Spectacular castle with great history and very cool towers and walls. Tour is usually 1 hour long, bit time flies, even with kids when going through. Be aware that during summer, it is very warm.

Very well restored in the late 19th century to its former glory. A place worth visiting, a beautiful old castle with an interesting and eventful past. I recommend the guided tour, which lasts 50 minutes.

The city of the Opera and and for those who enjoy history I recommend a visit to the city of Savolinna. The day trip was worth it especially the castle where the 1 church of Finland is. The guide tour saved us time. Though I recommend at least 2-3 days to enjoy the full hospitality of the city. Don't forget to enjoy Muikku or a glass of nice local wines while enjoying the waters at the tori. The hospitality of the city was worth the visit. It's really a summer city.

A beautiful castle on an rock island in a Saimaa lake. Authentic, minimalistic and with the mystery hidden in its pathways. Open to public whole year around. To experience the castle the most autumn and winter visits might be the best. The Opwra festival is hosted in the castle's inner yard during summer months.

Aila was a wonderful tour guide, she was very knowledgeable and I would highly recommend using the tours which are included in the price of the ticket I was particularly impressed to learn about the Savonlinna Opera Festival which I will definitely try to attend next year!

Olavinlinna, also known as St. Olaf’s Castle, is a medieval fortress located in Savonlinna, Finland. Olavinlinna is one of Finland’s best-preserved medieval castles and a popular tourist attraction. It has three large towers and thick stone walls designed to withstand cannon fire. The castle was built to strengthen the Swedish Crown’s eastern defenses against Russia. Its strategic location on a rocky islet in Lake Saimaa made it a formidable military stronghold. Nowadays Olavinlinna hosts the world-famous Savonlinna Opera Festival every summer and offers guided tours, exhibitions, and special events. The castle’s dramatic silhouette and rich history make it a symbol of Finnish heritage and resilience.

Very beautiful place, definitely worth a visit. To get to the top of the towers you need to take a tour. There is also a children's room in the castle.

Nice place to visit to see the story of the city and the region. It housed in a 19th-century granary designed by Ernst Lohrmann, the museum focuses on the history of South Savo and sailing on Lake Saimaa. Its main exhibition, “In the Heart of Lake Saimaa,” showcases regional life, ship models, and the Saimaa ringed seal. The museum also features five historic steamships, including the schooner Salama and the tar steamer Mikko. Recognized as Finland’s Museum of the Year in 2023, Riihisaari offers rotating exhibitions, a museum shop, and serves as a tourist information centre.

It was a really nice experience in the museum

Amazing experience. Highly recommend!

Museum with interesting exhibitions from local history. Thanks to them I found out that Saimaa lake is actually home of seal (Saimaannorppa) 😊😊.

Very interesting, beautiful and easy to follow exhibition and museum of the local life and history. We had an suburb guided tour with Eelis. Thank you <3

Nice relatively small museum near castle. Worth of visiting since it won't require too much time

Beautiful museum and the Staff is always ready to help you. The museum is near the Castle and also near the city center so it's very easy to organise yourself. You can walk to see everything ...

I'm sure it is stunning in Winter, or perhaps at the height of summer...we arrived in late May when everything was closed as owners/staff presumably took their post season break. The whole place is nice tho

It was admittedly a cold and rainy day when we visited this market, so a more pleasant day is suggested if possible. We had lovely meals there, regardless of weather, especially the "Lohikeitto" (Salmon Chowder/Soup).

Best place for a summer visit, where you'll find snacks, souvineirs, people, music and lörtsyjä! Highly Recommend!

High tourist prices for farmers’ market produce and the clothing and souvenirs that are really crap. They close some stands already early afternoon even if it’s the best tourist season in July. 😬 plus several drink bars as well as the beautiful location next to the lake.

Best​place to enjoy the traditional Finnish dish, Muikku with boiled or mashed potatoes. Great place to enjoy a refreshing drink in the summer. The service is attentive and courteous. A must go if visitó g Savolinna town.

Its very beautiful market, very peaceful and boat rides are amazing. Please don't miss the chance to visit savonlinna.

Lovely market place. Various places for coffee breakfast snacks and lunch.

Nice exhibition with three buildings to see the work of Johanna Oras. A live exhibit with images changing over time and a small shop to purchase prints and other merchandise from the artist. Shop is a bit limited of stock and no where to have a break for coffee or tea, despite a outdoor area that is covered.

The artistic quality of the artwork is questionable but the premises are well kept and it’s positive that art has become a summer attraction in Punkaharju area.

Nice studio and exhibition. Worth of visiting.

