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TravelTips24 : Europe : Northern Europe : Finland : Eastern Finland : Savonlinna

Savonlinna

Savonlinna is a small city in Eastern Finland, close to the Russian border.

Travel to Savonlinna & Visa Requirements

  • Finnair offers several daily flights from Helsinki to Savonlinna in the summer, especially during the Opera Festival. Savonlinna has an extremely small airport and only one flight may come in at a time.
  • Savonlinna is accessible from Helsinki by bus and train, although those who take the second option may find themselves forced to transfer several times.

Tours & Getting around Savonlinna

Savonlinna attractions and sightseeing

  • Medieval St. Olaf's Castle (Olavinlinna, literally Olavi's Castle), built in 1475, is the main attraction.
  • Lake Saimaa

Savonlinna city tours

  • The city is renowned for its yearly Opera Festival [1], organized within St. Olaf's Castle. There is also a Ballet Festival at the same place earlier in the year.
  • Visit Kylpylä Hotelli Casino [2]. It is situated on an island in the city centre. It offers swimming pools, massaging showers, a jacuzzi, a children's pool, Finnish saunas and Turkish saunas (steam rooms) also for day visitors.

Savonlinna souvenirs & shopping

Savonlinna Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

  • Medieval Restaurant Hilpeä Munkki, [3].
  • Piatta, Kauppatori 4-6, [4].
  • Majakka, Satamakatu 11.
  • Keisarin Puisto, Olavinkatu 33. Chinese food.
  • Pizzeria Capero, Olavinkatu 51.
  • Uskudar Kebap, Pilkkakoskenkatu 3.
  • Hesburger, Olavinkatu 39. The ubiquitous Finnish fast food chain.

Savonlinna nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

  • Happytime Bar, [5].
  • Sillansuu, [6].
  • Tamino, in the Seurahuone hotel, [7].
  • Juanita, Olavinkatu 44.

Savonlinna cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

  • Kylpylä Hotelli Casino, [10]. Offers nice rooms in beautiful surroundings, on an island in the city centre.
  • Perhehotelli Hospitz, [11]. Next to the Olavinlinna Castle.
  • Savonlinnan Seurahuone, [12]. The traditional wing of Hotel Seurahuone was built in 1956, and it was renovated in 1989 when the new wing was completed. The hotel has 80 high-quality rooms - most of them with a view over the lake. 51 of the rooms are non-smoking and a few designed especially for women.
  • Pietari Kylliäinen, [13]. City hotel located close to both service and nature.
  • Holiday Centre Järvisydän, [14]. 30 min. drive from Savonlinna, in the village of Rantasalmi, right next to Linnansaari National Park, offering excellent surroundings for nature activities all year around. Summer cottages and luxury villas. Medieval style restaurant Piikatyttö.

Get out

  • Finnair offers daily flights in the summer between Savonlinna and Helsinki, but these are notoriously expensive. Still, there is no quicker way to get between the two cities.

This page was last edited at 16:21, on 24 August 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by David Cross, Jani Patokallio and Colin Jensen, Wikitravel user(s) H virta and Nzpcmad and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.

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