Kuopio is a town located on the centre west of Finland, in the region of Northern Savonia (Pohjois-Savo) and is known in summer for its dance and wine festivals.
The city’s essence comes from its lakeside location on the shores of Kallavesi and its role as a harbour for lake traffic.
On a nearby ridge overlooking Kuopio is the Puijo observation tower and it offers some of the best lake views in Finland. Located in the heart of the Savo district, this delightful city boasts its own distinct dialect and is also home to the Finnish Orthodox Church, the country’s official religion.
During the summer, Kuopio has a number of restaurant terraces down by the harbour from which you can watch steamboats chugging about on the water. Enjoying an evening cruise on a passenger steamer departing from Kuopio’s harbour is a quintessential Finnish summer experience.
Kuopio’s Town Hall forms one side of the city’s central Market Square, a focus for the annual dance festival and a colourful, thriving source of fresh Finnish produce – vegetables, berries and mushrooms – over the summer months.
More about Kuopio: www.visitfinland.com
Where to stay?
There are lots of hotels in Kuopio, right in the city or in the around in quieter locations.
My choice went to Scandic Atlas hotel which is located downtown, right in the middle of the city, just in front of the Market Square and surrounded by restaurants and shopping malls. On top of that, it has a very good rating on Booking.com with very good deals.
Booking.com
Their parking is just under the Market Square, it’s very safe for your car and it costs 12€ per 24 hours. You pay it at the reception, and they will give you a ticket which will allow you to go in and out as many times as you want during 24 hours.
You may not notice it immediately, the entrance of the hotel is just between Carlson’s shopping center and Mac Donald’s.
The check-in was very fast and the receptionists were very nice and helpful.
I booked a Superior room which was very spacious, clean, modern, comfortable and extremely quiet.
Inside the room, there were a double-size and very comfortable bed, a sofa, a desk with a kettle and free tea and coffee amenities, an LCD TV with Finnish and a few international TV channels, a minibar, a safe, an iron and ironing board and a bathroom with WC and a shower.
Free Wi-Fi is available inside the room.
In the basement, there is a sauna available to the hotel’s guests and for free. You just need your room’s card to unlock the door.
The breakfast was included in the price of the room and was made of a big buffet with a large choice of salty and sweet food.
