Savonlinna

Savonlinna (Swedish: Nyslott) is a small city in South Savonia province, Eastern Finland, close to the Russian border. Savonlinna is one of the iconic tourism destinations of Finland with traditions of hospitality going back to the 19th century. The town has been attracting visitors with its spa, lake nature including two national parks. In summertime the town offers rich variety of lake cruises, many still operated with old lake steamers.

Understand
Savonlinna was founded as a city in 1639 when the Swedish King Gustav II Adolf granted it city rights. The city grew rapidly around Olavinlinna Castle, and it became an important trading hub on the Saimaa waterway.

By the late 1800s, Savonlinna was a thriving city known as a centre for culture and the arts. The city was a popular tourist destination, and many famous artists and writers, such as Jean Sibelius and Juhani Aho, visited and lived there.

During World War II, Savonlinna suffered significant damage when the Soviet Air Force bombed the city. Many buildings and infrastructure were destroyed during the bombings.

After the war, Savonlinna was rebuilt and has since thrived. The annual Savonlinna Opera Festival attracts about 65 000 visitors in July. Savonlinna is an important centre for leisure and culture in eastern Finland. It has about 32,000 inhabitants (2023).

Kerimäki, Punkaharju and Savonranta belong to Savonlinna since around 2010. They are handled in their own articles. Sääminki, which was merged in the 1970s, is handled here.


 * City tourism page
 * City tourism page

By plane
If you fly in from abroad, you probably fly to Helsinki and can continue by bus, train or plane. Lappeenranta also has some international flights, most of them operated by Ryanair.

By train
As of 2016, there are 3–4 trains daily from Parikkala (70 minutes) where they meet intercity trains from Helsinki (altogether 4¼ hours) and from Joensuu (altogether 2¼ hours).

For Punkaharju train stops, see listings for Punkaharju.



By bus
There are three daily direct coaches from Helsinki (4½–5½ hours) and five daily buses from Mikkeli (1½ hours) with connections from other destinations. There are directs routes also from Joensuu, Varkaus, Jyväskylä and Imatra. See Matkahuolto.

By car


Savonlinna is about equidistant (about 100 km) from each of Mikkeli, Varkaus and Imatra, and a little longer from Joensuu. No matter from which direction you're coming from, it's a beautiful drive through the lake landscape, especially in the summer. From Helsinki it's 335 km; about 4 hr of driving, depending on traffic and road conditions.

By boat
Lake Saimaa can be reached by yacht (height max 24 m) from the sea through the Saimaa Canal. Lake scenery can be appreciated in summertime on sightseeing cruises departing from the passenger harbour next to the market place.

Get around
Savonlinna is stretched out on a series of islands in the middle of Lake Saimaa. While you can cover the central parts on foot, you'll need to resort to buses (or rent a car) to access the suburbs. If you want to rent a car, there is a Hertz rental office at the waterfront, near Hotel Tott. Savonlinna is surrounded by lakes and you can also rent a canoe to paddle around town centre.

By bus
The town maintains information on local buses. There is a route planner for local transport trips. Routes and Tickets mobile app has an address based routing and also a ticket purchase option directly from the app. Local connections can also be searched on Google maps.

By taxi

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

See




Do




Events
Savonlinna offers a wide range of events all year round, especially music. The opera festival brings people from afar, but there are also numerous fringe events in the summer. In wintertime, the orchestra, choirs, clubs and event venues offer different kinds of concerts.

Eat
During the morning and afternoon, the best place to eat is the market square by the lake, where you can get Eastern Finnish delicacies. like lörtsy meat pies and freshly fried of smoked muikku (vendace, a type of freshwater whitefish). You can find these typical local products also in the supermarkets. Canned smoked vendace (savumuikku) is a nice gift to bring home. You can also buy Muhosen luomuruisleipä – organically farmed traditional sourdough rye bread.

Sleep
There are opportunities ranging from boutique hotels to steam boat cabins to hostels and rental cottages. During the opera festival in July, expect higher prices and reduced availability of accommodation in the centre.



Go next

 * Punkaharju — see the iconic Finnish national landscape
 * Kerimäki — see world's largest wooden church
 * Savonranta — idyllic village between Savonia and Karelia along Saimaa waterways
 * Enonkoski — a small municipality about 30 km north of Savonlinna
 * Rantasalmi — relax in the spa resort Järvisydän and enjoy the natural wonders of Linnansaari national park.
 * Sulkava — venue of an annual big rowing competition with traditional boats