This is a great place to visit. Johanna is very friendly and a giftet painter. Visit her studio as well - there is a good Atmosphere.

Great artist and artwork. Always a pleasure. See the exhibition, visit the artist in her studio, shop and relax in a wonderful environment.

Lovely small local art center

Nice exhibition of Johanna's paintings

Excelent restaurant, in the 6th floor (we had to ask for find it) We were not sure what order and we follow the waitress's recomendations. It was great. In a nutshell, great service, food and views. We'll be back!

Nice views, but food is expensive considering it’s nothing special and requests are ignored. Service was very slow even with half empty restaurant. Not something it used to be.

Great location for dinner or a night snack with awesome sunset view! And the best restaurant for muikku in town! Salted just enough and not too oily. Portion size was average.

Nice place! When it was 31°C it was a bit hot up there but nice. The fries were a bit too fried, but the rest was good. We will come back and try the little fishes👍

Perfect place for beautiful summer evening. Muikut is the dish to go for. Service is quick and friendly.

Good food and nice view. Menu is not available in english, in finish only and the waitress explanation were not precise. Waitress no very nice. The restaurant is difficult to find, no indictauon, even the personal in the lobby do not help. Thanks to trip advisor to find it. So go direct my on the 6th floor of the hotel.

Lovely staff a wonderful food, worth a visit..

Pleasantly surprised by the steak - it was maybe one of the best I ever ate. The fried fish and the risotto were dito on point. Additionally, we enjoyed the location. Sitting outside on a warm summer day and seeing the tour boats coming and going was really nice. Lastly, the relaxed background music strengthened the experience.

Stopped to have lunch. They had Smash burger in menu. So get that. Food game fast, burger was very good, fresh and tasty.

Had a nice quiet Sunday lunch there. The service was excellent and the waitress attentive. The fish of the day was zander with potatoes and mushrooms. It was an excellent combination of sweet and acidic.

The location is amazing. The food was great, we had the goose starter, steak and Waahto burger. Both the steak and burger meat was excellent quality. The only minus was that I was looking forward to the churro fries, but received normal fries.

Visited this place for a dinner on a sunday so it was nice and quiet due the minimal amount of customers. The restaurant itself was very clean and atmospheric with a warm interior. The service was very nice and food good. Overall a pleasant experience.

Awful experience. The waitress didn't speak English at all, when asking where's the toilet, she pointed towards the lake, when asking for the wi-fi password she said the hamburgers are not served with mayonnaise. When finally understood our question, she refused to offer the wi-fi password. The food was eaten only because we were extremely hungry. Potatoes fried in old oil, huge quantities of salt, the "our homemade ketchup" was commercial ketchup, the cheapest one you find in supermarkets. Small portions and high prices. So disappointed, do not recommend.

No service even after I signed multiple times. If tourists aren't welcome then no wonder the place is so empty.

There was nothing legendary in their house burger. Bun is not suitable for burgers and was more like a breakfast bun. The patty was over-cooked and it tasted like a supermarket beef-pork ground meat. They should keep those cuts separated and leave the beef patty medium and treat the pork belly as bacon. At least that way the burger would be juice compared to that sahara dry over-cooked piece of meat between breakfast bun. Not recommended.

Charming place, very helpful and friendly staff. And this is not one of those tourist place with mediocre food. In contrast, the food was excellent, combined with close proximity to the lake and fhe castle. Definitely highly recommended! (the pork rib is simply amazing, the best of all Finland!)

Great food, great service! The soup was to die for. Nice drinks too!

Nice and fast service. Burger was deliciously (juicy).

The restaurant has very good location in Savonlinna. I put 2 stars due to my feeling, which has been carried out of the restaurant. We have had table reservation, and we were placed inside of the restaurant next to the kitchen with no view outside. I asked the personnel if it is possible to change the table to the available ones to get better view, where we could see the lake and not only kitchen. The answer was “no, we are fully booked”. There were 4 empty tables available. And only one table has reservation mark on it. During the time when we were waiting for order to be taken, there were walked-in customers, and they were given choice for the three available tables “which one would you like, please select one of those three tables?” When we asked one more time to change the table, the answer was that “we have complex system of reservation, I shall not explain it to you.” We ordered food, the meal was good there. The advice is if you go there, please, do discuss location of the table during the reservation, especially if you have driven hundreds and hundreds of kilometers to visit Savonlinna and see the beautiful lake with the castle. The answer to the owner: you are right, the table is in terrace, but it was next to the wall, which is used to separate the kitchen from the area with tables. From that place it was not possible to see the lake nor castle. On the receipt there is name of the restaurant “street bar & restaurant Sarastro”.

