The Easter holiday is a great time to spend some time away. Last year we took the opportunity to join Susann’s parents on a road trip to eastern Finland. The main objective was to see the Saipa Line and reach the town of Imatra. From there, the plan was to return via the beautiful roads around Punkaharju and see the historical castle of Olavinlinna in Savonlinna. Here is the story of our road trip to Eastern Finland. The adventure began on the Åland Islands where we spent many hours in the motorhome.
A Short Stop in Paimio
We began early in the morning with some island hopping to reach the mainland of Finland. Large ferries traffic between the Åland Islands and Finland, especially the city of Turku. However, we opted for the cheaper option of taking two smaller ferries through the archipelago to reach Kustavi. From there we set our direction south to make a stop in Paimio to visit one of Susann’s many cousins before continuing eastwards toward Lahti. The stop Paimio was short. At least, I got the possibility to see the center this time. During an earlier visit, we only stayed on the outskirts of the town. This time I at least got to take a short walk before it was time to continue.
Starting Our Road Trip to Eastern Finland From Villähde
After a short stop in Paimio, we continued toward Villähde, a small residential area outside Lahti. We stayed the night at one of Susann’s aunts before starting our adventure. I took a morning walk while the rest of my travel companions prepared themselves for the day ahead. It was a beautiful morning and we would have a day with blue skies in Finland.
We soon left Villähde and headed towards Kouvola to visit one more of Susann’s aunts. Yes, there are a few of them. It was once more a short stop before we continued eastwards.
An Afternoon in Taavetti
Our first real sightseeing stop came in Taavetti. This is a small town with some impressive historical fortifications. The Russians built the fortress when the area played an important strategic role. That has since changed and the fortress is today a tourist attraction. Exploring the fortress was a walk through the deep snow, but it was worth it to see the thick walls. It was also in Taavetti that we made our lunch break, stopping at one of the local pizzerias. It might be a typical small Finnish urban center. There is not much to see, but functional.
The Former Defence of Finland – The Salpa Line
Our drive from Taavetti soon took us close to the old Salpa Line. This is a defensive line built in 1940-1941, in the interwar period between the Winter War and the Continuation War. Once upon a time, the line stretched 1,200 kilometers from the Gulf of Finland to the Barents Sea in the former Finnish region of Petsamo.
We encountered the Salpa Line right between Taavetti and Lappeenranta. Covered by snow the bunker and the many Dragon’s teeth, or anti-tank obstacles, didn’t look that impressive. But without the snow, these triangle-shaped concrete obstacles would show why they are still in use in more modern wars. They create a line that is hard to pass and their purpose is to slow down any enemy attempt to advance. Even though the Salpa Line is no longer in use, these Dragon’s teeth would probably still be usable in a conflict today, more than 80 years since their construction.
It was a walk of only a few hundred meters through deep snow to reach one of the former bunkers. But it was a beautiful scenery with the sun setting in the background of the dense forest.
An Evening in Lappeenranta
At sunset, we made one last stop in Lappeenranta to stretch our legs. Well, I wanted to stretch my legs while the others relaxed in the motorhome. From the parking at the Lappeenranta Fortress, it was a nice evening walk towards the city center. Lappeenranta is with its 73.000 inhabitants one of the main urban centers in the eastern part of Finland. During Easter, there are many celebrations in the city. Once I reached the central square I was far from alone. People had gathered to see one of the annual shows in front of the St. Mary’s Church of Lappee. Instead, I continued walking around the cemetery, seeing the church belfry before heading back to the Lappeenranta Fortress. The fortress was actually more impressive when entering it from the outside. When exiting, it wasn’t almost noticeable as the center of the fortress is more like a built-up town.
Waking up in Imatra
After Lappeenranta, we drove a bit further to Imatra where we found a parking spot where we could spend the night. Imatra is even closer to the border with the Russian town of Svetogorsk only kilometers away. However, Imatra is more famous for its huge hydroelectric power station. The big floodgates hold back the Imatra rapids of the Vuoksi River.
We were woken by sunshine in the morning. Our target for this morning was to see the floodgates and let Little A play at a playground. Sadly the floodgates were closed, but they are still an impressive sight. Imagine how much water they are holding back. While Little A played at the local playground, I took a walk through the center of this small town. Actually, I was surprised that there was more to see in the center than I had expected. There were plenty of shops and the center was really well maintained.
