Visiting Russian North is a unique experience. It is even more so, when on a visit to the Snow Village in Kirovsk, a labyrinth of snow, housing ice sculptures, nestled beside a cluster of first-rate facilities, including a café and winter sports station.

Situated in the beauteous mountainous region of the Khibiny, the locale pulls in travellers, ice art lovers, and ice artists from all over the world to take part in the joyous festivals that stand for the convivial winter merry-making a-la-russe. The winter events  paint the Russian winter with new colors and transform it into a kaleidoscope of positive emotions under the soft glow of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, an Arctic natural electrical phenomenon. Visiting Murmansk and Kola Peninsula is always fun and in winter, that is the best time to see the northern lights, it allows to uncover the beauty of the Russsian winter magic.

Snegoled Festival in Kirovsk Snow Village

The most important festival is the Snegoled, a weeklong celebration of winter, usually occurring from 23 till 29th of January, when the artists carve the ice sculptures, sculpt snow analogues, and sometimes even give workshops. So it is not just possible to marvel at the exquisite shapes made of frozen water, the metaphor for the ephemeral nature of things and the role of art in life, but also to get the first grasp the art-making itself.

From the end of December till the end of April you can wander through the maze of narrow alleys walled in snow, a world where Russian winter imagery is revealed with exquisite ice and snow sculptures. Ride on a banana pulled by a snowmobile, or go down from a snow-hill on a “pancake”, a wheezing tube that exemplifies the Russian love for speed, and enjoy many more fun activities. And meet in their wintery demesne the Snow-girl and the Father Snow, the avatars of the unique Russian folklore characters, true spirits of the Russian winter.

Try delectable food on your trip to see the Russian winter magic, with the following musts: Ukha, fish cooked according to the Arctic recipes, and famed Northern bread and cakes washed down with the warm ice-melting tea.

The details

  • The Snow Village tour by Pradiz Russia Tour is most often completed in the 3rd week of December and usually stays open until the end of April (depending on the Arctic weather conditions).
  • Snegoled Festival, a get-together of the world’s best ice-artists takes place from the 23 of January till the 29th of January.
  • Daily opening times are from 11:00 until 21:00.
  • The prices are from 300 rubles for kids from 7 until 14 years and 600 rubles for adults.
  • Taxi Kirovsk city – Snow village: approx. RUB 300 per car (one way)

You may also find this interesting: Visit Kola Peninsula, the Land of Wonders

 

Kirovsk surroundings and What to do in the Khibiny in winter

The scenic mountains of the Khibiny, known as the Russian North’s Alps, are a unique eco-zone with splashy waterfalls and glittering lakes by summer; picturesque mountains blanketed in snow and bodies of water laden with ice. Most notably it is one of the world’s best places to see the northern lights, the world-renowned aurora borealis, a polar natural electrical phenomenon.

The area also provides a host of opportunities for ice-fishing, snow-boarding, skiing, sledging, and doing other winter sports activities. Kirovsk and Apatity are two main cities of the region, where it is possible not only to familiarize yourself with the life in the Russian North, but also to see the Soviet Architecture, one of the region’s main magnets, and relish the Arctic cuisine, the reflection of the Rusisian Northerners.

Visit Snow Village on your trip to see the Northern Lights

The visit to the Snow Village is one of the main highlights of Murmansk tours, by Pradiz, a Russian Travel Agency, one of the best northern lights tours. Visit the embodiment of the Russian love for snow and ice with our expert guides with comfort and safety.

Apart from Kirovsk’s Snow Village the Murmansk northern lights tour includes tours of Teriberka, a famous Pomory village on the edge of the world, bordering on the Arctic Ocean, a Sami village, with Arctic animals, traditional Sub-polar dresses and food, and a visit to Murmansk, the dynamic Arctic metropolis with winter sports facilities and a long love affair with the sea. Contact Pradiz for an unforgettable Russian experience on your trip to see the northern lights and amazing Russian winter magic in the legendary Snow Village.

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