Finland – skerries, lakes and saunas

Day 1: Arrival in Kiel / Gothenburg

Arrival in Kiel. The Stena Line Ferry to Gothenburg departs at 6.45 pm.

Day 2: Gothenburg / Stockholm / Turku (465 km)

Arrival in Gothenburg at 09.15 am. We travel along Lake Vättern to the beautiful capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Here we have the opportunity to take a city tour to the most prominent sights: the royal castle, Stadshuset and the Wasa Museum. In the evening we board the Viking Line ferry. Departure at 8 pm for a trip through the marvelous archipelago between Sweden and Finland.

Day 3: Turku / Tampere (250 km)

Arrival in Turku – the oldest settlement in Finland and former capital – at 7.35 am. In Turku we visit the old castle and the old arsenal quarter – nowadays known as the art quarter. North of Turku we arrive at the medieval city of Rauma (UNESCO world heritage) with its old wooden houses and picturesque city center. In Tampere, our final destination of the day, there are plenty of options if one wishes to take a boat ride – more than 200 lakes are located in the vicinity of the city.

Day 4: Tampere / Jyväskylä (310 km)

Today’s leg takes us through “the land of a thousand lakes” to Littala where famous glass workshops are located. On the way to our destination, Jyväskylä, we pass the Hämee castle and the town of Asikkala. On the nearby ridge we have a splendid view over the lake dotted landscape. From here we drive along a scenic road with many panoramic views and along Lake Päijänne to Jyväskylä  – the birthplace of the world famous architect Alvar Alto.

Day 5: Jyväskylä / Nurmes (270 km)

From Jyväskylä we drive to Kuopio. Here we have the opportunity to visit an interesting Orthodox Church museum, a marvelous market hall and the Puijo viewpoint. From here we travel to Nurmes in the Karelia region, close to the Russian boarder.

Day 6: Nurmes / Mikkeli (335 km)

Today we travel along Lake Pielinen and ascend the Koli Mountain where we can enjoy a great view all the way across to Russia. We also have the option to visit the Valamo monastery. In the afternoon we reach Mikkeli where the largest lake area in Europe is located.

Day 7: Mikkeli – trip to Savonlinna

We recommend a day trip to Savonlinna, home of the impressive Olavinlinna fortress. From here we travel across the breathtaking 7 km long mountain ridge between two lakes. The journey back to Mikkeli takes us past Imatra and along the Russian boarder.

Day 8: Mikkeli / Helsinki / Travemünde (285 km)

This last leg of the trip takes us to Kotka where the Russian emperor used to have a lodge whenever he wanted to go fishing. We travel past the idyllically located town of Porvoo with pretty boating houses and into Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Here we take a city tour that (among other things) takes us to the Sibelius-Monument, the senate square and the market. We board the Finnlines Ferry at 5.30 pm, taking us to Travemünde in Germany.

Day 9: Travemünde / Departure

Arrival in Travemünde at 9 pm. Departure back home.