The layout for the restaurant was good, the kitchen was open enough for you to see in and it was clean. There was a separate bar area but it was all connected. The view was good and you had the choice of sitting in the shade or sun. The food was well priced and definitely worth the price. The burgers were delicious and the blue cheese was great. The staff were friendly.

Absolutely stunning! I don't get why others are saying that the house burger was a disappointment. Because that was absolutely amazing! Bit expensive, but the taste makes up for it. Also, they're dog friendly, my dog Ilo Cane with me to eat there.

Very nice nostalgic and interactive museum on the forests of Finland. Set in the countryside of Finland on a ridge road that a full day out can be entertaining, relaxing and adventurous. Displays are in multiple languages. Playing areas for children. Animal models to learn more about nature. A well worth visit with a shop that has some local hand made memorabilia.

A rather strange yet truly charming museum to visit! The subject is the Finnish forestry industry and the exhibits are very interesting and engaging. There is plenty to do for kids and adults alike and it can certainly be considered fun for the whole family! There is also a very nice restaurant on site.

A very nice museum about Finnish forests and forestry. A lot of scale models, tools and demonstrations how the Finnish forest came to this day. Interesting pictures of real people and their homes. Also, there was a lot of souvenirs to buy. Very nice place to visit, recommended!

Very nice and partially interactive museum. We came late and spent only 1 hour there, but better reserve at least 2 hours. There are interesting forrest vehicles, you get to know about past and recent work in the forrest, about preserving woods etc. You should visit it with children!

A really interesting museum divided into the different ways humans and the forests of Finland coexist. Something for everyone to find interesting and I learned a lot!

Here time has stopped. Old-fashioned forestry equipment bears witness to the beginnings of mechanized logging.

Delightful, spent about 2 hours exploring. Wish we could have eaten at the restaurant, but it closed thirty minutes prior to the museum closing.

Nice exhibition. Punkaharju is a very beautiful place to visit in eastern Finland. If you are in the area and arts is your thing, this place is a must on the check list.

Not impressed. The cave is nothing special, the animation is not particularly great. Note the animation is only in Finnish; for non Finnish speakers, you get 1 summary page of the story in English but you get lost. And you are not really warned about this at the entrance. 12 euros for this is out of range (22 euros if you want to see the wooden sculptures outside). There are better things to do in the area. Staff is nice though.

Might be right place for art fans in a nice environment. For me luolasto was a little disappointment due ~20yo animation techniques videa installation visual face would be torture for younger generation

One of the most interesting museums/galleries in all the land. Open again after bad times. Good luck & good business!

Great show at the caves. Really worth a visit and value for money.

Basically 20 euro for nothing to see. Both exhibitions very poor.

Great place! The cave was an interesting idea.

The biggest wooden church in the world ! I thought earlier that there had been a scale error between the architect and the carpenters, but last summer I learned that the church was meant to be that big initially !!! Little did they know that the countryside would become empty and the cities and towns would collect all the people.

Impressive on the outside, even more so on the inside. Combine it with a day trip to Olavinlinna and you won't be sorry.

The church is worth the detour. Entirely made with Wood.

Very impressive wooden church!

As we approached nearer to the worlds largest wooden church I wasn’t able to capture it all in one picture as there was so much detail and height to this amazing building. There was a tour guide inside as we entered and he enthusiastically informed us of as much as is possible in fifteen minutes or so. His stories and history of this old wooden church left me in awe! I was particularly fascinated with how the church was heated in the middle of the winter.

It is a beautiful wooden church, worth to visit it! However, you can see that it needs maintenance, a fresh layer of paint or some woodworkers who can fix the bad spots in the wood. If you are close, visit it. But also enjoy the view of the beautiful lakes in the area.

Beautiful! Definitely take the time to visit during a visit to Finland!

Savonlinna Cathedral is a nice architecture located in the heart of Savonlinna. It was built between 1874 and 1878 and features by its Neo-Gothic architecture with a tall spire, red brick exterior, and arched windows. It restored in the 20th century, it remains an active parish church. Its serene interior, beautiful altarpiece, and historic organ make it a cherished landmark and a peaceful place for reflection in Savonlinna.

I liked everything except the tour led by a girl in glasses with a rainbow ribbon around her neck

Beautiful church to sing in. Organ is lovely.

During the summer there are many life concerts in the church

Good

your average finnish church.

Wonderful building.

