The wonders of autumn at Lake Saimaa – culture, good food and hygge

Autumn is the time of hygge. A hot drink in a cozy cafe, a pampering full-body treatment at a spa, relaxing in a warm bath, and collapsing into a soft, comfy bed after a pleasant day. All this and more is available in the Mikkeli region. Forget the dull, grey days everyday drudgery and head off to Lake Saimaa for a relaxing autumn holiday, a mini-break, or a weekend getaway full of autumn colors and exciting experiences!

Good food is worth going the extra mile for

It’s impossible to say too much about local food in the Saimaa area. The forests and lakes abound with fresh ingredients such as fish, mushrooms, berries and game. Restaurants in the region serve you the finest treasures of autumn nature, as well as various specialty products from local farms and family businesses.

Explore the very best of local food with Saimaa Gastronomy

Fans of gourmet food are spoiled for choice during the harvest season with Saimaa Gastronomy destinations. Tertti Manor, TeaHouse of Wehmas, Pihlas Resort and Sahanlahti Resort each offer their own special menus sourced seasonally from finest local ingredients.

Saimaa Gastronomy destinations are family operated businesses that are passionate about local food and nature. In these restaurants travelers can enjoy delicacies made from fresh seasonal ingredients and produce that celebrate local culinary traditions in a contemporary way. The special touch provided by expert chefs brings each dish to a new level.

Tertti Manor is located about 8 km from Mikkeli center. The manor restaurant serves festive harvest buffets and also offers a table-service dinner menu sourced from fresh ingredients from the manor’s own garden as well as from local producers. The manor also features a charming garden restaurant that hosts a seasonally changing lunch buffet. 

TeaHouse of Wehmais in Juva specializes in combining organic food with varieties of delicious teas. Seasonal menus and tea-sets are served in the atmospheric tearoom located at an old, refurbished stable building.

Pihlas Resort in Joroinen offers seasonal gastronomic experiences and Nordic flavors in its Siimes restaurant. The restaurant’s menus are always inspired by local ingredients and nature’s bountiful harvest.

Sahanlahti Resort in Puumala, about an hours drive away from Mikkeli, incorporates in its harvest menu various regional specialty products with ingredients sourced from local farmers. On the terrace of restaurant Koskenvahti visitors can have a delicious meal while also enjoying a beautiful view over Lake Saimaa.

Combining nature excursions and art with local food experiences

Located on the shore of Lake Saimaa in Ristiina, Uhkua offers custom trips that combine being in nature with delicious food made with ingredients picked from the local forest and the harvest of Uhkua’s own garden and fields. The surrounding landscape with its old-timey rural atmosphere is idyllic for various nature excursions and experiences that Uhkua offers around the year in sustainable fashion.

Yöveden Ateljeekoti offers a dinner experience that combines art with delicious food for a unique evening in an atmospheric 19th century schoolbuilding. Chef Ilkka Arvola creates culinary masterpieces from local ingredients while artist Katja Antonoff acts as your hostess.

Delicious treats at Mikkeli center

At Mikkeli marketplace visitors can fill their bags with all the best offerings of autumn. Alongside local products one can buy freshly picked berries, mushrooms, apples and plenty more. The best time to visit the marketplace is during the special monthly market and in September there is even an entire themed week celebrating the Treasures of Saimaa Forests. For more information on market days and special events visit the Mikkelin Tori website.

For those wishing to enjoy tasty local food at their own cabin, boat or beach sauna, Vaiha Restaurants offer customizable catering and take-out services for every occasion. On request Vaiha will provide an entire feast delivered and catered at the location of your own choosing.

Mikkeli region offers a multitude of opportunities to enjoy the fruits of the harvest season in local restaurants. Check out our Eat & Drink page for more tips on where to go for a fantastic meal!

Cosy cafes in Mikkeli

Enjoy a warm cup of coffee or tea with a fresh pastry at these cosy cafes.

• Vaiha Asema located at the old Mikkeli train station building offers tasty home cooking and is an ideal place to grab a cup of coffee to relax after an exhausting train journey, or in proparation for a long trip.
• Shopping center Stella next to Mikkeli marketplace offers shoppers a chance to rest their feet and enjoy tasty pastries at Siiskonen shop in the market hall building or at the modern Cafe Stella.   
• Ramin Konditoria at shopping center Akseli serves cakes, pastries and salty snacks from their own bakery that are sure to delight the taste buds of every culinary enthusiast. The cafe is also known for their speciality coffees and extensive selection of teas. Ramin Konditoria also has a small, intimate shop located at Mikonkatu 8 that can be booked for private occasions.

In Mikkeli culture and sports are happening!

Mikkeli autumn holds many events for lovers of culture, history and sports. With various interesting activities, sights and places to pick from, organize your own day in Mikkeli full of exploration and adventure.

Muisti Centre of War and Peace at Mikkeli center features a unique exhibit that cannot be found anywhere else in Finland or the entire world. Drawing on Mikkeli’s history as the former army headquearters during WW2, this exhibit lets the visitor travel back in time to the 1940’s and experience the war through stories of Finnish people who lived through it. The exhibit uses latest VR technology to make the experience feel authentic and help the visitor to better understand people’s choices and their ultimate fates.  

