Eastern Finland

城市概覽

As the name reveals it is a land of lakes: seen from above, the region consists of an endless patchwork of lakes and low rolling hills, originally gouged out by sheets of ice during the Ice Age. This also makes it Finland's top destination for summer cottages, and there are countless spots to indulge in the Finnish national obsession for sauna, sausages and a dip in the lake. It is also one of the destinations popular by tourists, so there are many businesses eager to take care of you – but most of the area is off the beaten path, with small towns and villages and hundreds of kilometres of desolate shoreline. There are several large lake systems with cruises (often on old steamers or former steamers) and possibilities for sailing with a yacht or daysailor, other kinds of boating and canoeing, for days or weeks if you like. Also on the smaller lakes you will often have access at least to a rowing boat.

如何抵達

By plane Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio and Savonlinna have small airports with limited service from Helsinki only. Tampere is the Finnish hub for Ryanair and serves a handful of European destinations.

By train All main cities in the region are served by train. Trains are usually faster and slightly cheaper than the bus, but on some routes bus schedules may be more convenient.

By bus Buses fill in the gaps where trains don't go.

By boat The Saimaa Canal provides access from the sea to Saimaa and connected waterways, covering most of the eastern part of the Lakeland, up to Iisalmi and Kiuruvesi in the north-west, Koli and Nurmes in the north-east and Mikkeli in the west. The Päijänne and Näsijärvi waterways are cut off from the sea by dams.

當地交通

Distances are long and while the coach network covers most of the region, public transport outside the main cities and thoroughfares varies between limited and non-existent. If you're planning on staying at a cottage, having your own car is pretty much obligatory, unless in biking distance from services (whatever that means to you). Most of the waterways in the eastern half of the region are connected to the lake Saimaa. Around Jyväskylä there are the Vesijärvi–Päijänne–Keitele waterways and around Tampere the Näsijärvi–Ruovesi and Längelmävesi–Vanajavesi waterways. Although a boat seldom is a time-efficient means to cover large distances, it is a very good means to explore some aspects of the Lakeland. Many of the lakes are big enough for nice sailing, the Saimaa complex for weeks even with a big yacht. For other areas a small boat or canoe is the ideal means.

By taxi Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä

必看景點

Beautiful lakes abound in most of the Lakeland. Famous landscapes include those of Koli, Punkaharju and Kangasala. The world's largest wooden church in Kerimäki. The New Valamo monastery and Lintula Holy Trinity convent in Heinävesi, the only Orthodox monasteries in Nordic countries. WWII bunkers at the bunker museum in Joensuu. The Puijo tower in Kuopio, and the view from its viewing platform. Olavinlinna medieval castle in Savonlinna, with a famous opera festival. The wooden church of Petäjävesi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 19th century industrial buildings in Tampere, "Finland's Manchester". Astuvansalmi rock paintings in Mikkeli and Saraakallio rock paintings in Laukaa. The Bomba house, a large Karelian style log building in Nurmes.

體驗活動

There are nice spa hotels in Kuopio and Savonlinna. They offer large swimming pool departments with jacuzzis, children's pools, saunas, steam rooms and spa treatments also for day visitors. Spa hotels also organize many activities. Participate in the Wife Carrying World Championships in Sonkajärvi. Eat strawberries at Suonenjoki Strawberry Carnival in Suonenjoki. Take a glimpse to Karelian culture in North Karelia.

Nature As the lakeside area and one of the most rural areas in Finland after Lapland, Eastern Finland has a lot to explore. There are a dozen national parks in the region, of which scenery of Koli National Park is one of Finland's national landscapes.

Hike. In national parks and other hiking areas you can find several shorter and longer hiking trails with clearly marked paths, from easy to demanding. Hiking is also allowed anywhere thanks to everyman's right. Ruunaa National Hiking Area in Lieksa is one popular hiking area. Paddle. There are endless lakes and archipelagos to explore. Rautalampi has beautiful water routes that combine wilderness-like and cultural landscapes. The national parks of Kolovesi, Linnansaari, Patvinsuo, Repovesi and Tiilikkajärvi all provide good routes for canoeists. There are lots of other canoeing destinations. Sail or cruise with a yacht or motorboat. Saimaa allows any size of yacht, while daysailors or motorboats may be more handy on the other routes. Take a boat tour across the lakes in a big boat or at your own pace in a rowing boat. During summertime there are cruises with historical steamboats on many of the lake systems, particularly: Päijänne in Päijänne Tavastia and Central Finland Näsijärvi and Längelmävesi in Pirkanmaa Saimaa — the largest of the lake systems, in the east

美食

In Finland, Savo and Karelia are famous for their cuisine, which has distinctive eastern trait. There are a couple of eastern Finnish specialties definitely worth sampling:

Kalakukko, a type of large rye bread pastry with fish and meat stuffed inside, can be eaten warm or cold. Kalakukko is Savonian specialty and has got Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status in the European Union. Lörtsy, a large, flat variant of the ubiquitous deep-fried meat pie (lihapiirakka), can also be stuffed with apple jam. Specialty in Savonlinna. Vendace (muikku), a small freshwater fish. Most commonly coated with rye flour, quickly fried and eaten while piping hot. Karjalanpiirakka – the Karelian pie – is a special kind of pastry made from rye flour and filled with rice porridge or mashed potatoes. Often eaten with munavoi, a mixture of butter and mashed eggs on it. The name "Karjalanpiirakka" has Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status in the European Union. Mustamakkara, literally "black sausage", is a specialty of Tampere. It is a blood sausage commonly enjoyed with lingonberry jam The best place for eating any of these is at the market square, found in the center of any larger town.

飲品與夜生活

Kitee in North Karelia is famous for its moonshine, Kiteen kirkas.

住宿

There are nice spa hotels in Imatra, Kuopio and Savonlinna. The room price isn't much more expensive than in normal hotels but it includes a free use of large swimming pool departments with jacuzzis, saunas etc. In summer, an excellent option is to stay at a cottage (mökki), thousands of which dot the lake shores. See the main Finland article for tips and the city articles for listings.

順遊推薦

Karelia and Russia proper to the east, including Petrozavodsk (Finnish: Petroskoi). However, due to the Russian war on Ukraine, most transport options were suspended in 2022, and the border has mostly been closed since the autumn of 2023.