Kenozyorsky National Park

Understand

Locally called Pomorye, Arkhangelsk Oblast is a very large region (about the same size as France) in the Russian north. Sparsely populated (1.5 million for all this area), it is filled with taiga, beautiful lakes, wide rivers, and vast swamps. The nature is kin to Finland, especially its subpolar part. Most famous destinations are Arkhangelsk (regional capital) and the Solovetsky Islands, where a beautiful northern monastery/citadel served as a brutal gulag prison during the Soviet years. There are other less-visited, but very picturesque towns in the Oblast (Kargopol, Solvychegodsk), but the main reason to visit the region is to discover its severe beautiful nature mixed with wooden rural architecture. There are 2 national parks and 1 natural reserve, which are truly worth to be seen in Arkhangelsk Oblast'.

Getting there

By plane Flights arrive at Arkhangelsk airport from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Riga, and Tromso. The airport is served by Aeroflot, Utair, Nordavia, Rossiya air companies, and also by low-costs, as Avianova and Air Baltic.

By train The overnight train ride from Moscow takes 21 hour, from Saint Petersburg a full 25 hours.

By bus There are no regular interregional bus services to Arkhangelsk Oblast.

By car It's the most interesting way to enter and explore the region. M8 road connects Arkhangelsk with Moscow and Saint Petersburg through Vologda. It is paved at all distance, but some parts are in poor condition. There are about 700 km from Moscow to the region's border, and more than 500 km after it to the north to reach Arkhangelsk. Another way to Archangelsk Oblast is through Veliky Ustyug (Vologda Oblast). The road is not so good as M8, but still available for all types of cars, allowing to see picturesque villages beaded at river Northern Dvina's high bank. The road from Karelia via Kenozersky National Park is unpaved at regional border, and hardly passable by non 4x4 cars, unless it is winter.

By boat There are no regular ship service to the region, yet Arkhangelsk is a seaport, so it's possible to reach it by a commercial ship.

Getting around

By plane The main Arkhangelsk airport serves a regional flight to Solovetsky Islands (2 per week in winter, 4 per week in summer), while the other airport Vaskovo has local regional flights to remote locations inside the Oblast.

By train It's possible to reach by train from Arkhangelsk such destinations as Severodvinsk, Onega, Plesetsk, Nyandoma (transit point to Kargopol), Velsk, Kotlas, and Karpogory (at Pinega river). The quality of trains is poor compared to interregional Russian trains.

By bus Regular buses departure from Arkhangelsk to Veliky Ustyug, Kholmogory, Severodvinsk, Kargopol, Velsk, Yemetsk (transit point to Antonievo-Siysky Monastery), Kotlas, and Pinega.

By car There are no international car rentals in Arkhangelsk, but it's possible to rent a car via local agencies.

By taxi Taxi can be a good alternative for short distance rides, like from Arkhangelsk to Severodvinsk (35 km), or where other transport is not developed (e.g. from Nyandoma station to Kargopol). Most destinations inside the Oblast are quite distant, so expect very expensive taxis.

By boat Navigation period lasts from mid-May to mid-October. There is regular commuter ship service from Arkhangelsk to neighboring locations, mainly to isolated island villages in Northern Dvina's delta. There are many points in the Oblast that are accessible only by riverboats.

By thumb Hitch-hiking is very possible in the region with general safety precautions. But most drivers will hardly understand English.

See

1 Malye Karely. Large and locally famous wooden architecture museum, 24 km from Arkhangelsk. (updated Sep 2018)

Do

hiking skidoo rides (in winter) alpine and plain skiing (in winter) fishing

Eat

Kulebyaka - a local pie with fish. Kozuly - local sweets.

Go next

Arkhangelsk is the main transit point for those who go to Nenetsia (regular flights to Naryan-Mar and Amderma). Travelers heading to Komi Republic and Salekhard by rail are passing through Kotlas. In the late summer, it may be possible to get on a ship heading east along the north coast of Russia towards Nenetsia and Yamalia.