Expanding on the theme of WW2 history, visitors to Mikkeli can also visit the Headquarters Museum and the Infantry Museum. The Headquarters Museum operates in connection with Muisti and is accessible with the same ticket.

Sports fans visiting Mikkeli can take advantage of the many outdoor and indoor activities offered in the area. For those who’d rather watch a game of ice hockey than step on the ice themselves, Mikkeli's home team Jukurit hosts several games at their own Ikioma arena during hockey season starting in September.

In December Mikkeli marketplace hosts the traditional Christmas opening ceremony, with program for all ages and plenty of shopping opportunities for early Christmas gifts. From December 13th onward the marketplace also hosts the annual Mikkeli Christmas market, which remains open until the 23th of December. The program for Christmas opening ceremony and the Christmas Market is updated on the Mikkeli marketplace website at mikkelintori.fi. 

More information about specific events in Mikkeli is available at https://www.mikkelinyt.fi/.

Well-being in autumn

Located approximately 15 minutes away from Mikkeli center by car, Kyyhkylä Manor is an oasis of relaxation on the shore of Lake Saimaa. The manor offers several outdoor and indoor activities, tasty local food, accommodation both in the historic manor and in a modern hotel setting, and various spa treatments and sauna experiences both at the hotel and in special beach saunas by the lake.

Fans of Finnish sauna can also head to Sahanlahti Resort in Puumala, where Artturi sauna building offers both a modern electric sauna as well as a traditional Finnish smoke sauna. Artturi is suitable for hosting small events, such as birthday parties or after-work get-togethers. The building has a terrace where one can enjoy a fantastic view of Lake Saimaa while relaxing in a bath barrel hot tub. Later in winter visitors can also book an evening in Sahanlahti’s unique ice sauna, built annually by the owner himself, weather permitting.

Yöveden Ateljeekoti delights in autumn with various creative events and special accommodation packages. The Ateljeekoti website has more information on scheduled art and well-being workshops, retreats and courses.

Kenkävero near Mikkeli center is a charming old vicarage with a manor like atmosphere. Kenkävero restaurant, cafe and shop are open around the year and are all only about a 20 minute walk away from Mikkeli marketplace. Kenkävero shop has on sale various types of artisanal food-products as well as handicrafts made by local craftspeople.

Accommodation to suit all tastes

Hotel room in the city center, a cosy apartment, a lakeside villa, a floating cabin with sauna, a luxury villa in a peaceful forest – Mikkeli has many options available for visitors looking for a pleasant stay and good night’s sleep. 

One-of-a-kind accommodation in Mikkeli

• Tertti Manor offers seasonal autumn accommodation packages in a manor hotel, where you find comforable beds, delicious meals and pleasant outdoor activities, such as gathering wild herbs in the nearby forest or taking a guided tour in the manor garden.
• For those seeking to capture some of the feel of Headquarters era Mikkeli, Apartment Hotel Marja offers accommodation in an old officers’ boarding house near the city center. This late 19th century building has ten cosy apartments for holiday-goers.
• Sokos Hotelli Vaakuna ja Scandic Mikkeli both offer comfortable hotel rooms right in Mikkeli center conveniently near all services and only a few minutes walking distance away from Mikkeli Travel Center.
• Uhkuan in Ristiina’s Yövesi offers unique accommodation in floating saunas and cabins, where one can truly enjoy complete peace surrounded by the Finnish nature while rocked by the gentle waves of the lake. 

Restfull sleep in Puumala on the shores of Lake Saimaa

• Pistohiekka Resort in Puumala’s Lietvesi offers for rent modern cabins that are perfect for single travelers, couples and small families. The resort is located right next to the lake, with access to various types of water sports and hiking routes. 
• Sahanlahti Resort in Puumala has many types of accommodation on offer from comfortable hotel rooms to cosy cottages and classy villas.

Family-sized villas in Juva and Mäntyharju

Laatulomat offers high-quality accommodation in the Juva region in apartments and in villas that are suitable for both small and large parties. The villas are located all around the Juva area, so there are options for both those who wish to stay near the village and its services well as for those who yearn for perfect peace and quiet in beautiful natural surroundings.

Special tip for families: Villa Muu from Laatulomat is a villa full of personality, stylistically inspired by the house of the Moomin family from Tove Janson’s famous children’s books. This charming villa comes fully equipped and even has a small bridge crossing the lake, leading to a heated shelter where one can organize a BBQ or a picnic around the year.

In Mäntyharju Unelma appartments provide hotel quality accommodation for everyone from couples on a romantic weekend getaway trip, to families looking for a base camp from which to explore everything the area has to offer. Those seeking to truly pamper themselves can even book a massage as an extra service with their room.

Kapianen Holiday Cottages offers quality accommodation in modern, fully equipped holiday villas Villa Kuukasjärvi and Villa Tuomas. Both villas come with an access to a private, traditional wood-stove sauna located directly on the lake-shore.  

Mikkeli’s charming nature trails are a treat in autumn

Visitors can enjoy all the colors of Finnish autumn ruska by taking a walk on one of the area’s many nature trails. Enjoy fresh air and exercise and get the full benefits nature can provide for the well-being of both your mind and your body.

Learn more about our autumn offerings!

Mikkeli autumn awaits visitors with activities and events of all flavors. Read more about what’s going on and how to create your own special autumn vacation here at Autumn and Winter in Saimaa.