“Two Sisters — Two Ethnic Cultures” Tour
Part of the national route Great Volga Way
During this engaging tour you will visit two major cities of the Volga region, the capitals of Mari El and Chuvashia — Yoshkar-Ola and Cheboksary. You will not only explore the landmarks of these cities, but also immerse yourself in the authentic ancient culture of their peoples, discovering cultural traditions and national cuisine. A rich program filled with activities.
3 days, 2 nights
Price: 17,800 rub./person
Day 1: Cheboksary
Meeting the group at the railway station, city sightseeing tour, hotel check-in, breakfast
Visit to the hydrotherapy and mud treatment center
Visit to the hydrotherapy and mud treatment center (bonus — one air-compression massage of arms, legs, or eyes to choose from), additional procedures — from 110 rubles. Therapeutic baths to choose from (sodium chloride mineral baths, A.S. Zalmanov turpentine baths, carbonic water bath, dry air carbonic bath, therapeutic aroma baths, hydromassage baths) — 360 rubles.
City sightseeing tour of Cheboksary
Bus and walking tour through the historic part of Cheboksary. In the Middle Ages there was a fortress here, inhabited by Suvaro-Bulgars, and the city was called Veda Suvar. Most of the ancient town now lies beneath the bay. The beauty of Cheboksary Bay has given the city the status of the Pearl of the Volga and the “Volga Venice.” This beauty is highlighted by fountains, walking bridges across the bay and the road to the Temple, the golden domes of old churches framing the bay, and the majestic monument to the Mother-Patroness.
National Museum
Visit to the national museum where you can compare Amazon armor with Chuvash costume and jewelry. The site where Empress Catherine the Great was received in 1767; she later wrote: “Cheboksary is dearer to me in every way than Nizhny Novgorod.”
Embroidery Museum
The museum exhibition presents the history of traditional embroidery up to the 19th century and its professional development in the 20th–21st centuries, samples of antique embroidery, materials from the Algeshevo factory “Paha tĕrĕ,” and works by prominent masters.
Dinner at the hotel, free time and cultural events in the hotel conference hall
Day 2: Ethnocomplex “Yasna”
Oxygen cocktail and breakfast at the hotel
Departure to the ethnocomplex “Yasna”
Bus excursion: unique features of the Chuvash region, a brief historical overview from antiquity to the present. The story of the Bulgar-Chuvash Izhek (late 13th — early 14th century). The history of the sacred Shorkino oak grove.
Folklore welcome of guests at the ethnocomplex “Yasna.” Tasting of the national drink “Shcherpet.”
Ethnographic site “Magic Meadow of the Ancient Chuvash. Place of power — Oak Kiremet.”
Chuvash gods and heroes in wooden sculptures of the ethnographic park. Features of the national costume. Trees in the worldview of our ancestors. Trees as relatives. Visit to the lashch brewery, exclusive household items. Natural monument of the Chuvash Republic — Oak Kiremet. “Make a wish.” Living and dead water. Workshop “The Secret of Water.” Visit to the guest courtyard: why voices were never raised in the house and why no one sat on the parents’ bed. “Grandmother’s chest riddles.”
Interactive program: “Ancient Chuvash musical instruments.”
Joint orchestra. Master class: “Weaving the ancient rune of the sun.”
Ride on old-fashioned swings. Photo session. Souvenir shopping. Return to Cheboksary
Beer Museum
Museum of brewing history in Chuvashia. The exhibition introduces visitors to a model beer shop. Advertising from leading Russian beer producers of the late 19th century is presented. Beer tasting is available in the museum for an additional fee.
Dinner and free time.
Free time. Souvenir shops “City of Masters,” Folk Crafts Store, liquor factory shop “Akatuy,” confectionery factory “Akkond” (for an additional fee). Light and music fountain at the bay.
Day 3: Yoshkar-Ola
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Yoshkar-Ola (92 km)
City sightseeing tour of Yoshkar-Ola
Introduction to the main tourist attractions of Yoshkar-Ola: the historic center, merchant houses, the embankment of the Malaya Kokshaga River, churches, Tsarevokokshaysky Kremlin. The city’s two main squares — Lenin Square and Obolensky-Nogotkov Square. National Gallery, “Tsar Cannon,” musical clock with moving figures. Virgin Mary Square with fountains and churches, pedestrian bridges, Patriarch Square with tower musical clock and an original sculptural composition depicting the biblical entry into Jerusalem, Danish-style houses. Open-air museum “Heroes of Russian Fairy Tales.”
Lunch with elements of Mari national cuisine
Museum of History and Archaeology of Yoshkar-Ola
Master class in painting the Yoshkin Cat (additional fee: 150 / 80).
Museum of Mari Fairy Tale “Silver-Toothed Pampalche”
Tales and legends of the Mari people, Mari costumes, warrior armor, photo zone.
Free time in the city center. Transfer to the railway station.
What is included in the price?