Top 10 Lakefront Destinations to Visit in Finland

In Päijät-Häme on the south coast of Lake Vesijärvi, Lahti offers beautiful architecture, the famous ski jump hills and plenty of bars and restaurants. The most well-known landmarks of the city are Lahti City Hall, designed by Eliel Saarinen, and Church of the Cross (Ristinkirkko) by Alvar Aalto. Another must-see is the beautiful Vesijärvi harbor, where among lake views you'll find Sibelius Hall, known for many concerts, and atmospheric summer restaurants. In the warm seasons there are boats and water buses that run from the harbor to for example Enonsaari Island, Vääksy Channel and beyond. In the evenings some of the boats stay moored and you can have a dinner or a drink on them. When the weather isn't great, you could check out Lahti Historical Museum in the Fellman Manor.

It's easy to get to Lahti by automobile, bus or train. From the capital region and south-west Finland, usually the best option is the train, and from the direction of Tampere, the bus is usually quicker. Nearby there's also Messilä Ski and Sports Center.

On the south coast of Lake Saimaa, Lappeenranta is a lovely vacation destination, where you'll find for example a gorgeous fortress, fascinating museums and the biggest sand castle in the country. Almost all the above are in a small part of town called Linnoitus, just a few hundred yards from the city centre. There are 4 great museums in Lappeenranta: the Lappeenranta Art Museum, Cavalry Museum and South Karelia Museum in Linnoitus and the Wolkoff House Museum in the center, on Kauppakatu. The last one is located in Wolkoff House built in 1826, which makes it the oldest wooden house in the city. In addition to the museum there's also a popular restaurant there. The true specialty of Lappeenranta is the massive sand castle they build on the shore of Lake Saimaa every year. It looks different each year, so it's hard to describe exactly. But it's never been small or humble so far.

It's easy to get to Lappeenranta by bus, train or airplane. With the Allegro train there's a very quick connection from nearby Vainikkala to Saint Petersburg, Russia – the journey takes only 1.5 hours. Lappeenranta is at its best in the summer, when you can also access Lake Saimaa from the city.

Savonlinna is located near the eastern border of the country, on the shores of Lake Saimaa; they have the gorgeous Olavinlinna Castle and plenty of different vacation services. The castle on a small island is a stunning sight, one of the best attractions in Finland. Inside they have a museum that's open all year round, and in the summer the castle hosts the famous Savonlinna Opera Festival. In addition to the castle there's a lot more to see in the Savonlinna area, such as Aqua Park Kesämaa, museums, the beautiful Punkaharju, bars and restaurants and the huge Linnasaari National Park. If your timing is right, you might even see ringed seals in the latter. On top of all this, Savonlinna is also a gateway to Lake Saimaa. In the summer you can get to it with a public cruise or a rental boat, and in the colder seasons you can rent a boat or walk on ice.

You can get to Savonlinna by automobile, bus, train, boat or airplane. Savonlinna airport is 9 miles north of the center. If all the flights there are either expensive or full, you can also check out flights to the nearby Joensuu airport.

Located on the north-western shore of Lake Saimaa, Mikkeli is an old garrison town, where you'll find sights related to the military and a good selection of vacation services. During the Winter War and the Continuation War the headquarters of the army was in Mikkeli. The history of that time is presented in the Headquarters Museum, Infantry Museum and Communications Center Lokki. In addition to those, you can also check out Mannerheim's sedan automobile. You'll see stunning views from the Naisvuori Observation Tower, which also has a stylish café in it. Other sights worth mentioning are the water park Visulahti and the neo-gothic Mikkeli Cathedral. You can get out into nature from the Urpola Nature Center. There are a huge number of summer cottages in the Mikkeli area, which is why the town is by far the busiest during vacations. In the summer you can also get to Lake Saimaa from Mikkeli, either with a cruise or your own boat.

You can get to Mikkeli from elsewhere in Finland easily by automobile, boat, bus or train. The train is usually the easiest option. The nearest airports with regular flights are in Lappeenranta and Savonlinna.

The tiny village of Inari is a gateway to Lake Inarijärvi and a fascinating center of Sámi culture. The village is really small – the official resident count is less than 100 – but in the summer vacation season they get lots of people from near and far. The most important sights of the village are the Sámi Museum and Nature Center Siida and the Sámi Cultural Center Sajos. There's also a gas station, a restaurant and a few hotels in Inari. You can get to Lake Inarijärvi from the village either with the cruises that start from the northern part of the village or with a rental boat. If you're heading for the lake, please note the huge size of it: for example in a day you can only see a tiny part of it. The must-sees in Lake Inarijärvi are Hautuumaasaari Island ("graveyard island"), Ukonsaari Island known as a place of sacrifice and the ice cave on Korkia-Maura Island. The latter usually stays cold even in the middle of the summer heat.

If you're coming from elsewhere in Finland, the easiest way to get to Inari is via Ivalo airport. It's only 25 miles from there to Inari, which in Lapland is a tiny distance. You can rent a automobile or take a bus. If you're coming from elsewhere in Lapland or Oulu, you can also head to Inari with your own automobile. Buses to the village run primarily from Rovaniemi.

