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Town in South Savo, Finland
Photo: kallerna, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Mikkeli (St. Michel in Swedish) is a cozy town in South Savonia province, Eastern Finland with a population of 54,400. It is 230 km NE from Helsinki and 100 km west from Savonlinna. It was founded in 1838 and the Finnish Army HQ under Marshal Mannerheim was based there during World War II.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Infantry museum
War museum, exhibitions depicting Finnish infantry from the independence to today.
The carriage, with salon, five sleeper cabins, kitchen and toilet, was used by Marshal Mannerheim in 1939–1946, on its own in a civil train or as part of the headquarter train. Can be viewed from the outside year round. Virtual tour available.
Former Finnish Wartime Headquarters Museum
Muisti Centre of War and Peace shares experiences of war in order to promote peace. Muisti is for those who are interested in the history of war, and especially for those who are not. Muisti preserves also general Mannerheim's (i.e. the Finnish defence forces') headquarters from the time of World War II.
Communications Centre Lokki
Mannerheim's headquarters' communications centre.
Suur-Savo Museum
Regional museum.
Naisvuori Observation Tower
An observation tower overseeing the town of Mikkeli.
An old vicarage, a summer garden, restored buildings, handicrafts to buy.
Mikkeli Park
Summer garden by the lake, formed by several exhibitors.
Mikkeli Centre of Photograpy
Photography exhibition and research centre.
One of the biggest rock painting sites in the Nordic countries. The paintings on a cliff next to a lake are thought to be 4,500–5,000 years old and they depict elk, human, hands, animal tracks, and boats.
Visulahti Travel Centre
Water park, wax cabinet and camping.
XON-Park
Adjacent to Visulahti Travel Centre. Motor park, paintball and some extreme amenities like catapult and bungee jumping!
Nature centre of Urpola
A nature conservation zone next to the town centre, popular for small treks.
Mikkeli Racetrack
Horse racing track known for its fastness. Many trotting world records have been set in Mikkeli. St Michel Race-weekend arranged in Mid-July is one of the biggest yearly trotting events in Finland and a popular travel destination of horse racing fans.
Dance pavilion surrounded by forest with view to the lake, although 100 m to the highway behind a ridge. Audience from the young to pensioners. Simple café during dances, with grill. Outhouse dry toilet, running cold water. Beach.
Dance pavilion from 1950. Cloakroom, café. Nice people.
Canoe and kayak rental, introduction, guided canoe tours. Equipment suitable for novices. Guided tours and suggested routes for novices and families as well as more advanced paddlers. Overnighting before/after the trip possible at their base. Use own sleeping bags, compass, hat, rainwear, eating utensils, mosquito repellent, sunscreen etc.
Astuvansalmi is one of the biggest rock painting sites in the Nordic countries. The paintings on a cliff next to a lake are thought to be 4500-5000 years old and they depict elk, human, hands, animal tracks, boats etc. The site can be reached by a 3-km walking path. You can arrive to the trail head from Ristiina (21 km south of Mikkeli on Highway 15) by car. In Ristiina turn to "Suurlahdentie", road 4323. Drive 19 km and find a small parking place with the Astuvansalmi sign. In winter the paintings can be viewed from the ice on the frozen lake. In summer boats trips are possible.
Popular pizzeria close to the centre and nightclubs. A favourite especially with students and the late-night crowd. Good service and affordable prices.
Family run, Tex-Mex-influenced restaurant. Good sized portions. Good option, if you're getting bored with the always ubiquitous chain eateries.
Nice manor restaurant serving excellent lunch.
Good quality food made from local ingredients. Not cheap, but very tasty. Daily changing menu. Sometimes crowded, so booking a table might be a good idea. Open only in office hours and Saturdays.
KB
Nostalgic and small pub from 1960s. Very wide choice of music, cheap beer and welcoming atmosphere. In weekends very crowded. Local favourite for artists. Maybe the best Guinness pints of Mikkeli.
Nice and traditional pub serving beer brewed in Mikkeli (still in existence?). Sports on TV available. Nice pub burgers as well. Also popular place to eat lunch.
Tidy gastropub. Good selection of beers. Little bit pricey, but good pub food available.
Irish-themed pub even in Mikkeli (still in existence?). Part of small chain. Offers nice environment.
Good pub with two sides: sports pub and rock bar. Sports on TV available. Good terraces on summer. Frequented by local football fans as the Urheilupuisto stadium is located next to the pub.
Stoppari is legendary name in Mikkeli. Legendary rock bar of past decades has returned to its roots. Rock themed night club playing all varieties of rock music "from rockabilly to black metal". Occasional gigs.
Considered to be the classiest night club of Mikkeli with prices matching the status. Good place to find gigs. Open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Pub-like night club. Sometimes very quiet, but still quite nice interior and good selection of beers. Live music quite often, mostly rock.
Nopola cottages
Cottages available any season, Bed & Breakfast (1 single and 1 double room) open June–Aug. Sauna, rowing boat, grill and summer kitchen. Very pleasant family-run place. Really great breakfast with home-made bread.
A Sokos department store with a large S-Market supermarket, smaller shops selling clothing, eating and services can be found right next to the market square. Also in Stella is a small market hall with small shops selling local food products.
Neighbouring shopping centre to Stella. Clothing stores, some wellness services, a couple of restaurants and cafés.
Tori
The largest and one of the busiest marketplaces in Eastern Finland. Cafés, terraces, local produce, flea markets on weekends and especially on "Mikkelinpäivä" (Michaelmas, 29 September).
Handmade linen and flax products, plus raspberries and strawberries in summer and cottage accommodation from €30/person. The surrounding countryside and nearby lake are beautiful, but you'll need your own wheels to get here.
By train
Mikkeli railway station is in the centre, one block from the market square. The city is on the main Savonia railway between Helsinki and Kuopio. Sometimes you may have to change trains in Kouvola.
By bus
Mikkeli has good bus connections to all main cities of Southern and Northern Finland.
By boat
Lake Saimaa can be reached from the sea through the Saimaa Canal. Boats with high masts may have to moor at Kristiina, some 15 km south of the centre.
By car
From Helsinki drive through road 5. Almost equal in distance is the road via Kouvola (roads 7, 6 and 15).
By electric kick scooter
Finnish Joe Scooter rents electric kick scooters for use in the centre.
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Lappeenranta · International · LPP
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