Download GPX file for this article
61.683327.2500Full screen dynamic map

From Wikivoyage
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Mikkeli seen from the water tower

Mikkeli (St. Michel in Swedish) is a cozy town in South Savonia province, Eastern Finland with a population of 54,400. It is 230 km NE from Helsinki and 100 km west from Savonlinna. It was founded in 1838 and the Finnish Army HQ under Marshal Mannerheim was based there during World War II.

Get in

Map
Map of Mikkeli

By plane

  • 1 Mikkeli airport (MIK  IATA) (in the city area roughly 3 km west from the city centre). It is only used for charter/business flights. Suitably calm, Mikkeli airport is also a home for active glider and parachute enthusiasts. Mikkeli Airport (Q286872) on Wikidata Mikkeli Airport on Wikipedia 

By train

Mikkeli railway station is in the city center, one block from the market square. The city is on the main Savonia track between Helsinki and Kuopio. Sometimes you may have to change trains in Kouvola. Typically, there are 7 daily connections from Helsinki to Mikkeli ranging from regular express trains to slightly better equipped InterCity 2 -trains. The fastest connection are the Pendolino trains, making the trip in 2 hours and 16 minutes.

By bus

Mikkeli has good bus connections to all main cities of Southern and Northern Finland. Buses leave from the Matkakeskus terminal integrated with the railway station.

By boat

Lake Saimaa can be reached from sea through the Saimaa Canal. Boats with high masts may have to moor at Kristiina, some 15 km south of the centre.

Get around

Mikkeli has a comprehensive public transport system (buses to e.g. Anttola and Otava almost every hour). Information about local transport you can find here. You can use route planner to seek local bus routes between given locations and addresses. One-way tickets for buses in the city area cost around €3, while fares for longer routes are distance based.

Major car rental companies, such as Europcar and Hertz, are available in Mikkeli. During the summertime, one may also hop in a sightseeing bus or take a cruise in Saimaa from the Mikkeli harbor.

Taxis are also available (☏ 0600 300 55 (in country only; shared cost)) and fares start at €5 and climb up to €1.30/km during weekdays (typically depends on the amount of passengers).

  • Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

See

During World War II, Mikkeli was the headquarters of the Finnish Army, and quite a few sights from the period remain.

  • 1 Jalkaväkimuseo (Infantry museum), Jääkärinkatu 6-8. War museum, exhibitions depicting Finnish infantry from the independence to today. 
  • 2 Päämajamuseo (Headquarters museum), Päämajankuja 1-3. Mannerheim's headquarters during World War II. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 3 Viestikeskus Lokki (Communications Centre Lokki), Vuorikatu. Mannerheim's headquarters' communications centre. 
  • 4 Suur-Savon museo (Suur-Savo Museum), Otavankatu 11. Regional museum. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 5 Naisvuoren näkötorni (Naisvuori Observation Tower). An observation tower overseeing the town of Mikkeli. 
  • 6 Kenkävero, Pursialankatu 6. An old vicarage, a summer garden, restored buildings, handicrafts to buy. 
  • 7 Mikkelinpuisto (Mikkeli Park). Summer garden by the lake, formed by several exhibitors. 
  • 8 Valokuvakeskus (Mikkeli Centre of Photograpy), Puistokatu 3. Photography exhibition and research centre. 

Do

Hiihtomäki dance pavillon.
  • 1 Visulahti (Visulahti Travel Centre) (A couple of kilometers towards Kuopio). Water park, wax cabinet and camping. 
  • 2 XON-puisto (XON-Park) (A couple of kilometers towards Kuopio). Adjacent to Visulahti Travel Centre. Motor park, paintball and some extreme amenities like catapult and bungee jumping! 
  • 3 Urpolan luontokeskus (Nature centre of Urpola), Selännekatu 30. A nature conservation zone next to the town centre, popular for small treks. 
  • 4 Mikkelin Ravirata (Mikkeli Racetrack). Horse racing track known for its fastness. Many trotting world records have been set in Mikkeli. St Michel Race-weekend arranged in Mid-July is one of the biggest yearly trotting events in Finland and a popular travel destination of horse racing fans. 
  • Hiihtomäen lava, ☏ +358 45-276-4230. May–Sep: F 20:00–00:30, Jun–Aug: also Tu 20:00–00:30, senior dances W 12:00–16:00. Dance pavillon. (updated Nov 2015)
  • Rent a canoe at WildCanoe, Operates from a base in Anttola, next to Mikkeli, ☏ +358 500 840 362, . Rent a canoe and or take a guided canooing tour on the pristine Saimaa lake system. (updated Apr 2016)

Festivals and happenings

  • Hummeripoikarock: 22–24 July 2016. Hummeripoikarock is a festival on the stage outside of Restaurant Hummeripoika in Haukivuori, Mikkeli. (date needs updating)

Buy

  • 1 [dead link] Stella. A Sokos department store with a large S-Market supermarket, smaller shops selling clothing, eating and services can be found right next to the market square. Also included to Stella is small market hall with small shops selling local food products. 
  • 2 Akseli. Neighboring shopping centre to Stella. Clothing stores, some wellness services, couple of restaurants and cafes. 
  • 3 Tori (Market square). The largest and one of the busiest marketplaces in Eastern Finland. Cafes, terraces, local produce, flea markets on weekends and especially on "Mikkelinpäivä" (Michaelmas, 29 September). 
  • 1 Raijan Aitta, Kipparintie 2, Majavesi (15 km south of Mikkeli), ☏ +358 15 416-440. Handmade linen and flax products, plus raspberries and strawberries in summer and cottage accommodation from €30/person. The surrounding countryside and nearby lake are beautiful, but you'll need your own wheels to get here. 

