Lappeenranta

The City of Lappeenranta (population 73,000 in 2023) is the economic and cultural centre of Finnish South Karelia.

Understand
The city is near the border of Russia and at the southern shore of the Saimaa, the largest lake (system) of Finland. Its culture and dialects are strongly part of eastern Finland, although Wikivoyage treats it as part of Southern Finland. Also known as Villmanstrand (its Swedish name and previous English name), Lappeenranta has a colourful, 360-year history influenced by its location in the border dividing western and eastern cultures.

By car
Highways 6 and 13 pass through Lappeenranta. Bus companies operate frequently from Helsinki and other cities, in normal times even from Saint Petersburg in Russia. Highway 13 extends to the Russian border, some 25 km from the city centre, where the of Nuijamaa/Brusnichnoye (Нуйямаа-Брусничное) is the second busiest border crossing in Finland. Russian tourists usually use this pathway to come to the city either by bus or a car.

If you drive from Helsinki, three almost equal routes are available: you can drive along road 6, via Hamina (roads 7, 26 and 6), or via Vaalimaa (roads 7 and 387)

By train
The of Lappeenranta connects the city to the rest of Finland with fairly modern trains, operated by VR. The travel time to Helsinki is 2–2½ hr. Prices start at €14.30.

At late evening you can take a train to Kouvola and then continue further to Lappeenranta by Yöksi kotiin taxi service, price is €50. Order must be made at least 24 hours before departure.

Trains from Saint Petersburg and Moscow were suspended in 2022 due to the war on Ukraine.

By bus
The bus station is located next to the main railway station.

There are direct connections by bus from Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kouvola, Joensuu, Kotka, Mikkeli, Porvoo and Imatra. Coming via Tallinn or Stockholm, there may be coach connections from the port with arranged transfer, mostly via Kamppi. For timetables, see Matkahuolto.

There used to be foreign lines from Saint Petersburg and Vyborg, see Sovavto and Transgold.

By plane
The nearest international flight hubs are in Helsinki and Saint Petersburg. If you come to Helsinki airport at late evening, you can use Yöksi kotiin taxi service which transports you from Helsinki airport to Lappeenranta, price is €87.50. Order must be made at least 24 hours before departure.

By boat
Lappeenranta is a popular destination for boaters within the Saimaa lake area. Some cruise boats operate from Lappeenranta to other destinations on the lake. Lappeenranta is connected to the Gulf of Finland through the Saimaa Canal. The canal is also popular among boaters, and private boats occasionally come from as far as southern Europe. Check Boating on the Baltic Sea for instructions on the last legs.

As of summer 2023 the Saimaa Canal is open, but commercial shipping has dropped, because of the Russian war on Ukraine and the resulting strained relations. If coming by own yacht, check whether the canal really is open, and whether there are risks involved in passing through Russian waters (are you on their sanction list? they might find an excuse to give you a hard time).

By foot
Everything in the centre is within walking distance. Even the airport is within walking range if you do not have much luggage, but taxi or local bus is probably preferable.

By bus
Getting further to the suburbs is easy by bus. City of Lappeenranta has bus schedules. There is a graphical route planner to find timetables. Routes and Tickets mobile app has an address based routing and also a ticket purchase option directly from the app.

You can use NFC payment with Visa, Mastercard or Eurocard (Diners Club and American Express do not work) or a mobile device with Apple Pay, Pivo or Google Pay: the payment card or mobile device is displayed to the reader device, which then says "Lähimaksu hyväksytty" ("Proximity payment accepted").

When travelling to ruralside, school buses can be used. The ride must be booked in advance.

By bike
There is a bike sharing system using bluetooth and the Donkey Republic about €1.50/1 hr, €4/5 hr, €12/24 hr. For longer stays becoming a member is cheaper: €9 or €18/month covers all trips of less than 1 hr respectively 12 hr, also in other towns using Donkey Republic – but you need to register as member in the country of your card (available: most countries in western Europe and USA). Customer service info@kaakau.fi@undefined, daily 09:00–21:00. Several towns in south-east Finland use the same system, which is in use also elsewhere in Finland and abroad.

Electric kick scooters
You can rent electric kick scooters for use in the centre from German Tier, American Bird and Finnish Joe Scooter. Tier has also electric bicycles.

By taxi

 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

See



 * The, the original city center which was established in mid-17th century. The old buildings include artist workshops, the , completed in 1785, as well as and.

Do





 * In winter, the city seems to quiet down a little. The main attractions during winter are the city theatre and major league ice hockey and basketball games. Also many possibilities exist for practising winter sports. There are tens of kilometres worth of cross-country skiing tracks (a popular stage circles around the airport), and also a small downhill skiing slope. Many outdoor and indoor ice-rinks are available for skating. The city bay becomes a skating track during winter.

Buy
Situated close to the border, Lappeenranta is one of the most popular destinations for Russian shopping travellers. The two major shopping mall chains Prisma and Citymarket are located at the outskirts of the city.

Spectrolite
Spectrolite is an unusual variety of labradorite with a very rich range of colours, quarried in Ylämaa in the south of the municipality. The Ylämaa bedrock deposits are the first ones known, found in 1940. Spectrolite items may be available from goldsmith shops in Lappeenranta centre, but especially in the Kivikylä ("stone village") by Ylämaa centre, 30 km south of Lappeenranta centre, or at the jewellery fairs arranged there.

Budget

 * Small coffee booths at the harbour and the (Kauppatori) offer traditional meat pies called vety (Eng. "hydrogen") and atomi (Eng. "atom"). Vety consists of a meat pie, ham, boiled egg and condiments. Atomi has either ham or egg, but not both. Also other snack food is offered by the booths. Just ask for 'vetyatomi' and you'll be understood in nearly all the grillikioskis in Finland.

Bars
Most of the popular bars are located in the city centre.

Sleep
Some mid-range and budget hotels are present.

Budget

 * Local student housing foundation, LOAS, offers affordable accommodation during the summer months for tourists.

Stay safe
Lappeenranta is a safe city very accustomed to foreigners. Lappeenranta is the second most popular destination in Finland, mainly due to Russian shopping tourists, but also many other nationalities visit during summer months.

Go next

 * Imatra - 40 km northeast. See the rapids of Imatrankoski (free flowing at special occasions) and other attractions that the Russian czars used to visit in the 19th century.
 * Punkaharju - drive through Finland's national landscape on a road on the top of a ridge that partially divides Lake Saimaa.
 * Savonlinna - 120 km north, home to a well preserved medieval castle where an opera festival is held each summer.
 * Vyborg - in Russia. The canal cruises are unavailable as of 2023, so the way in would be by car. Due to western sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, going to and from and staying in Russia may involve extra hassle and surprises.