Lappeenranta

By car

Two highways, 6 and 13 pass through Lappeenranta. Bus companies operate frequently to Helsinki and other cities, even Saint Petersburg in Russia. Highway 13 extends to the Russian border, some 25 km from the city centre, where the Nuijamaa/Brusnichnoye (Нуйямаа-Брусничное) border station is the second busiest border crossing in Finland. Russian tourists usually use this pathway to come to the city either by bus or a car.

By train

The main railway station of Lappeenranta connects the city to the rest of Finland with fairly modern trains, operated by VR. The travel time to Helsinki is 2–2½ hours (€41.30 as of end-2011).
Trains to Saint Petersburg and Moscow stop at a smaller station in Vainikkala, near the Russian border, about 30 km from the city centre. There is a shuttle taxi connection (€10/5 per person, book at latest 1½ hr in advance from , €1.08/call+€1.01/min) between Lappeenranta and the station.

By bus

Lappeenranta travel centre offers connections to other parts of Finland and to Russia. There are direct connections by bus to Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kouvola, Joensuu, Kotka, Mikkeli, Porvoo and Imatra. Foreign lines extend to Saint Petersburg and Vyborg. More information about bus connections from Matkahuolto.

By plane

• Lappeenranta AirportRyanair flies seasonally to Lappeenranta from Bergamo (Mar 2018-) and from Athens (May 2018).

The nearest international flight hubs are in Helsinki and St. Petersburg.

By water

Lappeenranta is a popular destination for boaters within the Saimaa lake area. Some cruise boats operate from Lappeenranta to other destinations within the lake area. Lappeenranta is connected to the Gulf of Finland through the Saimaa canal. Visa free (remember to always check the current situation) cruise boats operate from Lappeenranta to Vyborg, Russia through the canal. The canal is also popular among boaters, and private boats occasionally come from as far as Southern Europe. Check Boating on the Baltic Sea#Saimaa Canal for instructions on how.

By foot

Everything is within walking distance at the center. Even the airport is within walking range if you do not have much luggage, but taxi or local bus is probably preferable.

By bus

Getting further to the suburbs is easy by bus. City of Lappeenranta has bus schedules. There is a graphical route planner to find timetables.

• Visit the , the original city center which was established in mid-17th century. The old buildings include artist workshops, the , completed in 1785, as well as and .
  

  • SandcastleThe biggest one in Scandinavia. Each summer an ever larger sandcastle is built by artists on the northern end of the harbour area. Each year they have a different theme and make sculptures on the walls of the castle accordingly. There is a small theatre inside the castle playing acts intended mainly to children and families.

  
  

• Harbour areaThe harbour, the parks nearby, the fortress and Myllysaari beach are a perfect place to chill out in summertime, sitting on the terraces, drinking, eating and watching the boats and things that happen. Live music played on many summer days. Early in August there is a popular festival called "Linnoituksen yö" (Engl. The Night of the Fortress) in the harbour and fortress area.

• Lake Saimaa and the Saimaa CanalTake a cruise from Lappeenranta to the Saimaa, Saimaa canal or Vyborg, Russia through the canal! This canal was build to connect the Saimaa to the Baltic Sea at the dawn of industrialisation. The canal was modernized in the 1960s. The canal connects to the Bay of Finland, on Russian territory, close to Vyborg (Finn. Viipuri). The canal is mostly used by cargo ships, but there are also passenger boats operating from Lappeenranta to Vyborg. It is also used by private boats from Finland and abroad.

• In winter, the city seems to quiet down a little. The main attractions during winter are the city theatre and major league ice hockey and basketball games. Also many possibilities exist for practising winter sports. There are tens of kilometres worth of cross-country skiing tracks (a popular stage circles around the airport), and also a small downhill skiing slope. Many outdoor and indoor ice-rinks are available for skating. The city bay becomes a skating track during winter.

Festivals

• 
  

Situated close to the border, Lappeenranta is one of the most popular destinations for Russian shopping travellers. The two major shopping mall chains Prisma and Citymarket are located at the outskirts of the city.

