Travel Info

You can get to Petrozavodsk using various ways, differing both in price and in duration.

A plane. Currently, air communication in Petrozavodsk, as well as throughout Russia, came back to develop after 25 years of stagnation. Regular flights from Moscow were organized (“Pobeda” company https://www.pobeda.aero/en), there are also flights from Arkhangelsk and Cherepovets. "Severstal-avia" air company (https://severstal-avia.ru/en/) will start flights between Petrozavodsk and Helsinki from the first decade of May 2020. Two flights within a week (Monday and Friday) are announced. The expected fare is 5500 rubles (about 80 euros). The exact schedule has not yet been published, but it may change, so do not forget to follow the news.

The airport is located 17 kilometers northwest of the city center, in the village of Besovets. The new airport terminal building is currently under construction. As announced in a press release of the Ministry of Transport of Karelia, the new terminal of the Petrozavodsk airport should be introduced by the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Karelia, which we will celebrate on June 8, 2020.

A train. The railway traditionally remains the main method of interregional transportation in Russia. You can view the schedules and also buy tickets using the website of the Russian Railways https://pass.rzd.ru/main-pass/public/en.

The quickest (but not always cheapest) way to get to Petrozavodsk is through St. Petersburg. Trains to Petrozavodsk leave from the Ladozhskiy Railway Terminal (“Ladozhskaya” metro station). The most convenient are the ‘Lastochka’ rapid trains No. 804 and No. 806. The fare is 1000-1200 rubles (only seats), depending on the season and on how early you buy a ticket.

Train No. 804 leaves from St. Petersburg at 06-23 a.m. and arrives in Petrozavodsk at 11-55.

Train No. 806 leaves from St. Petersburg at 18-00 and arrives in Petrozavodsk at 22-57.

We also recommend using the night sleeping train No. 12, which leaves from St. Petersburg at 23-20 every day except Saturday and arrives in Petrozavodsk at 06-50 the next morning.

The train number 160 Moscow-Petrozavodsk can be caught now in Vyborg. Unfortunately, the schedule is not the most convenient: the train leaves Vyborg at 02-00 in the night and arrives Petrozavodsk at 11-50.

Trains from Moscow depart from the Leningradskiy Railway Terminal (“Komsomolskaya” metro station), see any train in the direction of Petrozavodsk or Murmansk. If you are traveling via Moscow, we suggest taking the train number 18 Moscow - Petrozavodsk, which leaves daily at 21-05 and arrives in Petrozavodsk at 08-55 the next morning. The fare on this train is from 1,500 to 4,500 rubles, depending on the season, the berth location or how early you buy the train ticket.

NB! The timetable indicated here for the trains is the so-called “winter” timetable, valid for January 2020. During the symposium (September 2020) the “summer” timetable, which is normally started from mid-May, will be valid. Follow the schedule changes on our website or on the website of the Russian Railways.

A bus. Several bus companies are transporting between Finland and Petrozavodsk.

The ‘Karelavtotrans’ company bus runs from Joensuu daily at 16-15 and arrives in Petrozavodsk at 00-20 the next day. Despite the very cheap price, we would not recommend this option as uncomfortable and arriving too late.

‘Ecolines’ (https://ecolines.net/international/en) also operate buses from Helsinki (as well as from Tallinn, Estonia) to Petrozavodsk with a transfer in St. Petersburg, sometimes this transfer is very long. Check the schedule on the company's website. A ticket costs about 30 Euro.

‘Inkeriline’ (https://inkeriline.fi/ - website is in Russian only) operates direct night buses from Helsinki to Petrozavodsk 4 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) departing at 18-00 from the Helsinki Railway station. The fare is also about 30 Euro.

There are also several smaller private carriers providing bus, minibus or car connection with Finland. The easiest way to find them is through the Blablacar service, however, for some reason, information about such shipments is available only on the Russian-language version of the site (https://www.blablacar.ru/).

The way to get to Petrozavodsk from Helsinki or Tallinn suggested by the steering committee: the LuxExpress (https://www.luxexpress.eu/) bus departing from the Helsinki bus station at 08-00 (morning buses from Tallinn leave 07-00 and 08-00), then take metro to Ladozhskiy terminal and take the ‘Lastochka’ train number 806 for Petrozavodsk at 18-00.

Visas. All of the foreign symposium participants must have a valid Passport to enter Russia. Please contact the nearest Russian Consulate (http://www.mid.ru/en/maps) to learn about the visa policy of Russia with your country and to obtain a visa unless you already have one.

At the Russian Consulate, everyone will be asked for an official invitation from the Russian Immigration Office and/or an invitation letter from the Organizing Committee of the Symposium. The symposium organizers will provide a letter from the Russian Immigration Office. We need to obtain the following information from you:

1. First and last name
2. Date and place of birth
3. Sex
4. Nationality
5. Passport number, date of issue and expiry
6. Scanned copy of passport main page (the one with photo) 
7. Position (profession)
8. Affiliation (employer's office address, telephone, fax, e-mail)
9. Dates of your arrival and departure
10. Where you expect to get a visa (country, the city with Russian Consulate)

Please send this information to the official symposium address: mire2020@krc.karelia.ru 

Please keep in mind that the visa application process for citizens of countries outside the EU (including the UK, USA, Canada, China) takes more time than one for citizens of EU countries (ca 1.5 months instead of 20 days). We must collect the passport data of citizens of such countries as soon as possible, not later than in mid-July.

NB! Since 2019, citizens of certain countries (including all the EU countries) are allowed to enter certain regions of Russia (in particular, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast) with a free electronic visa issued via the Internet. Unfortunately, this kind of visa is valid for the corresponding region of Russia only and can not be used to travel into other regions of Russia. Currently, there are no electronic visas to visit the Republic of Karelia. Please, while going to the symposium in Petrozavodsk, do not use an electronic visa issued for visiting St. Petersburg.