IIW Circular n°2 FINAL

Sightseeing Tours

Ainola, Villa Kokkonen and Krapihovi Sibelius and Aalto, music and architecture combined

ST. PETERSBURG POST-TOUR Friday, 3 July

Tuesday, 30 June at 12:00-16:00

10:30 meet your local tour manager at the Helsinki railway station 11:00 Helsinki - St. Petersburg by train

Departure from Crowne Plaza hotel with coach and guide. This cultural and architectural tour takes you to the Lake Tuusula area, a 45 minute drive from Helsinki, where a large number of Finnish artists settled at the turn of the 19th and 20th century. Lunch will be served at Restaurant Krapihovi, an idyllic wooden villa where Finnish food tradition is both cherished and created. The pearl grey main building with its green

Short city tour and Visit to Hermitage 14:30 Arrival to St. Petersburg followed by City Tour and visit to Hermitage. Drive along the broad main street, Nevsky Prospect. Stop at Vassilevsky Island to enjoy the superb views of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the oldest building in the city. Pass the multi-coloured spires of the Church of the Spilled Blood, before continuing on by St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the former principal cathedral of Russia, and the famous statue of Peter the Great on horseback. After the city tour visit the world famous art museum Hermitage. The tour ends at your hotel, Sokos Hotel Olympia Garden. 18:30 transfer to a local restaurant for dinner 22:00 return to the hotel Overnight at Sokos Hotel Olympia Garden, a modern first class hotel, located in a peaceful residential area of south St. Petersburg, close to underground station -’’Tehnologichesky institut’’. Sokos Hotel Olympia Garden introduces the concept of Scandinavian hospitality and quality in St. Petersburg. All rooms are modern, fresh and well-equipped. Wireless broadband connection in all rooms.

touches was built in 1883 by the Councillor of State Sourander for his summer residence and for the main building of the Krapi estate. The handsome villa-style building amid the old park is a fine specimen of the wooden architecture of its time. The old building’s chambers and halls in two stories have a special atmosphere. You will then visit Ainola, the home and now a home museum of the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. This timber-built villa was designed by Finnish architect Lars Sonck. Its distance from the hustle and bustle of the nation’s capital gave the composer the peace that he needed for his creative endeavours, while other artistic families living in the neighbourhood provided a lively social circle. Ainola has been preserved as it was during Sibelius’ time. After the visit at Ainola, continue to a private classical concert at Villa Kokkonen, former home of composer Johannes Kokkonen designed by Alvar Aalto. The tour ends at Crowne Plaza.

Saturday, 4 July

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Visit to Peterhof 08:00 Depart by coach for the tour to Peterhof located 20 km south-west of the city, overlooking the Gulf of Finland. Laid out on the orders of Peter the Great, Peterhof is a series of palaces and gardens commonly referred to as the “Russian Versailles”. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour includes an inside visit of the Grand Palace and a walking tour of the equally impressive parks and gardens including some magnificent fountains. Lunch is included during the tour at Summer Palace Restaurant. 15:30 return back to the hotel Dinner on your own and overnight at Sokos Hotel Olympia Garden.

Tour price: EUR 115/person

Price includes: bus transportation and English speaking local guide, visits to Ainola and Villa Kokkonen, private classical concert, lunch at Restaurant Krapihovi.

NUUKSIO NATIONAL PARK Thursday, 2 July at 9:00-14:00

The Nuuksio National Park is far away from the hectic city life, but still next door. The tour departs from Crowne Plaza and after an approximately 30 min transfer by coach and guide you arrive to Nuuksio and visit first the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia. Haltia is a new type of visitor centre, bringing all of Finland’s nature under one roof and closer to the visitor through both the building’s facilities and its stunning exhibitions. Nature from all over Finland can be experienced in the Helsinki region!

Sunday, 5 July

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

09:30 Coach transfer with a local guide guide to the railway station 10:25 departure by train to Helsinki 14:01 arrival in Helsinki

The Haltia building was designed by the architect Rainer Mahlamäki, who was inspired by the tales of Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The design enables man and nature to come together peacefully and harmoniously. The centre signals a new era in wood building, for it is the first public building in Finland built entirely of wood. The environment has been taken into account in Haltia’s facilities and activities alike through skilful design and the latest ecological solutions. The building is heated and cooled with energy derived from the sun and the earth. After a guided tour of Haltia you will meet your wilderness guides and start a hiking tour along well maintained trekking paths in the national park. The guides will tell you about Finnish nature and animals during the tour which ends at a small reindeer camp in the middle of the forest. You will see the reindeers at close range, you will hear stories about them and you can feed them. You can also take photographs and try out “suopunki” lasso throwing onto a wooden reindeer’s horns (suopunki throwing is the traditional way to catch reindeers in Lapland fells). Enjoy lunch in the atmospheric wilderness style of tepee restaurant “White Reindeer”, furnished with rustic wooden tables and benches and reindeer skins. Open fire burning in the middle of the tepee adds to the cosy atmosphere. Transfer back to Crowne Plaza.

PLEASE NOTE! As the train schedules for summer 2015 have not been published yet, there may be minor changes in the above tour schedule. You need a visa and a passport that is valid for a minimum of six months after the trip when travelling to Russia.

Tour price: EUR 755/person, in a shared double room EUR 870/person, in a single room Price includes: - bus transfers as indicated in the programme - local English speaking guide in St. Petersburg as indicated in the programme - buffet breakfasts and meals as indicated in the programme - tours and visits included in the programme - return train Helsinki–St. Petersburg–Helsinki - English speaking tour leader during the whole tour - accommodation for 2 nights at Sokos Hotel Olympia Garden in St. Petersburg

Tour price: EUR 130/person

Price includes: bus transfers as indicated in the programme, local English speaking guide, wilderness guides in Nuuksio, lunch in Nuuksio, visit to reindeer camp, entrance and guided tour at Nature Centre Haltia

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33 | www.iiw2015.com