Savonlinna and the Lakeland: castles, cottages and endless water

Why go

If Lapland is Finland's winter dream, the Lakeland is its summer one. Finns head here in July to their mökki, the summer cottage with a sauna by the shore, to swim, row, pick berries and simply slow down. Savonlinna is the easiest place for visitors to experience it, with a castle, a lively summer harbour and lake boats, and nature on every side.

Top things to do

**Olavinlinna Castle**, founded in 1475 on a rocky island, is the best preserved medieval castle in the Nordic countries. Guided tours explain its towers, chapels and history as a frontier fortress between Sweden and Russia. In July the courtyard becomes the stage of the **Savonlinna Opera Festival**, one of Europe's great summer music events, held under a weatherproof roof. Book festival tickets and accommodation months ahead.

Walk the harbour and the **market** for fried vendace, small lake fish served with garlic mayonnaise, and for the local pastry **lörtsy**. In the **Riihisaari** lake and nature museum, learn about Saimaa's fishing life and its endangered **Saimaa ringed seal**, one of the rarest seals in the world. Old steamships take visitors on cruises across the lake in summer.

Lakes and parks

**Punkaharju**, a narrow ridge of pines between two lakes, is one of Finland's national landscapes, with walking paths and the Lusto forest museum. **Kerimäki Church**, nearby, is often called the largest wooden church in the world. **Linnansaari National Park** and **Kolovesi National Park** protect islands and lake shores where you can paddle, camp and, with luck and quiet, spot the ringed seal. Guided canoe and boat trips run in summer.

Further into the Lakeland

The Lakeland spreads north to **Kuopio**, with its Puijo tower and a famous smoke sauna, **Jyväskylä**, the city of Alvar Aalto's architecture, and east to **Koli National Park** in North Karelia, where a hilltop view over Lake Pielinen inspired Finnish painters and composers. **Lahti** and **Mikkeli** are other gateways.

Food

Look for fried vendace (muikku), smoked fish, kalakukko, a rye loaf baked around fish and pork, and berry pies in late summer. Many cottages and guesthouses offer their own sauna and dinner.

Getting there and around

Trains and buses connect Savonlinna with Helsinki, usually with a change, in around four to five hours. In summer lake boats link some towns. To reach national parks, cottages and smaller villages, you will need to join a tour, cycle, or arrange transport, since local buses are limited.

Where to stay

Choose a hotel or guesthouse in Savonlinna for walking access to the castle, or a lakeside cottage with its own sauna for the true Finnish experience. During the opera festival, rooms fill early.

Good to know

Lakeland summers are short and lively, with most boat services, markets and attractions running from mid June to mid August. Mosquitoes can be fierce in July, so pack repellent. If you stay in a cottage, expect simple comforts: some have outdoor toilets or no running hot water, so read the listing carefully. Swimming from a cottage pier after sauna is the heart of the experience, but always swim with someone and never after drinking. Respect private shores; Finland's everyman's right lets you walk and pick berries in the forest, but not to linger close to people's homes.

Plan your Lakeland days

Browse cottages and sights in the places to visit list, and use the free trip planner to pair the Lakeland with Helsinki or Tampere.