Finland - Saimaa Lake Tour 2008

This short tour takes you to the heart of the Finnish Lake District, where you see some beautiful lake scenery, which the country is famous for. Visit historical landmarks and learn about the eastern orthodox traditions on a monastery visit.

Departures - not guaranteed.
June 7, 21, 28
July 5, 12, 19, 26
August 2, 9, 16, 23

Prices per Person Land Only in USD.
per person/twin room $1040
single supplement $ 185
third adult/triple room $1040
child under 12 years in extra bed sharing the room with two adults $ 880
CALL FOR TRANSATLANTIC AIR ADD-ON FROM YOUR CITY IF NEEDED

Tour Includes:
· accommodation in twin-bedded rooms with bath of shower
· luggage handling in hotels
· 2 buffet breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners
· transportation by private coach
· sightseeing, visits, excursions and entrance fees according to the program
· multilingual tour leader
· service charges and taxes on included items

Tour Excludes:
· domestic flight Joensuu-Helsinki (call for a quote if needed)

Meeting Point and Time in Helsinki:
In front of the hotel's entrance at: Radisson SAS Plaza at 8.15 am, Sokos Hotel Vaakuna 8.30 am, Cumulus Seurahuone 8.30 am, Holiday Inn City Center 8.40 am, Scandic Hotel Simonkenttä 8.50 am, and Sokos Hotel Presidentti at 9.00 am.

Day 1: Helsinki-Porvoo-Ruotsinpyhtää-Langinkoski-Imatra
Day 2: Imatra-Punkaharju-Savonlinna-Valamo-Koli
Day 3: Koli-Joensuu-(Helsinki)

Day 1: Tracing the Czar's Footsteps
(L, D, coach, 270 km / 168 miles)
Your journey through the Finnish Lakeland starts as you depart by coach for Porvoo, the second oldest town in Finland. Situated on the banks of a river, the old part of the town is famous for its charming red warehouses, cobblestone lanes and handicraft shops. It was in the medieval cathedral of Porvoo that Czar Alexander I declared Finland an autonomous Grand Duchy of Russia in 1809, the first step on the way to independence.
Lunch will be enjoyed in the old Ruotsinpyhtää ironworks village, dotted with red 18th-century workers' dwellings.
On the way to Imatra you will stop to admire the Langinkoski rapids. Czar Alexander III had an imperial fishing lodge built on the shore of the roaring rapids, and the court in St. Petersburg was provided with salmon caught by the czar's fishermen.
Dinner and overnight at Rantasipi Hotel Valtionhotelli in Imatra.

Day 2: The Land of Thousands of Lakes
(B, L, D, coach, 270 km / 168 miles)
We approach the Retretti Art Exhibition via the Punkaharju esker ridge, an isthmus between two large lakes. The sub- and superterranean exhibition halls of Retretti house an exhibition of classical as well as contemporary visual arts.
After lunch in Punkaharju you head to Savonlinna. On a small island in the center of the town stands the best-preserved medieval fortress in the Nordic countries, Olavinlinna Castle. Founded in 1475, the castle and its three magnificent towers have seen the Swedes rowing through the straits, the Russians skiing across the ice and the Finns building a bridge over the troubled water. Every summer it turns into the scene of one of the oldest music festivals in Europe, the Savonlinna Opera Festival.
The eastern orthodox monastery of Valamo still bears the name of the island in Lake Ladoga from where it was transferred to Heinävesi in 1940. In the Valamo Monastery, tea is brewed in the traditional style in a massive silver samovar, sweetened with raspberry jam, and served in tea glasses. The tea is accompanied by old-Russian delicacies.
Continue to Koli Hills, one of Finland's best-known places of natural beauty. Form the highest hilltop there is a spectacular view over forests and lakes. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Koli in Lieksa.

Day 3: Homeward-Bound
(B, flight on own)
After breakfast transfer to Joensuu airport. Flight to Helsinki on own.

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