Location: Lappeenranta
Top Things to do in Lappeenranta
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The 10 Best Things to do in Lappeenranta, South Karelia
Lappeenranta (Swedish: Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality situated on the shore of the lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately 73,000 inhabitants (31 August 2017) Lappeenranta is the 13th largest city in Finland. The neighboring municipality of Joutseno was consolidated with Lappeenranta on January 1, 2009, and the neighboring municipality of Ylämaa on January 1, 2010. Lappeenranta is known as an international university city in Finland with Lappeenranta University of Technology and Saimaa University of Applied Sciences which together have approximately 13,000 students from 68 countries. Lappeenranta is also a commercial centre of South-East Finland and the meeting point of the EU and Russia, 215 km from both Helsinki and St. Petersburg. Location on the southern shore of Lake Saimaa makes the city the region’s centre for tourism. Lappeenranta is the second most visited city by Russian tourists in Finland after Helsinki and it competes with Helsinki for the largest share of tax-free sales in Finland. Lappeenranta is a model for renewable energies and a clean living environment. Lappeenranta was the only Finnish city among the 14 finalists in the international Earth Hour City Challenge 2014, organized by WWF.
Restaurants in Lappeenranta
1. Milano Fashion Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
Milano Fashion Centre is the largest department store in Lappeenranta, Finland. Most well-known fashion brands are now available at the best prices with taxfree. We have Michael Kors, Armani Jeans, Versace Jeans, Baldinini, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Trussardi and more. Milano Fashion Centre is located very close to the border of Russia and Finland, only 20 km away. Distance from Helsinki is 220 km. There are trains and buses available from Helsinki to Lappeenranta.
2. Saimaa Canal
3. Lappeenranta Fortress
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 208 reviews
Reviewed By jlaakso - Porvoo, Finland
Three museums (two art museums and a small and comfy cavalry museum), nice cafes, lots of shops with local arts and crafts. We had pancakes with honey that’s made by bees local to the fortress yard!
4. Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God
5. Prisma
6. Wolkoff House Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By outip2019
You get to Wolkoff’s foyer directly from the museum shop. It’s a small place. One room, barely big enough for about four people. But it’s big in history. The whole history of Lappeenranta lives there. It is embedded into the walls, the floor and the ceiling, all wooden. A few minutes is enough to get the vibes, but an hour or two of meditation would be optimal. The whole house is nice, but the foyer is amazing. There are two writings on the wall: E.T. (!) and LETTU, which is a crepe, like a pancake. It seems that E.T. loves crepes, or Finnish style pancakes. They are to be eaten either with sugar sprinkled on top or with a good jam like strawberry or raspberry. For a drink a glass of milk if you’re a young one or young at heart. A cup of coffee if you’re a more mature person. Back to the foyer of Wolkoff’s house museum. In my opinion this is the number one place in Lappeenranta. Visit this one and you understand the history of the town.
7. Sandcastle Lappeenranta
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 210 reviews
Reviewed By miikah_12 - Lahti, Finland
Visiting here every summer is a tradition for me. Every year a different theme, with sculptures of theme kind. They use about 3 million m3 sand for making it! Besides of watching, there are also some other activities especially for little children. They have varied a little bit through years, but you can expect a little train and a carousel. They used to told fairy tales (in finnish) inside the castle for children, but on the last two years they have changed it for a chapel. So you can even get married in a sand castle!!!
8. Angry Birds Activity Park
9. South Karelia Museum
10. IsoKristiina
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 29 reviews
Reviewed By MikaelF413 - Vantaa, Finland
This is absolutely the biggest and most modern mall in Lappeenranta. It was very handy that our hotel was directly connected to it. It was raining and we could find everything under the same roof. No need to step outside. Besides the shops, there are many restaurants, bars, and a modern Finnkino cinema.
