In 2015 we should drive north to Harstad, north in Norway, and chose the somewhat unusual, but absolutely adventure-rich route through Russian Karelia. The route was: Stockholm Ferry to Helsinki – St. Petersburg – Petrozavodsk via smaller roads – Kem – Rovanemi – Kiruna – Harstad – Oslo. In total, less than 500 miles. This was not an off-road trip, and can be done with a regular car.
Karelia is an fantastic for those who are interested in old wooden houses. We took a number of detours and visited small villages that were almost vacated. Only a few elderly where left, but the churches were well maintained.
Visa
To get a visa, you need an invitation. This can be arranged by booking accommodation at hotels, and then the hotel will send you an invitation. Or you can, as we did, get a visa company to fix it for you. These can be found on Internet. We used http://www.russlandspesialisten.no/ and that worked flawless. You send them the passport and they arrange everything, including the invitation.
Car Insurance
Check with the insurance company if the insurance applies in Russia. If not, this can be arranged just before the border, for example at a petrol station. The best part is to fix it in advance.
Border Crossing
Bringing a car into Russia causes some bureaucracy. We spent 4 hours at the queuing on E-18 Finland-Russia, but most were the queue was to get to the border. The passage itself was done in half an hour. The biggest job is to fill in a temporary vehicle import permit. These were only available in Russian at the border crossing, and you can not expect anyone to speak English. Although I had an English translation, and although Elin speaks Russian and we got help, we had to fill it out 3 times before it became correct. You get a stamped copy of this paper and you need to take care of it. If you do not have it when you go out again, chances are you will not get the car with you. The same applies if one of the cars registration plates should be lost.
It is advisable to download the import permit in advance and fill it out. For some reason, the document is hard to find on the internet, but a link is found below. Whether they accept the English version I do not know, but it’s good to have the translation.
We were not quite sure where we were leaving Russia again, but according to the map there are many possibilities. Please note, however, that you can not use all the border crossings. On our map some are marked with red men, and some with black. The Russian text describes the black as multilateral and the red as bilateral. It was a bit of a hassle to find out, but bilateral means that only citizens in the two countries can pass. Thus only Fins and Russians in this case.
Road quality and driving habits
The main roads in Karelia were very good, the smaller roads can be ranged between good and very bad. The E-105 / A-121 which goes north to Murmansk is very good and with little traffic.
The driving style on the E-18 towards St. Petersburg was (self) murderous. In fact, the worst thing I have experienced. Much worse than, for example, North Africa or the Caucasus. Overtaking in turns, on the right side of the car, in the gravel and we experienced being overtaken while driving by another car. So 3 cars simultaneously side by side in a two-way road. I had to be extremely aware and it was quite tiring. So I can assure the madman driving you can find from various dash cameras on Youtube is quite common.
Luckily it calmed down after St. Petersburg.
The Trip
From the border we drove straight to Vyborg and stayed at a relatively expensive hotel, 100 USD for a double room. We planned to camp along the way, but the hotels were so reasonable, typically 30 USD, so we chose hotels instead. Vyborg is an ancient Finnish city lying in the part of Karelia annexed by the Soviet after the war. Today a nice little town, perfect for a beer down the harbor where you can sit to study the people. Summer months are usually hot and dry in this part of the country. Mosquitoes are to be assumed.
The next day we drove to St. Petersburg. We took the circle road west of the city center and drove further north, along the big lake Ladoga. At Lodejnoje Pole we took off the E-105 and headed straight east towards the lake Onega. We had been advised that along this road there were many old villages that were worth a visit. These villages are nearly empty today. The younger ones have gone to the cities to get and most houses are empty.
.
We stopped in Rodionovo to find a place to stay overnight. Worth to see is the Wooden Church of St. George, one of the three oldest (1493) wooden churches in Russia. Most churches of this type are closed and one must ask the neighbors for a key. Even though they speak nothing but Russian, people are very hospitable and helpful. We asked around for accommodation and were invited to a small holiday colony with children from St. Petersburg. They were very excited about practicing English and we were invited to attend church service in the church of St. George later in the evening. It turned out that there were cabins for rent in Rodionovo and someone from the holiday colony sat in the car and directed us there. The landlord was waiting later in the evening, but we were invited to a Russian family in one of the other cabins and were served food.
The worship service later was very atmospheric, as they are usually in orthodox countries, with the choir of the children.
The following day we continued along Onega to Petrosavodsk. Along the way we stopped to see more wooden churches. There are many here.
Petrosavodsk is a relatively small city which is the starting point for trips to Kizhi Island, which is an hour’s boat trip on the Onega sea. The boats are old hydrofoils. For old houses enthusiasts, Kizhi is an absolute must. There is an outdoor museum with a number of old churches and other buildings.
Solovki Islands
Next, we went to Kem in one stretch. The road is straight and nice, and infinitely boring. Forest, trees and again forests. Kem was a very dilapidated city, but the starting point for a new boat trip.This time to the Solovki islands in the White Sea, a large bay of the Barents Sea.
Solovki is famous for two things, the monastery and the Gulag camps. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn called Solovki the “mother of the GULAG”. This was where the first gulags were built in 1923, and according to our guide a German delegation arrived here in the 1930s to get inspiration. It is recommended to rent a guide here. Our guide spoke excellent English and we also received a thorough introduction to Russian patriotism. This was just after the annexation of the Crimea.
Solzhenitsyn has written a book about the islands, “The Gulag Archipelago”
After Solovki we headed for Finland on a really bad road. No four-wheel drive required, but good ground clearance made it easier. The exit through customs was hassle free.
