DAY 1
D included
We meet at Kuopio airport in the late afternoon and transfer by road (2.5 hrs) to Kuhmo, the cultural heart of Northern Karelia. We have dinner on arrival at our hotel, a contemporary Finnish wooden design, idyllically situated on a lake.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
A leisurely start allows us, after breakfast, to wander from our hotel along the lakeshore and in the surrounding forest. 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 café popular with the festival musicians and audience.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
This morning we visit the nearby Winter War Museum, which documents a campaign little-known outside Finland. Setting off for the cross-country drive south, we drive for 2 hours to our lunch break in the Koli National Park. In the afternoon, we walk on a forest trail (1 hr) 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 of Lake Pielinen, which inspired generations of Finnish artists. We continue by road to Joensuu (1 hr), the largest city in North Karelia and once an important port on Lake Saimaa, where we stay in a 4-star modern hotel for 1 night.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
We continue our drive to 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 modern 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. We have an early dinner in an excellent restaurant, before crossing two bridges on foot to attend our first festival performance. In a recital by the baritone Ludovic Tézier and soprano Cassandre Berthon, we hear French songs from the lied repertoire of Fauré and Poulenc, followed by arias and duets from operas by Mozart, Bellini and Verdi.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
We drive (30 mins) to the Punkaharju esker, one of Finland’s natural wonders, and walk (1 hr) in an old arboretum forest preserved on this sand ridge, a remnant of the Ice age. We visit the informative Museum of the Forest before a lunch of seasonal fresh produce in a charming historic building. We enjoy a scenic cruise (1.5 hrs) in the peaceful scenery of sparkling water and the surrounding islands. We return to Olavinlinna castle for our second performance, Verdi’s opera ‘Aida’, an unforgettable experience with the floodlit castle reflected in the still waters of the lake.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
Today, we travel west on a day’s drive (total of 4 hrs driving) through a classic Finnish landscape of forests and lakes, pausing en route for lunch in a lakeside restaurant near the Fortress of Lappeenranta. There are opportunities to visit Finland’s oldest Orthodox church and the South Karelian museum or to shop for handicrafts. We also look around 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.
DAY 7
B, L, D included
In nearby Porvoo, once an important mediaeval trade centre and now a picturesque small town, we walk through the cobbled lanes and along the river to admire the red ochre-painted grain warehouses. In Ainola, we visit Sibelius’ atmospheric former country home, full of evocative mementoes of Finland’s greatest composer, and have a light lunch before driving on to Helsinki, where our luxury 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.
DAY 8
B included
On our final day, we continue exploring Helsinki, either independently or joining your Kudu guide on a gentle walk (6 km) to discover some other iconic monuments of the city, including the 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 new City Library or the Ateneum Art Museum that houses the National Art Collection with pictures from the ‘golden age’ of Finnish art. The trip concludes with a private transfer to Helsinki airport.
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.
