Southern Savonia between Saimaa, rock art and forest culture
Accommodation in Southern Savonia
In Southern Savonia, the landscapes of Saimaa meet rock art, forest history and vibrant cultural venues. The Saimaa ringed seal lives in the lake’s waters and is one of the most endangered seals in the world. If you want to explore the region with your family or as part of a travel group, you can choose from a range of experiences, including nature activities, longer routes and shorter circular trails, as well as museums and historic sites.
Discover the Saimaa landscape on foot
The Norppapolku near Puumala is a 13-kilometre circular trail. Three shorter loops offer alternatives with specified distances: Kitulan lenkki is 3 kilometres long, Kaivannon kieppi is 4 kilometres, and Kotkatsaaren kierros is 2.8 kilometres. The trail distances help you factor your preferred route into your day’s plans. Information boards from the Saimaa Geopark explain the region’s geological history along the way.
The trail passes through sandy coves and along lakeshore cliffs. Its stops include a viewpoint, a beach, a harbour for excursions, a swimming spot and a campfire site. Neitvuori offers a different kind of landscape experience: at 184 metres, the hill is one of the highest in Southern Savonia, and its summit lies 110 metres above the surface of Lake Saimaa. The hike follows steep climbs and opens up views of the Luonteri archipelago and the lake. When choosing an outing, you can therefore decide between a circular trail by the water and a hike with steep climbs.
Rock art and geology
The Saimaa Geopark brings together important natural sites, hiking trails and historic cultural sites. It is partly located in Southern Savonia and includes, among other places, Juva, Mikkeli, Puumala and Sulkava. In Puumala, the Art Path brings together art and geology at eight stops, explaining the geological stories behind landscape paintings. This makes the trail an opportunity to explore nature and art together on an outing.
One of the Saimaa Geopark’s distinctive rock-art sites is the Astuvansalmi rock paintings in Ristiina, Mikkeli. The 65 paintings date from between 3000 and 2500 BC; Astuvansalmi is considered the largest known collection of rock paintings in Northern Europe. In summer, visitors can view the paintings on boat trips, which also depart from Ristiina. This makes it possible to combine a visit to the prehistoric art with a boat trip.
Forest culture and history
The official Green Gold Culture Road is a 250-kilometre tourist route in Southern Savonia. Its 16 stops introduce visitors to Finnish forest culture and history, as well as the relationship between people and the forest. At many stops, visitors can explore the surrounding nature on foot or by bicycle. An audio story connects turning points in local forest culture with folk tales about forest mysticism from the archives of the Finnish Literature Society. If you are particularly interested in forest history, you can also visit Lusto in Punkaharju, Finland’s national forest museum.
Castle, museums and events
Olavinlinna Castle was built from 1475 onwards as a fortification to protect the strategically important region of Savonia. Today, guided and themed tours offer insights into the history of Savonlinna and also feature stories about knights, castle maidens, the black ram and secret tunnels. The castle hosts the Savonlinna Opera Festival, an international cultural event.
Riihisaari presents permanent exhibitions of the Savonlinna Museum and hosts public events throughout the year. The Muisti Centre of War and Peace offers a different focus: its interactive exhibition explores the effects of war from the perspective of human experience. When choosing between cultural venues, you can therefore focus on the topics that interest you most – from castle and city history to opera, or personal experiences of war and peace.
Explore local cuisine and places
Southern Savonia’s culinary identity includes lake fish, extensive expertise in organic production and locally produced foods bearing the D.O. Saimaa label. In Mikkeli, Tertti Manor offers an experience of Saimaa cuisine in a historic manor house, featuring regional seasonal produce; it also offers an extensive tasting tour in a historic setting. At the Kenkävero lunch restaurant, visitors can sample produce from the garden. The Kenkävero garden on the shores of Saimaa features peonies, as well as hundreds of traditional perennials, herbs and other plants. The Saimaa Gastronomy network consists of four restaurants serving food made with local ingredients.
These different interests can also shape your search for a holiday rental: consider whether you want to centre your trip on hiking, rock art, forest culture, history or regional cuisine. To explore more of Southern Savonia, visit the pages for Pieksämäki, Savonlinna, Mikkeli and Hirvensalmi.
For the broader travel overview: Finland.
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