Iisalmi is a city in North Savonia.

Understand

Formerly a fairly important railway junction, nowadays Iisalmi is probably mostly associated with the Olvi brewery and its products.

Get in

By plane

Iisalmi doesn't have an airport, the closest ones are in Kuopio and Kajaani, 80 km south and north, respectively.

By train

Trains on the line between Kuopio and Kajaani, including trains from Helsinki to Kajaani, stop at Iisalmi.

• 1 Iisalmi railway station (Iisalmen rautatieasema). (updated Apr 2020)

By bus

Buses along highway 5 stop in Iisalmi.

By car

As with most other towns in Finland, arriving by car is always an option.

By boat

The town is reachable by boat from Saimaa and thereby from the sea. After Kuopio there is a 12 m height and 2.4 m depth restriction. 1.0-m and 1.2-m fairways continue towards Kiuruvesi and Vieremä.

Get around

By bus

Iisalmi has two local bus lines. Information about the timetables can be found here. Matkahuolto Reittiopas route planner includes timetables of Iisalmi local transport lines inside town and to neighbouring countryside. Matkahuolto Routes and Tickets app is able to first plan the route and after it sell the right ticket for it.

By bike

There is a bike sharing system using bluetooth and the Donkey Republic about €1.50/1 hr, €4/5 hr, €12/24 hr. For longer stays becoming a member is cheaper: €9 or €18/month covers all trips of less than 1 hr respectively 12 hr, also in other towns using Donkey Republic – but you need to register as member in the country of your card (available: most countries in western Europe and USA). Customer service info@kaakau.fi, ☏ +358 44 716 0644 daily 09:00–21:00. Several towns in south-east Finland use the same system, which is in use also elsewhere in Finland and abroad.

Electric kick scooters

See also: Finland#By motorised scooter

Finnish Move on East rents electric kick scooters for use in the centre.

By taxi

• Menevä Iisalmi, ☏ +358 50-471-0470 (head of office), toll-free: 0800-02120 (booking). Also bookable by app or web. Fixed price based on calculated route and time if destination address given when booking by app or web. Flag fall M–Sa 06:00–18:00: €4, other times and holidays: €7; 1–4 persons €0.90/km + €0.90/km, 5–8 persons minimum €20, €1.60/km + €0.90/min (July 2020). (updated Jul 2020)
• Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Taksi EHT

See

Olvi brewery museum

• 1 Olvi brewery museum (Olvi Panimomuseo), Luuniementie 2. M–F 08:00–13:00. One of Finland's largest breweries, Olvi, is in Iisalmi. They have a museum where you can learn about beer and soft drink manufacturing. Free. 
• 2 Rukajärvikeskus, Savonkatu 24 (in Hotelli Iisalmen Seurahuone). M–F 09:00–15:00, except when booked for private events. A war exhibition by Rukajärvikeskus ("Rukajärvi Centre"). Book guiding in advance. €5, guiding €30. (updated Aug 2022)
• 3 Koljonvirta. A strait a few kilometres northeast of the city centre connecting lakes Iso-Ii and Porovesi. The bridge over Koljonvirta was the site of a battle between Swedish and Russian forces during the Napoleonic wars in 1808. 
• 4 Hanhenlento Zoo (Hanhenlento kotieläinpiha), Hanhiniementie 13, ☏ +358 40 564 1502, info@hanhenlento.fi. (updated Jun 2022)

Do

Runni Spa

• 1 Runni Spa, in Runni village (20 km west of central Iisalmi). Healthy baths and outdoor activities in one of the oldest spas still in use in Finland. 

Festivals

• Oluset, Limuset ja Rokkiset: . Oluset is a music and beer festival in mid-July. Limuset and Rokkiset are alcohol-free rock concerts and accessible also to under 18s. (date needs fixing)

Buy

• 1 Prisma Iisalmi, Parkatintie 2. 7:00–22:00. A hypermarket. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 K-Citymarket Iisalmi, Eteläntie 4. M–Sa 7:00–21:00; Su 9:00–21:00. A hypermarket. (updated Aug 2022)

Eat

• 1 Ravintola Olutmestari, Veikonkatu 1. Beer restaurant next to the harbour and near the Olvi brewery. In the summer you can also eat at Ravintola Kuappi, a small yellow cottage on their yard that reportedly is the smallest restaurant in the world with a table for two — unsurprisingly you need to reserve beforehand. (updated Dec 2015)
• 2 Iltalypsy, Kilpivirrantie 3, ☏ +358 17 816 111. Su–Th 6:00–21:00; F–Sa 6:00–23:00. A café restaurant. (updated Aug 2022)

Drink

• 1 Night Club Stella, Louhenkatu 9. F–Sa 23:00–4:30. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 O'Nelly's Irish Bar, Savonkatu 18, ☏ +358 50 388 4322. Su–M 18:00–0:30; Tu–Th 17:00–0:30; F–Sa 16:00–2:30. (updated Aug 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Sokos Hotel Koljonvirta, Savonkatu 18, ☏ +358 10 7856 100, fax: +358 17 812 012, sales.iisalmi@sokoshotels.fi. Like any hotel in the Sokos chain, this is an upper mid-range hotel downtown. Average rooms with tv, private bathrooms, some rooms have their own small sauna. The hotel has a restaurant and a couple of places to drink. rates from €140 including breakfast. (updated Dec 2015)
• Runni Spa, mentioned in the Do section, is also a hotel.
• 2 Hotel Golden Dome Iisalmi (Boutique Hotel Artos), Kyllikinkatu 8 (Near Panimomuseo), ☏ +358 108 08097. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. €72. (updated Jun 2016)

Go next

• Kajaani
• Kiuruvesi
• Kuopio
• Nurmes
• Ylivieska

Routes through Iisalmi

Sodankylä ← Kajaani ←

N  S

→ Kuopio → Turku