Discovering the Lake District

The Finnish Lakeland (Järvi-Suomi) stretches across the entire southeast of the country, covering an area larger than Switzerland. Thousands of lakes — the largest, Saimaa, is the fourth largest lake in Europe at 4,380 km² — are connected by natural and artificial canals and surrounded by dense coniferous forests. From the air, the region looks like a blue-green mosaic: More water than land.

The Lake District is Finland's soul. Here stand most of the 500,000 Finnish mökkis (summer cottages), here Finns spend their summers, here the sauna is not wellness but a way of life. For travelers, this means: absolute tranquility, untouched nature, and a pace that adapts to the rhythm of the seasons.

Key places: Tampere (Finland's third-largest city, "Sauna Capital"), Jyväskylä (Alvar Aalto city), Savonlinna (Opera Festival in the castle), Kuopio (Kalakukko and Puijo Tower), and Mikkeli.