North of Joensuu, on the coast of Lake Pielinen there's Koli, offering amazing views and plenty of vacation services. You'll get the most gorgeous view from the top of Ukko-Koli: blue lakes and green forests as far as the eye can see. The hill and its surroundings are a part of Koli National Park, where on top of the views you'll find fascinating caves, virgin forests and a waterfall in the spring time. Ukko-Koli also has a full-service ski resort in the winter. In the summer you'll get to Lake Pielinen from Koli, and in the recent years there's even been a hydrofoil running between Koli harbor and Lieksa. If you want a more peaceful day, you can ask for a rental boat. Koli has had tourism since the end of the 1800s, which is why there are a lot of vacation services in the area. A true gem is the luxury spa on the hill.

You can head to Koli by automobile, train, bus or airplane. It's usually easiest to go via Joensuu, which is about 37 miles south of Koli. If you're not driving, you can get to Koli from Joensuu by bus or by using the occasionally operational and inexpensive shared taxi cab service.

East of Lake Oulujärvi, Kajaani is an easy-going town, where you can learn about its history and relax on the beaches, in restaurants or by doing sports. The most fascinating sight in town is Kajaani Castle, which is located on an island in the River Kajaaninjoki that flows through the middle of the town. Other highlights are the Kajaani Art Museum, Paltaniemi landscape area, Kajaani Orthodox Church and Kainuu Museum. The more southern attractions worth noting are the stunning Talaskangas Nature Reserve and Vuokatti Ski Resort, which is located on the east side of town, on the shores of Lake Nuasjärvi. In the summer you should also check out the beaches or the steam boat cruise from Kajaaninjoki River to Lake Oulunjärvi. The restaurants, bars and night clubs in Kajaani are mostly located in the blocks west of Kajaaninjoki River.

You can get to Kajaani from elsewhere in Finland easily by automobile, train, bus or airplane. There are usually regular flights from Helsinki-Vantaa airport several times a day. Kajaani airport is located in Paltaniemi, about 4 miles north of the center.

Orivesi in Pirkanmaa is a quiet little town surrounded by lakes and stunning nature. The sights in town include the Eräjärvi Stone Museum, Paltanmäki Museum, Art Center Purnu, the historic dance hall in Rönni and Leporanta Art Center. Surrounding the town there are two places selected as nature's gems by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation: Eräpyhä Recreational Neighborhood and Pukala Recreational Forest. Orivesi is a true lake town. On the east side of town there's the small Lake Oriselkä, and less than a mile south from there is the fascinatingly beautiful Lake Längelmävesi. Other lakes are here and there in all directions. In some of them you can also rent a canoe or a boat. You can also check out the beach on the coast of Kirkkolahti, right by the center.

It's easy to get to Orivesi by train, bus or automobile. There is a train station in town, and both local and long-distance trains stop there. There are also a lot of bus connections, particularly from Tampere.

About 25 miles north of Jyväskylä, Äänekoski offers sights, events and a great starting point for Lake Keitele. When it comes to sights, you should look into Äänekoski Art Museum, the protected Suolahti train station, the Cottage of Hiski (Hiskinmökki) built in the 19th century and all the memorials and sculptures in town. The top event is the famous Keitele Jazz. If you like the peace and quiet of nature, you should head out to Laulavan mörön polku Nature Trail in Sumiainen. It's about 12 miles long and offers great views of Lake Keitele. In the summer you can take a cruise from Äänekoski via 5 channels to Lake Päijänne and Jyväskylä. If you have a bike with you, you can also get off the boat at one of the channel locks and go back to Äänekoski riding the country roads.

It's easy to travel to Äänekoski via Jyväskylä. You can get to Jyväskylä with pretty much all possible modes of transportation; you can travel the rest of the way by the boat mentioned above or by bus or rental automobile. You can get to Äänekoski from the north via Highway E75. If you take the train, you'll have to go past Äänekoski to Jyväskylä and then go back by bus.

Kuopio in Northern Savonia is the biggest city in Eastern Finland, and it offers things to do all year round. Discounting Tampere, Kuopio is the most versatile lake destination in Finland – there are for example 15 museums, a harbor, several historical churches, a zoo, a science park, a city theater and a dance theater plus an extensive number of famous landmarks, like Kuopio Market Square and the iconic Puijo Tower. When it comes to events, there's the Kuopio Dance Festival, Kuopio RockCock and the international Kuopio Wine Festival. There's also all kinds of restaurants on offer from fine dining to fast food. If you visit the city in the summer, you can also take a cruise on one of the famous freshwater boats.

If you're coming from Southern Finland, it's easiest to get to Kuopio by airplane. Kuopio airport is located 9 miles north-east from the center, and there are daily flights there from Helsinki-Vantaa airport. There are no flights from the direction of Oulu, but it's a fairly easy journey by train.