• Citymarket

  address: Toikansuontie 4

• Prisma

  address: Puhakankatu 9

• Iso Kristiina

  address: Brahenkatu 3–7
  The largest mall in the city centre, Iso-Kristiina hosts an Anttila department store and a variety of smaller shops, mostly selling clothing.

Budget

• Small coffee booths at the harbour and the (Kauppatori) offer traditional meat pies called vety (Eng. "hydrogen") and atomi (Eng. "atom"). Vety consists of a meat pie, ham, boiled egg and condiments. Atomi has either ham or egg, but not both. Also other snack food is offered by the booths. Just ask for 'vetyatomi' and you'll be understood in nearly all the grillikioskis in Finland.

Mid-range

• Wolkoff

  phone: +358 5 4150320
  address: Kauppakatu 26
  A nice, cozy 50-seat restaurant in a historical 150-year-old house. Non-smoking. In the summertime, seats also available on the courtyard.

Splurge

• Lappeenrannan Kasino

  address: Ainonkatu 10
  An old, classy restaurant. Has also a separate terrace docked on the water at the harbour.

Cafés

• Majurska

  phone: +358 5 4530 554
  address: Kristiinankatu 1
  A romantic café in the historical old Fortress. Delicious homebaked cakes and tarts. Not necessarily for small children because of limited space and fragile décor.

• Coffee House

  phone: +358 5 678 6667
  address: Kauppiaskatu 29-31
  A nice, modern cafe.

• Café Galleria

  phone: +358 5 453 1644
  address: Koulukatu 15
  A small cafe.

Bars

Most of the popular bars are located in the city centre.

• Prinsessa Armaada

  phone: +358 5 4513376
  Harbour. 10:00–02:00 daily in summer (subject to weather). A popular hangout place in the summer, this restaurant is built on an old parked steamboat. Most people come here for drinks, although they also serve food. Another similar boat restaurant, S/S Suvi-Saimaa, is located next to Prinsessa Armaada.

Some mid-range and budget hotels are present.

Budget

• Local student housing foundation, LOAS, offers affordable accommodation during the summer months for tourists.

• Pitotalo Miekkala

  phone: +358 5 458 1882
  address: Partalantie 136
  A typical Bed and Breakfast hotel, 10 km from Lappeenranta towards Joensuu.

• Matkustajakoti Turisti-Lappee

  phone: +358 5 415 0800
  address: Kauppakatu 52
  Centrally located. The shower facilities are shared, the double rooms have private toilets but the single rooms do not. Prices include breakfast and the use of the sauna facilities.

• Finnhostel Lappeenranta (Huhtiniemen matkailukeskus)

  phone: +358 451 5555
  address: Kuusimäenkatu 18
  About 2 km west of the city center. The prices include breakfast and the use of the swimming pool.

• Lahtelan maatilamatkailu

  phone: +358 5-4578034
  address: Lahtelantie 120
  Bed and Breakfast in Ylämaa, south of Lappeenranta.

Mid-range

• Sokos Hotel Lappee

  phone: +358 10 762 1000
  address: Brahenkatu 1
  A comfortable chain hotel in the middle of the city overlooking a desolate square with the town hall's blocky architecture and a fountain.

• Hotel Cumulus Lappeenranta

  phone: +358 5 677 811
  address: Valtakatu 31
  95 rooms with TV, radio, pay-channel, hair dryer and free broadband connection."

Splurge

Lappeenranta is a safe city very accustomed to foreigners. Lappeenranta is the second most popular destination in Finland, mainly due to Russian shopping tourists, but also many other nationalities visit during summer months.

• Imatra - 40 km northeast. See the Imatrankoski and other attractions that the Russian czars used to visit in the 19th century.
• Punkaharju - drive through Finland's national landscape on a road on the top of a ridge that partially divides Lake Saimaa.
• Savonlinna - 120 km north, home to a well preserved medieval castle where an opera festival is held each summer.
• Vyborg - take a one, two or three day visa free cruise to Russia through the Saimaa canal. These cruises run in the summer only.