Finland: Savonlinna Opera & the Kuhmo Festival with Forest and Lakeland Walks

We meet at Kajaani airport in the late afternoon and transfer to our hotel in the city centre. At this northerly latitude in the summer, the sun sets late and as we drive, we can enjoy views of the ruins of the 17th century Kajaani castle built to guard an important waterway between the western region of Ostrobothnia and Russian Karelia.

DAY 2 
B, L, D included 
We drive through a classic Finnish landscape of forests and lakes to Kuhmo (1.5 hrs). We attend three festival concerts during the day, held in Kuhmo’s handsome yellow wooden church and the striking new Arts Centre. We are introduced to the Finnish national epic Kalevala in the Juminkeko museum and have lunch in a summer pop up café frequented by festival musicians and their audience. We spend the night in a modern lake-side hotel, designed to resemble a wooden fortress and declared a protected building by the Finnish Board of Antiquities.

This morning we visit the nearby Winter War Museum, which documents a 1939-40 campaign little-known outside Finland. Setting off for the cross-country drive south, we travel for 2 hours, with a break for an authentic Finnish lunch, to the Koli National Park where we walk on a forest trail (1.5 hrs) in a landscape formed by continental ice during the ice age. From the highest point of the park, Ukko Koli (347 m), we admire the view below, an inspiration to generations of Finnish and Nordic artists before dinner and a night’s rest in the Park’s modern hotel.

DAY 4
B, L, D included
We head for Savonlinna (2 hrs), pausing in Kerimaki to visit the world’s largest wooden church, built between 1844 and 1847 through the dream of the local clergyman and the efforts of the local population. We settle in our central 4-star hotel and orientate ourselves on a walk through the oldest part of Savonlinna, formed around Olavinlinna castle following its foundation at the end of 15th century and celebrating its 550 year anniversary. We have an early dinner in a renowned restaurant, before crossing two bridges on foot to attend our first opera performance, Puccini’s ‘Turandot’, an unforgettable experience with the floodlit castle reflected in the still waters of the lake.

DAY 5 
B, L, D included
On a morning boat safari in the Linnansaari National Park (40 mins from Savonlinna), we learn about the traditional slash-and-burn farming, the ‘tar’ trade plied on Saimaa lake, Finland’s largest, and the endangered, endemic Saimaa ringed seal. We return to Olavinlinna castle for our second performance, Kokkonen’s ‘The Last Temptations’. Kokkonen is acknowledged as one of Finland’s leading 20th century composers with a reputation second only to Sibelius. The Last Temptations, Kokkonen’s only opera, took 16 years in its composition and relates in inspiring music and song the life of an 18th century revivalist preacher.

DAY 6
B, L, D included
We drive to the Punkaharju esker, one of Finland’s natural wonders, and visit the surprisingly engaging and informative Museum of the Forest. We continue our travel west, with a total of 4 hrs driving interrupted by a leisurely lunch in the 18th century Fortress of Lappeenranta. We also discover Hamina, with its unique circular town plan dating from the early 18th century Swedish period, before arriving at our hotel, a 4 star converted Manor house set in ten acres of grounds leading down to the sea, in time to swim, use the spa facilities or take a short walk before dinner.

In nearby Porvoo, an important mediaeval trade centre and site for the 1809 change of Finland’s sovereignty from Sweden to Russia, we walk through the cobbled lanes and along the river to admire the red ochre-painted grain warehouses. We visit Sibelius’ atmospheric former country home, Ainola, full of evocative mementoes of Finland’s greatest composer, and have a light lunch before driving on to Helsinki, where our quietly hidden hotel, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is perfectly situated for exploring the historic city centre. We have a 2-hour orientation walk, taking in the picturesque waterfront, Senate Square, the recently opened architectural marvel of the National Library and the Central Railway Station, considered by many to be the crowning achievement of architect Ariel Saarinen, before our farewell dinner in an elegant restaurant.

On our final day, we continue exploring Helsinki, either independently or joining your Kudu guide on a gentle walk (7 km) to discover other iconic monuments of the city, including the 1952 Olympic Stadium and Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall. We cross some of the city’s delightful green spaces, embellished with sculpture, and pass notable buildings, such as the Opera House, the National Museum, the Helsinki City Theatre or the Ateneum Art Museum housing the National Art Collection with pictures from the ‘golden age’ of Finnish art. The trip concludes with a private transfer to Helsinki airport.

If this is your first visit to Helsinki, you may wish to consider extending your stay to allow time for a more thorough exploration.

Note: The Savonlinna Opera and Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival events described in the itinerary are subject (rarely) to change by the organisers. Actual performances or their order may therefore vary from those described in the itinerary.

Please note that the double for single room supplement is imposed by the hotels and not by Kudu Travel. If you are willing to share but no other suitable guest books on the trip, we regret that the supplement will be payable.

• Accommodation for Days 1 through 8, on a shared basis
• Meals with soft drinks at lunch and wine at dinner, as listed in the daily notation
• Land and water transportation as described, except during free periods
• Entrance and sightseeing fees, except during free periods
• Top category tickets for 2 festival performances in Savonlinna and 3 chamber music concerts in Kuhmo
• Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff (appreciation for Kudu tour guides is at your discretion)

• Flights to Kajaani and from Helsinki
• Trip cancellation, medical or other insurance
• Immunisations, prescriptions or other medical requirements
• Passport, visa and health documentation
• Personal expenses (laundry, alcohol other than wine with group meals, free time activities)
• Transport and transfer of excess baggage
• Finnish departure tax, if any

On Kudu trips, you will only need money for postcards, presents to take home, the odd G & T or an irresistible ice cream. Festival and opera tickets, museum and gallery entrances, National Park fees, all meals (with a very few exceptions specified in individual itineraries), wine with lunch and dinner, access to specialist books carried by the guides, gratuities for porters and hotel and restaurant staff, boat rides, train trips, internal flights, wine tastings, 4WDs with drivers, the services of skilled local guides and trackers etc are ALL INCLUDED in the cost of your holiday. 

We are confident that, like previous very satisfied guests, you will discover that our tours give you excellent value for money.

• 1 night in Kajaani, in a modern 4-star city hotel

• 1 night in Kuhmo, in a hotel with contemporary Finnish wooden design, idyllically situated on a lake

• 1 night in the Koli National Park, in a modern 4-star hotel

• 2 nights in Savonlinna, in a modern 4-star centrally located hotel

• 1 night in Porvoo, in a 4-star hotel, a converted Manor house set in ten acres of grounds leading down to the sea

• 1 night in Helsinki, in a centrally located luxury hotel (a recently refurbished historic hotel, now a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World)

Visitors from the UK, EU, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Finland. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Finland.    

Normally, there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Finland. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO.      

British visitors can claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Finland by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or the new UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).  

Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. We can arrange comprehensive cover for UK residents. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.

Size of party
This trip will run with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 14 guests.

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