A fascinating journey to Karelia for those who want to relax and unwind from the hustle and bustle of the city. You will find impressive landscapes, nature walks and some entertainment: rope town, bungee, ATVs, water walks. You will visit several interesting museums related to the history of the Leningrad region and the Republic of Karelia, but it will not be a boring excursion, but a real journey into the past. Route developed with the support of [Volkswagen Caddy](https://www.volkswagen-commercial.ru/ru/model-overview/caddy.html?utm_source=Caddy&utm_medium=cpm&utm_content=Caddy&utm_campaign=LCV_Road_Travel&tc=oa-LCV_Road_Travel-Caddy-cpm-Keyword_Caddy-banner).
The main attraction today is the Ruskeala Mountain Park, but there are so many interesting places along the way that deserve your attention. Visit the former bunker of Finnish army, Gustav Winter's manor house, don't forget to look into the biggest Lutheran church in Karelia of the mid XIX century.
Start this short journey with breakfast on the shore of Lake Ladoga, take more fruit with you. Beautiful views and the sound of the waves will make your morning stunning.
"Mount Filina is a military-historical complex, which is a stone rock where a former bunker of the Finnish army is hidden. In 2016 one of the largest underground museums in Northern Europe was organized here. The museum consists of two halls. The first one introduces you to the history of the underground double command headquarters of the Finnish Ladoga Coastal Defence Brigade, and the second one presents a geological collection of rare minerals of Karelia. But that's not all: visitors can walk along the pedestrian route with viewing platforms, on the way there will be an extreme entertainment area, a park of military equipment, gallery of themed sculptures.
Beautiful landscapes, a park with rare plant species, a coniferous forest are just a small part of what you will find here. This manor used to belong to surgeon and public figure Gustav Winter, and now there is a museum on the site where you can learn more about the fate of this great man. A separate exhibition is dedicated to the work of artist N. Roerich, who visited Gustav Winter and painted more than 200 paintings here. After the walk, be sure to visit the Gustav Winter Panoramic Restaurant overlooking Ladoga. Facility's interior, which is made in Scandinavian style, creates special atmosphere. A prerequisite - your arrival must be planned in advance and booked at the phone number that you will find on [website](https://dachawintera.ru/restaurant).
The Ruskeala Mountain Park is the visiting card of Karelia, thousands of tourists come to the republic for it. No wonder, because it is a madly beautiful place. Marble canyon, underground lakes, pine forests, unusual rocks, quarries - all this creates a fabulous atmosphere. There are several excursions to the most interesting sights: "Marble Canyon, Mining Masters' Road, Underground Ruskeala. For fans of all exotic things there are special entertainments: rope camp "Cube", bungee, ATVs, water walks. You can find the operating mode and rules of the park [on the official website](https://ruskeala.ru/chasy-raboty).
On the way to Priozersk turn to Lahdenpohja, here you will find the largest Lutheran temple of Karelia in the middle of XIX century, which was built in the form of a cross. Unfortunately, in 1977 the temple was badly damaged in a fire. Now it houses the open-air museum "City of Angels", where you can see wooden sculptures made by the best masters of Russia and Europe. The best time to visit is on Saturday or Sunday, when the museum is open until 19:30. On weekdays a visit is possible from 10:00 to 17:00.
Check out one of the best restaurants in town for dinner. The menu offers a large selection of Russian dishes. In addition to tasty food there will be excellent service and pleasant atmosphere.
Today you will learn a lot about the Leningrad region, plunge into the history of this amazing region and admire the architectural diversity of the Priozyorskiy district. The adventure will start from Korela fortress and end at a cozy restaurant on the lakeside. The day will be really very rich, you will see the main sights of Priozersk, and after that you will go to the amazing rocky park "Monrepo", which used to be a private property, and now is one of the main wonders of Russia.
For breakfast we offer to go to the most stylish establishment Priozerska. Real coffee, prepared by a professional, will help you wake up. They say that the baked goods here are great too.
The Corela Fortress was built by the Novgorodians as a defensive structure protecting the borders from numerous attempts to capture by the Swedes. It withstood 44 sieges, belonged to Sweden for a while and only returned under Peter I, but after a while was conquered again. In different periods, the fortress performed different functions, for example, in the XIX century, served as a prison of pre-trial detention, after - a shelter for the mentally ill. According to legend, in 879 the first prince died here in Russia. In 2004 a memorial stone was installed near the fortress. The museum on the site of a once majestic building was opened in the second half of XX century. There are two types of excursions: sightseeing tours of the museum and the fortress, excursions only on the territory of the fortress. This time we propose to examine the fortress inside and outside, to explore every corner of this place, which contains the history of several eras. Afterwards, you can drive to the church, which was designed by a Finnish architect in 1912.
For lunch, go back to the best restaurant in town. I'm sure you didn't get a chance to taste all the delicious things in this place yesterday.
We suggest to continue exploring the architectural diversity of Priozersky district, this time go to the village Melnikovo. We recommend to see the stone church from 1912, built according to the design of Finnish architect Josef Stenbeck. You will even have the opportunity to visit the inside and learn more interesting facts about this place.
After visiting the main sights of Priozersk, it is time to go to Vyborg. Here you will visit the only rock park in Russia. People come here for inspiration and calmness. From 1788 and for 150 years the park served as an estate owned by Barons von Nicolais. It was they who made this place as we can see it now. At the moment some of the park's attractions are closed for renovation, but it is worth coming here. You can see the Chinese arched bridges, Rosenthal Valley, the Temple of Neptune, Ludwigstein Island, the Medusa Grotto, the Champs-Elysées. All these places deserve your attention, but Ludwigstein Island is particularly interesting here. It is shrouded in legends, one of which is associated with Swedish King Erik XIV. It's about him in his poem "The Monrepo Estate in Finland. 1804" was written by Ludwig Heinrich Nikolai. More information about the park can be found at [site](http://www.parkmonrepos.org/main). Mode of operation: The entrance to the park is open daily, without weekends or holidays: during the summer period (from May 1 to September 30) from 09:00 to 20:00. Autumn-winter period (October 1 to April 30) from 9:00 to 18:00.
Great place by the lake to finish this weekend beautifully and tastefully. If you wonder why you can't have dinner in Vyborg, we'll say that you won't find such an atmospheric place there. The restaurant is surrounded by centuries-old pine trees, and panoramic views of the lake from the windows of the restaurant will charm everyone. Here you will find the best dishes of European cuisine. And for the youngest there is a special children's menu.