Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland
Where: Hämeenlinna, Juva & Kuopio, Finland
What: “Travel Smart” series
О серии «Travel Smart»:
Read also / Читайте также:
“Small
Towns”.
This is the way I would like to name our new chapter of the journey. This one
is going to be rather brief giving you an idea of new places to explore. We
will begin this journey with a town of Hämeenlinna moving on to a very small
town of Juva right onto the town of Kupio. These are some places worth visiting
if you decide to explore Finland.
Where: Hämeenlinna, Juva & Kuopio, Finland
What: “Travel Smart” series
For this journey, you have to depart from Helsinki
and start moving on the state road number
3 leading to Tampere. Our first destination here is Hämeenlinna (or
Tavastehus in Swedish),
a small town but special for Finland because of its fortress, one of three
remaining in the country (to specify: the first is in Savonlinna, the second is here in Hämeenlinna,
and the third is in Turku).
The fortress, or the castle, how it is often
called in Finland, is located on the embankment of the river linking two lakes.
Whether you travel by car or by train, it is quite easy to find the fortress;
the railroad station is just on the opposite side of the river and the state
road 3 is nearly behind the castle (fortress). Take your time to visit the place;
it is the zest of the town, the symbol.
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| Hämeenlinna Castle/Fortress |
Once you are in Hämeenlinna, take a walk around
the town. You will find something special for yourself, indeed. There are
several museums, interesting buildings, of course, the fortress, and many lakes
around. If you consider a stay in the town, the best option will be the Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna Hämeenlinna. The hotel is designed to fit the town, i.e. to look a lot like the fortress.
It is really lovely.
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| Hämeenlinna city center |
And before leaving, it would be good to see the
railroad station, not just because it is old, but mainly because it is a
historic site. The first railroad line
was open between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, and it took place in 1862.
 |
| Railroad station in Hämeenlinna |
Now we continue our journey to the town of Juva, almost next to Mikkeli. For that you need to get on the road 10
and then turn on the road 12, which
leads to Lahti. Once you get there, turn left to get to Mikkeli. Once passing by Mikkeli, you
keep going on the same road ahead. There you will see a road going to Kuopio
and a road to Savonlinna, turn to Savonlinna and you will find yourself in the
town of Juva. Juva is a very small town located by the lake; it
is quite a nice contrast to big towns or cities.
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| Juva |
There is a beautiful church, which is in a way
a symbol of this small town. It is worth walking around on your way to Kuopio
or Savonlinna. Lots of Finns have their summer cottages in Juva; for some
reason the place has become so popular among them that it is so well known
despite its size and population.
 |
| Church in Juva |
Now it is time to go to Kuopio. Get a little back to that place where you turn to Kuopio
and head north on the road 5. I
should say Kuopio is one of my favorite towns of Finland: it has a perfect
combination of a breathtaking nature scenery and not quite typical for Finland
buildings, for instance, the Observation Tower (just like the one in Tampere),
the Ski Jumps (just like in Lahti), and some of its own. Another combination
can be noticed in the contrast of a small cozy place with a big and active big
town.
 |
| Smarket |
Once you are in the heart of Kuopio, you will find yourself on a big square with
the City Hall, which is the symbol
of Kuopio (as well as its lakes, the tower, and the jumps), and the Market Hall, a very beautiful and
unusual building. Walking up and down the streets of the town, you will
discover a lot of various buildings and will always see nature all around.
Kuopio holds lots of festivals, concerts, and other events throughout the year.
Besides, an interesting fact is that Kuopio has one of the best in Finland
medical research centers, i.e. BioCenter, as part of the University of Eastern
Finland. It also has the University Hospital, one of the five university
hospitals in Finland.
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| Kuopio City Hall |
Take your time to visit local museums, explore
the nature in the region, and definitely the Puijo Ski Jumps and the Observation Tower. It is worth seeing and both are another symbol of Kuopio. It is spectacular
and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is quite easy to get to Kuopio by train
since it has a good connection. Perhaps, it is another enjoyable way to explore
the country as trains bring unique experience and a pleasant and relaxing
journey. What comes to accommodation in this town, I would recommend the Atlas Hotel, it has a unique and really different from all other hotels in Finland
interior, the design represents the globe with its corners. It will certainly
become a perfect experience and will complement this journey.
I would like to conclude this unusual chapter
of the journey in a new way with a video from the official Kuopio YouTube
channel. It represents the town well and gives a nice picture of how beautiful its
nature is. Therefore, enjoy the video and get ready to get closer to the end of
our journey in Finland.
Kirill “Traveler” Malyutin
About Travel Smart series:
“Travel Smart” is a section,
narrating about different countries and good travel tips, advised by the
author, Kirill Malyutin. The series contains recommendations, including selected
places to visit, character accommodation, and reasonable
shopping. Simply get inspiration!
All stories of the series → О серии «Travel Smart»:
«Travel Smart»
– раздел, в котором автор Кирилл Малютин рассказывает о разных странах и дает
необходимые в путешествии советы. Серия включает в себя рекомендации по
посещенным автором местам, характерным средствам размещения, а также разумному шопингу.
Вдохновитесь приключением!
Все выпуски серии →Read also / Читайте также:
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