Karelia is a glorious place, but there are also absolutely squalid places here, which, by some glaring misunderstanding, are also the most popular locations. Check out my TOP of the worst sights of Karelia and boldly drive past them on your journey.
Within our 5th autoexpedition #NashSever we traveled almost all of Karelia and the Kola Peninsula to find the most beautiful and pleasant places in the Russian North. We found a lot of them, but the sights listed below do not exactly fall into this list.
Kivach
A dull waterfall, for the opportunity to contemplate which they also take money. Such a boring place that we just drove by. There are so many beautiful and majestic waterfalls in the world and in our country that there is absolutely no need to waste time and money on such a trifle.
Ruskeala
The park is bursting at the seams from overcrowding with tourists. If you are nearby, it is worth stopping by, but in no case should you come here from afar. The marketers of this tourist attraction had the conscience to call Ruskeala a mountain park, which, of course, is a deception - there are no mountains here at all. The marble sections are beautiful, the canyon is picturesque in the rays of the sunset light, the retro train is entertaining - that's all. This place is not worth its 300 rubles, but for any entertainment inside the park they charge another 1000-1500 rubles. They were completely freaked out.
Learn more about the Ruskeala Mountain Park >>
Nearby there are also Ruskeala waterfalls (4 meters), they also have a paid entrance - to the furnace.
Girvas
An ancient volcano of interest only to a geologist. Tourists are brought here in packs, led like a flock of ducklings under a boring lecture by a guide, every minute a thousand photos are taken here (it is not clear why). Nothing pretty, nothing interesting. For a visit they take 100 rubles. There is a free guard round, but the place is not even worth a free visit.
Conclusions
All three places are the most popular places in Karelia and even its symbols. You shouldn't go to the republic for their sake. Fortunately, there are more interesting and pleasant places in Karelia. I will tell you about them separately.
In general, the principle "the most popular and praised - the most uninteresting" works wonderfully in many countries. For some reason, the vector of interest in mass tourism is always shifted towards platitudes and surrogates.
I know that the most zealous fans of Karelia will demand my blood after such statements. But no matter how much blood is shed, it does not wash away the patina of gloom and dullness from the three places described above. Let's not defend them only out of principle and great love for Karelia. It is better to pay attention to places that are more worthwhile and pleasant - there are enough of them in those parts. What to see in Karelia >>
