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Solovki Islands (Part IV). How to Get Anywhere

The final part on traveling on the Solovetsky Islands.

In this part I wanted to discuss some aspects of hiking on the islands.

Getting to the Islands

As of 2026, there is only one port with transfers to the archipelago — Rabocheostrovsk (RU), near Kem. Kem has always been a busy port for northern fishermen and has its own deep history.

The pier and a chapel nearby. You can cross via private boats in under an hour, or take the scheduled ferry. That is a two-hour trip, but much cheaper and more stable.
The pier and a chapel nearby. You can cross via private boats in under an hour, or take the scheduled ferry. That is a two-hour trip, but much cheaper and more stable.
The scheduled ferry. It is much better suited to handling the water in bad weather. On our last day we had to leave the island early because of a storm warning, and the weather kept worsening as we approached Rabocheostrovsk. But the ferry was just as stable as in good weather.
The scheduled ferry. It is much better suited to handling the water in bad weather. On our last day we had to leave the island early because of a storm warning, and the weather kept worsening as we approached Rabocheostrovsk. But the ferry was just as stable as in good weather.

There is an airport on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island (I have a photo of it in part I), but airplanes rarely come there, and tickets are notoriously hard to come by. The busiest part of the airport is the helipad, which transfers mail and patients to Arkhangelsk.

A helicopter leaving the helipad after delivering mail and Ozon parcels. That day we went to the airport because we were at the post office and were told that the postman was away receiving this delivery.
A helicopter leaving the helipad after delivering mail and Ozon parcels. That day we went to the airport because we were at the post office and were told that the postman was away receiving this delivery.

Living on the Island

There are at least two hotels on the island, where most tourist groups stay, as I understood it. We, like most small groups of hikers, rented apartments from locals. And the demand is such that the rent alone is enough for the locals to decide to live elsewhere during the high season.

There is also a tent camp for tourists who don’t want to rent and are happy to stay in a tent for their trip.

The house where we rented the apartment. It had a separate entrance and was really cosy. Also, all houses on the island have an inactive Russian stove inside. You can tell by their chimneys.
The house where we rented the apartment. It had a separate entrance and was really cosy. Also, all houses on the island have an inactive Russian stove inside. You can tell by their chimneys.

Almost everything is delivered to the island by sea. Local food consists only of a bakery (a good one), berries, fish, and some milk. So if you want to make your stay a bit cheaper, you can bring your own food and live off gathering berries and mushrooms. We gathered so many mushrooms that we brought some back from the archipelago as pickles.

As a side note, there are new cottages at the settlement built specifically for tourists. But they are so outrageously expensive (think five times the price of an apartment for five people) that I’m not sure who rents them. And even though they are new, they held so little visual interest for me that I forgot to take a photo of them.

Getting around

The islands are not so big that you need a vehicle. But Bolshoy Solovetsky is big enough to justify a bicycle. There are a lot of bicycles on the island, and you can rent different kinds by the hour or by the day. But you can reach most parts of the island on foot.

A bike rental. I was surprised that all of those bicycles were in excellent condition. We rented bikes to try to go around the northern part of the island. We overestimated our strength, and the roads were so flooded that you'd have to carry the bicycle on yourself. But I can recommend renting a bicycle if you need one.
A bike rental. I was surprised that all of those bicycles were in excellent condition. We rented bikes to try to go around the northern part of the island. We overestimated our strength, and the roads were so flooded that you'd have to carry the bicycle on yourself. But I can recommend renting a bicycle if you need one.
An overview map of the main hiking roads, sights, and the settlement. We visited most of them during our one-week stay. And even that was not a simple task for a small group with little experience in hiking on foot.
An overview map of the main hiking roads, sights, and the settlement. We visited most of them during our one-week stay. And even that was not a simple task for a small group with little experience in hiking on foot.

This post is part of my #100DaysToOffload challenge.

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