubles.
Kalevala Park
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This is an interactive platform where the legends of the Karelian epic are collected. For example, there are song characters carved from wood and stone. Maybe you’ve already heard or read about them, or maybe you’re meeting them for the first time. For greater effect, take part in quests, master classes and other entertainment.
Entrance ticket – 100 rubles.
Rock Garden
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For about 20 years, a local resident has been collecting rock samples into unusual statues and compositions. Sometimes they include rare household items found in abandoned places. You can bring interesting rock samples here and contribute to the garden, or try to create a piece of art yourself.
Museum “Abode of Angels”
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Carved wooden items are collected here – mostly figurines of angels, but there are also images of people. Some installations symbolize human anxieties, worries, sorrows and joys, as if they were being looked at from above. The exhibition looks less like a disparate collection and more like a theatrical scene frozen in time.
Entrance ticket – 200 rubles.
Mining Masters’ Road
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If you want to take with you not only impressions of the beauties of Ruskeala, but also their history, take an excursion during which you will visit several objects of the mountain park at once. Meanwhile, they will tell you about the development of the canyon, marble mining and local wonders.
The cost of the excursion is 1,000 rubles.
What else to do?
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During the holidays, there will be a New Year’s fair in Ruskeala: walk through cozy wooden houses, buy souvenirs and try treats. You can also take part in the fair festivities or watch a fire-choreographic show that will take place in the Italian Quarry. And, of course, horse-drawn carriage rides or snowmobile rides are always at your service. And in the Ruskolka cafe you can dine on Karelian dishes
