Lake Saimaa and Savonlinna

The entire eastern portion of Finland is more sea than land. With literally tens of thousands of lakes, rivers, marshes, and ponds, eastern Finland is a fabulous aquatic playground. The dominant lake of the region is massive Lake Saimaa, the "lake of a thousand islands." Lake Saimaa itself has an area of some 1,300 square kilometers - excluding its numerous islands. The whole lake system is drained by the river Vuoksi, which leaves Lake Saimaa to the north of the town of Imatra and flows into Lake Ladoga in Russia. The hilly shores of the lake and most of the islands are almost entirely covered with coniferous forest, with some birch forest farther north.

Savonlinna is the main city of Finland's lake region. A popular spa and holiday resort, Savonlinna lies between the Haapavesi, to the north, and the Pihlajavesi, to the south. The town grew up around the castle of Olavinlinna and received its municipal charter in 1639. The oldest part of the town is picturesquely situated on an island between two waterways, with the newer districts on the mainland to the west. Savonlinna is one of the main centers of the boat services on Lake Saimaa. The principal sight of Savonlinna is indeed the Olavinlinna Castle. The castle, which has been beautifully restored, contains a number of handsome rooms used for receptions and conferences, among them the King's or Knights' Hall, the Congress Hall, and the Great Hall. Three massive round towers have survived, and in one of them, the Church Tower, is a small chapel, still used for worship and weddings. In the Great Bastion is a summer café. East of Savonlinna lies Kerimäki and the largest wooden church in the world. A must do when in the lake region are the boat cruises. From Savonlinna, there are boat trips to the other towns on Lake Saimaa, to Punkaharju, with the Retretti Art Center, the largest in the Nordic countries, to the monasteries of Uusi Valamo and Lintula. Another day trip option is a cruise down the Saimaa Canal to Vyborg in Russia on the Baltic Sea.