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Landscape region of Finland
Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Finnish Lakeland (Järvi-Suomi) comprises the eastern and central parts of the country. Finland is known as the country of a thousand lakes (actually more than a hundred thousand), and this is a region that indeed is dominated by them.
North Savonia is the home of many events from a strawberry festival to the wife carrying world championship. Other points of fame are the signature dish kalakukko (a loaf of bread stuffed with fried fish) and its recognisable dialect.
The culture of Finland's easternmost region carries influences of the Eastern Orthodox faith, which has arrived via Russian Karelia. If you want to see a bear or a wolf in its natural habitat, this is probably the destination to go.
Central Finland is remarkably hilly and you can experience some quite scenic drives on the smaller roads.
South Savonia is really the heart of the Lakeland - you are never far from a body of water. The most important sights here are the medieval castle Olavinlinna in the city of Savonlinna and the Punkaharju ridge that almost cuts through Lake Saimaa.
Pirkanmaa is usually seen as the heartland of Finnish heavy industry, and the city of Tampere has been called the "Finnish Manchester". However there are plenty to see and do in the city for the traveler — from museums and theatres to the amusement park Särkänniemi.
By train
All main cities in the region are served by train. Trains are usually faster and slightly cheaper than the bus, but on some routes bus schedules may be more convenient.
By bus
Buses fill in the gaps where trains don't go.
By boat
The Saimaa Canal provides access from the sea to Saimaa and connected waterways, covering most of the eastern part of the Lakeland, up to Iisalmi and Kiuruvesi in the north-west, Koli and Nurmes in…
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Kuopio / Siilinjärvi · International · KUO
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northern town known for its Olvi brewery
capital of North Karelia
capital of Central Finland
capital of North Savonia; home of kalakukko, the baked fish pie
capital of South Savonia
railway junction
famous for the picturesque medieval castle and the yearly Opera Festival
the biggest inland town in Scandinavia and the second largest metropolitan area in Finland
small industrial town
popular natural destination known for its gorge valley formed during the Ice Age
inspired many artists when Finnish nationalism awakened
hundreds of islands in northern Saimaa. The most probable place to meet endemic Saimaa ringed seal.
the largest lake system of the Lakeland. At 1,147 square km (443 square miles), Saimaa itself is by far the largest lake in Finland and the fifth largest in Europe. It is labyrinthine, with long arms and thousands of islands, and without one large open expanse, so very different from most other large lakes in Europe – you won't appreciate its size from the shore, but rather when exploring it, or from the map.
Articles and travel topics about Finnish Lakeland and Finland.
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ItinerariesHighway 4 (Finnish: Valtatie 4, Swedish: Riksväg 4) is by far the longest numbered road in Finland. It stretches 1,295 km (805 mi) from Helsinki to Utsjoki, almost the full length of the country from south to north.
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