A very nice natural park where you can go hiking through a few different paths of different length. There is also an old house, stable and sauna from a farm preserved in its original state from a few decades ago when the last owners left. You can reach the park with your boat, with a canoe or kayak (you can eventually rent one in Oravi) or with the ferry from Oravi. You can also sleep there with your tent or just use the camp fire to prepare your own food for a special picnic. There is also a small bar, just in case. ;)

I went to the island, which has an old growth forest. To get there you will need to take a boat ride from a nearby town called Oravi, which was 19 the round trip per person. There are also other activities offered in that town, as kayaking and some fishing tours. I recommend it, but bring mosquito protection in summer, I hadn't seen such a mosquito concentration since I went to the Everglades!!

We went there for a day trip. There is a boat shuttle from Oravi to the main island. Several hikes on nature trails up to 7 km length lead through a great variety of vegetation and interesting landscapes

Ideál for Perfect outdoor trips. Be aware of mosquitos.

this place is worth visiting. Walking around the island will take at least 2.5 hours- if you visiting in the summer - there are a lot of mosquitoes and midges. There is also a very small cafe on the island where you can get a regular coffee, donuts and local meat pies, as well as other products - like in a grocery shop.

Absolutely beautiful place. Untouched Finnish nature. You can even spot a saimaan norppa (Saimaa ringed seal) if you are lucky and know where to look. Also great operators available who organize trips and safaris and rent gear. One of top 5 places in Finland!

One of the most beautiful places on earth. Beautiful lake area with small islands all over. National Park is really complicated area, so it is very important that you have a local quide or you are good with navigation. I've seen couple times canoeing group asking in the evening that where they are. Highly recommend.

As a Chinese, I've made it a point to explore nearly every Chinese restaurant in Helsinki and many others across various countries. Unfortunately, this was by far the most disappointing experience I've ever had. We ordered two of the same dish, asking for one to be extra spicy and the other with the regular flavor. Shockingly, the restaurant refused, claiming they didn't want to prepare the dish twice. This lack of flexibility and disregard for the customer's request was deeply frustrating. On top of that, the portion sizes were so small that despite ordering 10 dishes, we still had to visit the market afterward. To make matters worse, we found steel wool in our food, which raises serious concerns about the hygiene standards here. Such a discovery is not only off-putting but also potentially dangerous, making me question the cleanliness and safety of the kitchen. Adding to the disappointment, the restaurant charged us for tap water, something that is quite uncommon and unacceptable in Helsinki. Given the poor service, questionable hygiene, and unreasonable charges, I can't imagine this restaurant thriving in Helsinki's competitive food scene. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine Chinese dining experience. There are much better options out there.

I am Chinese and feel Chinese food not good Bad Chinese restaurant Eat a steel wire in the restaurant They said finish people can tolerate it to eat steel wire and finish government doesn’t care about it Rice 1 euro tap water 2.5 euro The receipt doesn’t show tax information.

I had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant. Having dined at many Chinese restaurants across Finland, I have never encountered a situation where I was charged for water. However, what made the experience even worse was that my friend and I found a piece of wire in our food. This is simply unacceptable. It was a very unpleasant visit, and I cannot recommend this restaurant anymore.

I had a beautiful experience in this restaurant! The food was delicious and quickly served, the couple of the owners had been really kind and welcoming with me and my boyfriend! 谢谢您们！

The portion of the dishes are really small. Not sure how they did the dish, there was some pieces of steel wool (?) found in our dish, which even made things worse. We were really shocked and upset even they replaced it with a new dish.

Don't go for lunch! The only decent thing was the crawflakes. Paid 9 euros for Findus's Wok wegetables and salted beans!!! You may compare the quality to this advertisement of theirs.

Great Chinese food, quick & nice service!

Beautiful place, I wish I had a raft or a kayak to fully explore the scenic place

Beautiful area to kayak or canoe around. Some rental cottages available, with no motorized vehicles allowed. Watch out for local fresh water seals and beawers!

Beautiful views, very convenient self-service canoe rental, grilling place and toilets available.

A must see flat water destination for canoe camping. Camping locations are limited and swamped during holiday season, so I recommend establishing a camp early and exploring the views during the evening.

One of the best places for kayaking in Finland near russian border. Excellent infrastracture for camping.

Good services and route signs and of course the park itself is stunning! Best way to explore the park is of course with cayak, but i would also advice to walk a bit in the beautifull islands and nature paths.

