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City in southeastern Finland
Photo: Teuvo Salmenjoki, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Imatra (population ca. 30,000) is an industrial town in South Karelia. It is dominated by Lake Saimaa, the River Vuoksi and the Finnish-Russian border. Imatra’s over 300-year-old history of busy tourism is greatly attributed to the attraction of the spectacular rapids of the river Vuoksi, which have enticed many illustrious personas to visit the area throughout the ages. Visitors have included such people as Russian Empress Catherine II, Alexander Dumas Senior and Richard Wagner.
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These rapids are Finland's first ever tourist attraction. The Russian Empress Catherine the Great and her retinue visited the rapids in 1772. Next to the rapids is Imatran Valtionhotelli, a castle-like hotel.
The oldest nature park in Finland, occupying the area around the Imatrankoski Rapids, was founded in 1842 by order of Tsar Nicholas I.
The 7-metre-long (23 ft) boulder is a glacial erratic that lies on a convex bedrock surface with such a small footprint that it almost appears to be moving, but so firmly that it cannot be rocked with human force.
Kolmen ristin kirkko
Designed by Alvar Aalto and part of the Aalto Works .
Ruokolahden kirkko
A Gothic Revival wooden church from 1854, designed by Ernst Lohrmann. Finnish military sniper Simo Häyhä, known better by his epithet "The White Death," is buried in the graveyard.
Ruokolahti has some 165 km of maintained cross-country tracks, of which 16 km have lights. They are spread out over a dozen or so locations.
Downhill skiing and downhill biking.
There are several hiking trails in Ruokolahti, with the option of overnighting in a lean-to or in your tent.
A popular beach on the shores of Lake Saimaa featured in The Times with mention of the "Saimaa Riviera" nickname.
A big band festival that offers, in addition to different genres of Jazz music, also music from blues to funk and from rock to soul.
A motorcycle racing competition on the street track, organized by the Imatra Motorcycle Club.
Rock festival.
100-seat upscale restaurant. Á la Carte menu consists of Finnish, French and Russian dishes. Fair selection of European wines and beers. During lunch hours Buttenhoff has business-lunch selection with salads, soups, main course and coffee included in the same price. During the summer months, if the weather allows, you can also opt for a table outside by the Koskenparras pedestrian street.
Chinese restaurant. Fast and cheap lunch offered on weekdays. Beyond lunch hours serves good Chinese style dishes, but prices tend to be a bit high.
Really hungry? This restaurant at the pedestrian zone offers huge pizzas, steak and kebab servings that would feed three.
Rajapatsaan Grilli
A grill kiosk.
A cottage complex on the shore of Lake Saimaa: 6 lakeside cottages, each with four bedrooms, a kitchen-dining area, fireplace and sauna. Each villa has its own lakeside access, pier and boat with an electric motor. Guests can also use lakeside saunas, bicycles and sports facilities. Some cottages have an outdoor hot tub. The complex is open year-round and is suitable for families and groups looking for a quiet lakeside stay.
The old Spa Hotel and the newer Promenade Hotel. Promenade Hotel offers good rooms for families. The spa department named Taikametsä (literally Magical Forest) has large swimming pools, saunas, whirlpools etc., from time to time with an artificial thunderstorm.
The name hides a wealth of history: this castle-like hotel by the Imatrankoski rapids was built in 1903 for Russian nobility, and for several generations of Finns a suite here was the place to spend your honeymoon. The original name of the hotel was Grand Hotel Cascade d'Imatra. Now privately run, the hotel was reopened in 2005 after extensive renovation. Even if you don't stay overnight it's worth seeing from the outside. If booking a room, mind that the cheaper rooms (and some more expensive ones) are in a modern annex 100 m away.
By plane
Scheduled flights to the nearby Lappeenranta Airport (LPP) have been on and off at various times, so you may need to check its webpage for the current situation.
By train
Trains between Helsinki and Joensuu stop at Imatra. The duration of the trip is about three hours and there are about ten daily departures.
By bus
Imatra has direct coach connections with Helsinki, Kouvola, Joensuu, Mikkeli and Savonlinna. Timetables can be found at Matkahuolto.
By boat
Lake Saimaa can be reached from sea through the Saimaa Canal.
By bus
The city has a small public bus network of six lines, see Jouko for bus locations and timetables for stops. matka.fintraffic.fi includes local transport in Imatra.
By bike
50/1 hr, €4/5 hr, €12/24 hr.
By taxi
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Lappeenranta · International · LPP
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