Kuopio, Finland

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Kuopio is the capital of Savo province and according to local mythology also the Center of the Universe. To be more exact this Center is in the market place. City was founded in 1775 and has currently about 86 500 inhabitants. City is located on a beautiful peninsula in lake Kallavesi. Tourist information office is next to city hall and has plenty of information also from surrounding areas.

Kuopio can be reached with train (www.vr.fi, 5-6 hours from Helsinki), by car, bus or plane (www.finnair.fi). If you are not in a hurry, good way to get here is by boat from Savonlinna. Takes all day, but the scenery is well worth it. M/S Puijo makes the trip three times a week. Sailing season lasts from early June to mid august.

Accommodation and food are not among the cheapest in the universe and seem reasonably priced only to people that live in or have just visited Norway. Accommodations can be found from www.kuopioinfo.fi. Hermannin salit (hostel) is within walking distance from city center, Rauhalahti hostel is 10-15 minutes with bus and Puijon maja (hostel) 10 minutes with bus from center of the city. Rauhalahti has also well equipped camping area.

Food question can be solved with pizza, avoid overpriced Kotipitsa and Rosso. Instead step in one of the smaller establishments operated by immigrants. 4-5 Euros will fill your stomach nicely. There are about half a dozen of these and you know one when you see one. Other option is to get to university and use student restaurants. Lunch is 4-5 euros, but quality varies. If you're curious enough try "kalakukko". Basically it is dark bread with small fish (muikku) and fat in it. Kalakukko can be obtained from market place every day of the week. Restaurant Sampo on Kauppakatu has specialized in different dishes made out of muikku and is not too expensive and well worth a visit.

Must visit places in Kuopio include Korttelimuseo, Puijo hill, Matkustaja satama and Väinölänniemi. Korttelimuseo in city center presents typical buildings and interiors from days gone by and has very nice café.

Puijo hill rises 150 meters from Kallavesi and has very nice scenery from its 80 meters high tower. Distance from market place is two kilometers, but it is mostly uphill so take the bus or prepare to sweat.

Matkustaja satama (passenger harbor) has few old warehouses transformed into restaurants/pubs and surprisingly this is also the place where boats leave from. Two-hour cruises take you for a small tour of Finnish lakeland at it's best. No tax free or disco but otherwise very nice.

Väinölänniemi has city's best beach. Can be crowded, if weather is good but there is always room for one or two more. Other places of interest? Just walk around and notice the beautiful wooden houses left here and there and compare them with the horrors designed by architects.

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