We did a hike there. Beautiful nature

(Translated by Google) I would like to give an assessment of the opera festival that has nothing to do with the music, but rather describes the local conditions. The music was chosen. It starts with ticket control and you go into an inner courtyard where you can have a drink. Shortly before the concert you will be guided into the concert room via very narrow paths or stairs. Everything is very tight here. Row 20, right in the middle. Now you already have the feeling of confinement. Outside temperature 30°. A look to the right - about 25 people. Same to the left. The inner courtyard, which was originally open to the top, is covered. Legroom is zero! You share the warm air with 2,500 other people. I try to suppress the rising feeling of anxiety. In short - after the break, which was about 1.5 hours, I didn't go back. For the entrance fee of 175.00 euros, I not only want to sit comfortably, but also be able to breathe. The seating is designed for maximum occupancy. Relaxed listening is no longer possible for me. Never again!!!! (Original) Ich möchte eine Bewertung über die Opernfestspiele abgeben, die nichts mit der Musik zu tun hat, sondern die örtlichen Gegebenheiten beschreibt. Die Musik hat man sich ja ausgesucht. Es beginnt mit der Ticketkontrolle und man begibt sich in einen Innenhof, wo man noch etwas trinken kann. Kurz vor dem Konzert wird man über sehr schmale Wege, bzw. Treppen in den Konzertraum gelotst. Hier ist schon alles sehr eng. Reihe 20, genau in der Mitte. Jetzt hat man schon das Gefühl der Enge.Außentemperatur 30°. Ein Blick nach rechts-ca.25 Leute. Nach links genauso. Der ursprünglich nach oben offene Innenhof ist abgedeckt. Beinfreiheit gleich Null! Man teilt sich die warme Luft mit 2500 anderen Menschen. Ich versuche das aufsteigende Beklemmungsgefühl zu unterdrücken. Kurzum- nach der Pause, die nach etwa 1,5 Stunden war, bin ich nicht zurück. Für den Eintrittspreis von 175,00 Euro möchte ich nicht nur bequem sitzen , sondern auch atmen können. Die Bestuhlung ist auf maximale Besetzung ausgelegt. Da fällt entspanntes Zuhören für mich aus. Nie wieder!!!!

(Translated by Google) The magic flute came to watch. It was too modernized version for our taste (Original) Taikahuilu tuli katsottua. Se oli liian modernisoitu versio meidän makuun

(Translated by Google) The opera festival is a great experience for me and my wife every summer. This time we saw the operas The Barber of Seville and Rimeo and Juliet. In both, especially the soloist parts were very beautiful. (Original) Oopperajuhlat on minulle ja vaimolleni joka kesä toteutuva suuri elämys. Tällä kertaa näimme oopperat Sevillan parturi ja Rimeo ja Julia. Molemmissa erityisesti solistiset osuudet olivat hyvin kauniita.

(Translated by Google) Such a unique experience that has never disappointed yet! (Original) Niin ainutlaatuinen kokemus joka ei ole vielä koskaan pettänyt!

(Translated by Google) Top (Original) Huippu

Pizza was good but it took an hour to get it which ruined the experience. No apology or compensation was offered when we mentioned about unacceptably long waiting time. Some food for thought for the management….

The location is really good right by the river and the building is in a pinkish tone with light colors. Although it looks very fresh from the outside but the inside is giving very much regular pizza kebab place. The staff seems nice normal good service, very fast service aswell we got served our food less than 10 minutes after sitting down. Although what we ordered as a starter came at the same time as main course, but its fine. The outside bar seemed nice and fresh it was lovely sitting outside really pretty place and vibe, good music! For the food, i had a pasta carbonara and my fiancé had a Nduja pizza + garlic bread. When i find restaurants with carbonara on their menu i always get excited to try, but here i did get disappointed. The carbonara can not be called carbonara in my opinion, menu says it contains pancetta which i dont think it was it tasted like bacon. And the carbonara sauce was not authentic at all, or remotly close. Their carbonara is made of cream and had parsley on top, felt criminal. The taste was bad aswell, it was tasteless and overcooked. Coming there i was excited and expected a authentic carbonara or atleast a decent one, for all fellow real pasta carbonara lovers this place is not it and the price 18,90€ for fake carbonara is insane. The Nduja pizza was alright but very regular, nothing special at all and tasteless. For kids the carbonara and Nduja pizza would suit.

Excellent vegan pasta and stylish decor with nice views over the lake. Big terrace.

Great service, tasty pizza with fresh ingredients. Delicious almond cake.

I think the Pizza here was very good, we got served very fast and it is by far the best Pizza I have tried in Savonlinna. The restaurant is in a very nice location by the lake and the premises has been very nice refurbished. The price gave Great value for money, so this is a Great new place to recommend. We also tried the Coffee and it was excellent taste and quality.

It's not a pizza. The dough is bland without flavor and the toppings are disgrace to Italian kitchen. The cheese is not mozzarella, the margherita is without any resemblance to a real Italian play of flavors. The meat pizza seems to be even worse and the monstrosity is topped with salad dressing straight from K-Market. Do not eat here!

Great place for Italian food.