Scary Figurines Near the Russian Border
From Imatra, we continued towards the northeast, following the border with Russia. Our closest encounter with the border came a few kilometers before the village of Parikkala. Here the border was just a few hundred meters away, visible across one of the lakes we passed by. However, just before that, we made a stop at the Parikkala Sculpture Park. The border was still less than a kilometer away, but it was not the scariest part. The scary part was the many figurines in the park. They were all created by the Finnish artist Veijo Rönkkönen (1944-2010). If you look at one of them at a time, they are quite impressive. However, it is their sheer number that makes it look like something out of a horror movie.
The Punkaharju Lake Road
After a very short stop in Parikkala, we turned away from the Russian border and headed toward the Finnish lake area. The journey took us to Punkaharju which many consider the the most scenic road in Finland. The Punkaharju Lake Road follows the Punkaharju Ridge across Lake Saimaa. The road has some amazing scenery, and with the water of Lake Saimaa still being covered by ice, the spring sun created an amazing sight. This is where we made a short stop to enjoy some light lunch with the lake in the background.
The Largest Wooden Church in the World
From Punkaharju we continued to Kerimäki. This is another village, which is also the commercial center for the surrounding rural area. In addition to a few shops this village is home to what it claims is the largest wooden church in the world. The large yellow church is indeed huge. I’m not very interested in churches but needless to say, any construction of this size is impressive. Even more so considering the size of this small village.
At the Gates of the Castle in Savonlinna
From Kerimäki we continued to my highlight of this trip, the town of Savonlinna. This is a town that was founded in 1639 at a time when Finland was still a part of Sweden. Its impressive castle dates back even further, to 1475. And it was the castle, Olavinlinna, that had caught my interest. Standing at the strait connecting the two lakes of Haukivesi and Pihlajaves, the castle is very impressive. The three massive towers and walls are really a must-see if you ever come to this part of Finland. I’m fascinated by these old medieval castles and their history, such as the Gripsholm Castle, Kalmar Castle, and especially the Borgholm Castle.
Many parts of Savonlinna are very scenic, with water surrounding the town on almost all sides. So we spent some time walking around, seeing a town walking up again after its winter slumber.
An Afternoon in Mikkeli
From Savonlinna, we continued to a larger city again. It was time for Mikkeli, a town at the center of a municipality with around 52.000 inhabitants. While the rest of my companions prepared dinner I headed out for an afternoon walk in the city center. This might be a typical Finnish medium-sized town with a lot of concrete 20th-century buildings in its center But there is some kind of charm also to these towns. Especially, when they are located right next to a large railway junction and have thousands of lakes shattered around them.
After dinner, we made our way back to Susann’s aunt in Villähde, just outside of Lahti. This is where we would spend the night and prepare for Susann’s birthday the following day.
Back in Lahti – Happy Birthday Susann!
Good morning and happy birthday Susann! That was the topic of our last day in Finland. our road trip to eastern Finland was coming to an end, but we still had a lot to see. We met up with yet one more of Susann’s aunts and enjoyed a birthday cake and some other delicacies. The hours went by and it was afternoon before we continued our journey back west. We had booked a spot on a Finnlines ferry back to the Åland Islands the next morning and were heading towards the port of Naantali.
Last Minute Stops on Our Way Back
Well, it is not fun to drive the whole distance at once without stops. Our drive back to the ferry included two stops. The first was a stop for dinner in the town of Riihimäki. This is another town that has developed with a railway junction in its center. It is actually one of Finland’s main railway junctions and a stop for many traveling by rail.
Here we enjoyed both a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant as well as a longer walk to see the town. It turned out to be another beautiful spring day as Little A got to play at one of the central playgrounds.
From Riihimäki we continued westward as the sun was setting. We did make one more stop in the town of Forssa, but it had already gotten dark by this time as we stretched our legs a last time before continuing the last distance to the harbor.
Waiting on the Ferry in Naantali
We slept in the motorhome while we waited for the morning ferry from Naantali. So we were ready to board once the sun began to rise in the morning. This Finnlines ferry had a huge car deck, but not so much else to do onboard. We did sleep some more in the cabin and ate the included lunch onboard. After just a few hours we were back on the Åland Islands and our road trip to eastern Finland had finally come to the Finnish finish line.
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Ah yes, the Imatra rapids… they really ought to publicise the fact that they don’t tend to open the gates any more unless there have been especially heavy rains. It wasn’t any better back in 2016.