How to get to Valaam

Valaam island is located on lake Ladoga in Karelia. Each year there arrives a lot of tourists and pilgrims not only from Russia but also from around the world. As a rule, Balaam going to look at the Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy Balaammonastery sky. But the island has other attractions – a unique and wonderful nature, very beautiful pine forest and cliffs on the shores of the lake. To get to Valaam several ways.

Instruction

1. On the island there is a pilgrimage service of the Valaammonastery of the sky, all the questions about organized tourist trips need to apply it there. Service website http://vp.valaam.ru/. Pilgrimage service of the need to coordinate also the desire to stay on the island more than one day.
2. The most common way of getting to Valaam is a tourist trip on the boat from St. Petersburg. This method is the most expensive of all, but at the same time the most comfortable and simple. The cost varies, the specific amount can be found on the site of the pilgrimage service or at the time of booking excursions on Valaam. Rates include meals, it ship where you will allocate a separate cabin, as well as sightseeing and entertainment.
3. Also there are cheaper tours, which cannot be accommodated in cabins and meals on Board. In most cases, the boat rides to the island at night, the day do you spend on the island, the next night back. Cruise route on Balaam may be combined with a visit to other places: the island kanevets, Svir'stroy, which is the Alexander-Svirsky monastery, are sometimes included in the tour program, and other attractions. Please check details when you book the tour.
4. From St. Petersburg can be reached by Balaam "the Meteor". Organized trip provides departure early in the morning, stay on the island (approximately 8 hours) and the way back. The one way only takes 4 hours, but "meteor" is not such a comfortable environment. Besides, it's quite noisy method of transportation on water, so many people prefer the ship.
5. You can get not from the Petersburg and cities of Leningrad region, located closer to Balaam, for example, Priozersk. There's the meteor, it takes about an hour.
6. "Meteor" goes to Valaam and Sortavala. If water transport from other cities only runs in the peak season, from Sortavala running does not stop courts from may to November.