Vyborg is the only town in Russia with genuine medieval European fabric. The Swedes founded it in 1293; in 1403 it received town rights on a par with Uppsala and grew rich on Baltic trade. For four hundred years it was Swedish, for two hundred Russian, and for twenty-three years the second largest town in Finland — and each layer left its own houses, signs and street plan. Walking here is like finding yourself in northern Europe without crossing a border.
It makes for a long day: about two hours’ drive each way, the castle, the old town and Monrepos. Lunch is not included — we set aside separate time for it, and this is a case where the local thing is worth trying: the Vyborg pretzel is baked to a recipe more than five hundred years old.
Vyborg Castle — founded in 1293 by the regent of Sweden, Torgils Knutsson, on a rocky island. The Novgorodians besieged it in 1294 and 1322 and failed to take it; the fortress remained impregnable until 1710, when Peter I finally took it after a two-month siege. It is now a museum with displays on Swedish, Finnish and Soviet Vyborg.
St Olaf’s Tower — the castle keep, named after the Norwegian king who brought Christianity to his country. At the top is a viewing platform taking in the whole town, the bay and the skerries. The climb is by a steep stair — bear that in mind if you have children or older guests with you.
The old town — traces of the medieval walls and towers, the sixteenth-century Round Tower on Market Square, the Clock Tower, the houses of the merchant guilds, and narrow streets over rocky ground. Here too is Alvar Aalto’s library of 1935, an icon of functionalism that draws architects to Vyborg from all over the world.
Monrepos Park — a rocky landscape park on Tverdysh Island, with a historic core of 161 hectares. The name means “my repose”. The park’s flowering is bound up with Ludwig Heinrich Nicolay, president of the Academy of Sciences, who bought the estate in 1788; four generations of Barons Nicolay held it until 1944. There is the manor house and the library wing of the early nineteenth century, the Temple of Neptune, the Tea Pavilion, the Narcissus spring, the obelisk to the Broglio brothers, Chinese bridges, and Ludwigstein island with the family chapel. The park was restored between 2017 and 2022.
In a day at Vyborg it is easy to walk past everything of interest: the town is small but many-layered, and without explanation the medieval walls are indistinguishable from later building.
A guide supplies what people come here to hear: how Peter I took the fortress — bringing a fleet through the ice, dressing sailors in enemy uniform and scuttling his own ships; how a thunderstorm thwarted Ivan III; whether mines were really cleared to cheerful music; why rams were put in prison in this town; and which delicacy was carried from here to the tsar’s table. At Monrepos — how Baron Nicolay composed his park literally in verse, and why it looks wild although it is thought out down to the stone.
The tour is private: your own guide and car for the whole day, collection from your hotel or apartment, and tickets to the castle and the park included.
Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are essential: Monrepos has granite paths and changes of level, and the castle has a steep stair up the tower. Lunch is paid separately.
By arrangement
| People | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1 | $585 |
| 2 | $306 |
| 3 | $213 |
| 4 | $166 |
| 5 | $138 |
| 6 | $120 |
| 7 | $106 |
| 8 | $96 |
| People | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 9 | $89 |
| 10 | $82 |
| 11 | $77 |
| 12 | $73 |
| 13 | $70 |
| 14 | $67 |
| 15 | $64 |
| 16 | $62 |
| People | Free places | Price per person |
|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | +1 | $71 |
| 15–24 | +2 | $55 |
| 25–34 | +2 | $42 |
| 35–39 | +3 | $37 |
| 40+ | +4 | $35 |
Group rates apply from 10 people.
Peterhof by hydrofoil: forty minutes across the Gulf of Finland on a foil-borne vessel, and a walk through the Lower Park with the Grand Cascade and Samson.
A city tour of St Petersburg by car with a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress: Nevsky Prospect, Palace Square, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, the cruiser Aurora — and the island where the city began.
The Russian Museum with a guide: from twelfth-century icons to The Ninth Wave, The Last Day of Pompeii and Repin — a thousand years of Russian art in one walk through the Mikhailovsky Palace.
The essentials of St Petersburg in three hours: Palace and Senate squares, the Summer Garden and the Field of Mars, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and the place the city began — told through stories rather than dates.