Eat

Mikkeli has quite a few restaurants given to the city's relatively small size, although many of them are generic chain restaurants. Fast food is available in the form of kebabs and pizzas. McDonald's and Hesburger have two restaurants each in Mikkeli. Almost all kebab restaurants stay open until the closing time of night clubs, and are thus seen as the preferred late-night eating options.

Some noteworthy restaurants:

  • 1 Anfora Kebab & Pizzeria, Porrassalmenkatu 12, ☏ +358 15 222274. Popular pizzeria close to the centre and nightclubs. A favourite especially with students and the late-night crowd. Good service and affordable prices. 
  • 2 Ravintola Fernando, Porrassalmenkatu 22. Family run, Tex-Mex-influenced restaurant. Good sized portions. Good option, if you're getting bored with the always ubiquitous chain eateries. 
  • 3 Tertin Kartano, Kuopiontie 68. Nice manor restaurant serving excellent lunch. Outside of town centre. 
  • 4 [dead link] Vilee Puoti ja Bistro, Porrassalmenkatu 22. Good quality food made from local ingredients. Not cheap, but very tasty. Daily changing menu. Sometimes crowded, so booking a table might be a good idea. Open only on office hours and Saturdays. 

Drink

Mikkeli's nightlife is not perhaps one of the busiest in Finland, but has some nice pubs to visit. Surprisingly the live music scene is very active. Most of the bars are centered along Porrassalmenkatu, so exploring the night is very easy. In wintertime the city is quiet, but in summer many nice terraces open up troughout the centre.

  • 1 Keskus-Baari (KB), Porrassalmenkatu 12. Nostalgic and small pub from 1960s. Very wide choice of music, cheap beer and welcoming atmosphere. In weekends very crowded. Local favourite for artists. Maybe the best Guinness pints of Mikkeli. 
  • 2 [dead link] Pub Päämaja, Raatihuoneenkatu 4. Nice and traditional pub serving beer brewed in Mikkeli. Sports on TV available. Nice pub burgers as well. Also popular place to eat lunch. (updated Jun 2017)
  • 3 Gastropub Eino, Raatihuoneenkatu 4. Tidy gastropub. Good selection of beers. Little bit pricey, but good pub food available. 
  • 4 [formerly dead link] Parnell's, Mikonkatu 9. There is Irish-themed pub even in Mikkeli. Part of small chain. Offers nice environment. 
  • 5 Pub Jälkipeli, Mikonkatu 5. Good pub with two sides: sports pub and rock bar. Sports on TV available. Good terraces on summer. Frequented by local football fans as the Urheilupuisto stadium is located next to the pub. 
  • 6 Stoppari On The Rocks, Porrassalmenkatu 16. Stoppari is legendary name in Mikkeli. Legendary rock bar of past decades has returned to its roots. Rock themed night club playing all varieties of rock music "from rockabilly to black metal". Occasional gigs. 
  • 7 Bar'n'Night Vaakuna, Porrassalmenkatu 9. Considered to be the classiest night club of Mikkeli with prices matching the status. Good place to find gigs. Open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 
  • 8 Wilhelm Public House, Porrassalmenkatu 10. Pub-like night club. Sometimes very quiet, but still quite nice interior and good selection of beers. Live music quite often, mostly rock. (updated Jun 2017)

Sleep

There are a few hotels in the town centre but not many hostels can be found. Camping is a good choice for cheaper accommodation.

Budget

Camping

Cottages

The area around Mikkeli is one of Finland's main centres for summer cottages (kesämökki). Most are inconveniently located unless you have your own car and primarily geared for families or groups who can bring all their own gear (bedding, food, etc.) and stay a week or longer, but a few cater also to short-stay visitors. Prices vary widely depending on the facilities: some places go for as little as €30/night, top-end facilities ten times that.

  • 5 Nopolan Lomamökit (Nopola cottages), Nopolantie 37, Anttola (while in Anttola, go down Pitkälahdentie about 8 km to the north, then turn right on the last fork before Pitkälahti; Nopola is about 200 m from there), ☏ +358 40 836 1199, . Cottages available any season, Bed & Breakfast (1 single and 1 double room) open from 1 Jun through the summer. Sauna, rowing boat, grill and summer kitchen. Very pleasant family-run place. Really great breakfast with home-made bread. 

Mid-range

Splurge

Go next

This city travel guide to Mikkeli is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Mikkeli&oldid=4023321"