Guesthouse to Guesthouse Karelia à la carte Sauna Tour
Step into a world of authentic relaxation with a true Finnish sauna escape
This unforgettable sauna adventure offers five unique sauna experiences, each with its own special löyly – the soothing, invigorating sensation of steam that defines Finnish sauna culture. Feel the gentle heat on your skin, breathe in the pure air, and let go of stress as you enjoy not only the saunas themselves but also delicious themed sauna menus and engaging workshops that change daily. Every moment is designed to awaken your senses and connect you with the soul of Finland.
Discover the taste of Finland through its rich culinary traditions
Finnish cuisine is a delightful blend of rustic country flavors and modern elegance.
Meat plays a central role in many traditional dishes, while the eastern regions – like here in Karelia – are known for comforting recipes that emphasize mushrooms, root vegetables, and slow-cooked goodness, and a variety of Karelian pastries.
Our food often includes whole grains like rye, barley, and oats, as well as plenty of wild berries – including blueberries, lingonberries, lingonberries, and sea buckthorn. Dairy products like milk and buttermilk are commonly enjoyed both as beverages and as ingredients in various recipes.Root vegetables like turnips and potatoes are also staples of traditional Finnish cooking, bringing richness and depth to many dishes.
Highlights
✅During this tour, you'll get to know more about Finnish cuisine, as well as experience Finnish culture and meet the locals. The delicious food is locally sourced, and we also use plenty of organic ingredients!
✅You can travel from one guesthouse to another with your own car, or enjoy a guided bike ride between them. If you choose to cycle, we’ll take care of transporting your luggage for you.
✅Because we are responsible and care about nature, your bed linen will be transported with your luggage from one guesthouse to another. You will receive a new towel every day.
During this sauna adventure, you will get to know:
✅Wood-heated traditional Finnish basic sauna at Guesthouse
✅Traditional smoke sauna
✅River bank sauna
✅Traditional summer cottage sauna
For groups: 2-14 people
Guided tours 2025
Departure: 21. - 28.6.2025, reserved for a special group
Departure: 12. - 19.7.2025, 2 bookings
Departure: 23. - 30.8.2025, 4 bookings
Program
Day 1. Arrival at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu.
The sauna trail begins with a greeting from hostess Minna.
Tour info.
Dinner
Overnight stay at Pihlajapuu
Day 2. Herbs, berries and wild vegetables workshop at Pihlajapuu
We learn how to cook, bake or preserve wild vegetables. Depending on the season we have herbs, blueberries, lingonberries, mushrooms, apples...
We prepare lunch together from the local groceries
- Evening sauna and dinner
- Overnight stay at Pihlajapuu
Day 3. After delicious breakfast guests transfer to Guesthouse Laitalan Lomat
Laitala sauna trail to the River bank sauna
You have time to make your own trips, for example to nature trails or to the town of Nurmes. The trip begins with a greeting from the hostess Henna at 14:00. We go through the program together and hear stories about Laitala's history and saunas. Guests move to the forest for relaxation. We bring hammocks with us and enjoy taking forest baths. Our guests choose their own place for hanging the hammock and we relax by listening to the sounds of the forest and the singing birds. After relaxation, we collect ingredients for the sauna hair rinse and prepare our own rinse.
For lunch, we enjoy "an experience lunch" that Henna has prepared for us. This includes handmade karjalanpiirakka and egg butter, leipäjuusto (Finnish squeaky cheese), salad, lingonberry jam, sea buckthorn jam, glazed egg halves, rice rolls, chanterelle-filled rye buttons, whipped cream with berries, coffee, tea, homemade cheesecake.
The sauna experience:
The sauna program begins with a tarry welcome snaps drink (non-alcoholic), which is enjoyed in the terrace of the Main House. Next, we move along the path across the field to the sauna. The sauna is on the banks of the Karhujoki River, it is a peaceful experience to take a swim off the pier. In the sauna, our hostess Henna tells us tricks and tips on how to heat the sauna properly for a magical experience. At the same time, we prepare the sauna ready together for the sauna session. After receiving a sauna spell from Henna, guests enter the smooth steams of the sauna. We wash ourselves in the sauna with local handmade natural soaps. Guests may choose their favourite soap to keep, perhaps it would be Hillan hurma or Pakurin mahti. These charming ecological Sola soaps are organic and natural soaps, the raw materials are collected from pure Finnish nature. While cooling off, we enjoy the delicacies of the sauna basket and refreshing drinks.
Sauna basket delicacies:
Laitala's sparkling blackcurrant leaf drink.
Natural fish mousse with rye bread
Local delicacy marmalades.
The sauna evening is highlighted by a hut dinner, which is enjoyed by the open fire in an atmospheric hut of Laitala.
Laitala sauna trail hut dinner menu
Laitala perunarieska (potato rieska), rye bread from a local bakery, butter
Organic cheese salad and root salad
Vegetable-potato dumplings by the campfire, meatballs made of local ranch meat.
Dessert includes nokipannukahvi (soot pot coffee), herbal tea, campfire crepes, whipped cream, berry jam
Homemade beer, berry juice, water.
- Overnight stay at Laitalan Lomat
Day 4. Sweet buns and cakes workshop at Laitalan Lomat
The hostess of Laitala, Henna bakes with you Finnish sweet buns called pulla, sweet, cardamom-flavored bread eaten with coffee or as dessert and cinnamon rolls (korvapuustit) – pulla made into a roll with cinnamon and sugar. Or we can make cheese cake with local berries.
- In the afternoon a canoeing tour with picnic lunch on the river.
- Evening sauna and dinner
- Overnight stay at Laitalan Lomat
5. Day After breakfast tour to Guesthouse Männikkölän Pirtti
Männikkölän Pirtti sauna trail to the summer cottage beach sauna. A traditional Finnish cottage sauna where you can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
The sauna experience: Heating the beach sauna is a nice and relaxing endeavor. Together we carry the water to the sauna and fill the water tanks. We light the fire in the stove and while waiting for the sauna to warm up, we sit at the pier in front of the sauna and hear stories about Lake Pielinen and Finnish summer cottage life.
We prepare the sauna for the sauna session, hop on the sauna benches enjoy the gentle steam of the sauna, and admire the scenery of Lake Pielinen. It is a magical experience to take a swim in the clean waters of Pielinen during the sauna session. After the sauna, you can enjoy the summer cottage sauna menu.
Sauna basket delicacies:
Various Karelian pies and egg butter.
Berry pie and biscuits
Berry juice
Männikkölä sauna trail menu
Sorted Karelian traditional pastries dinner
Karjalanpiirakka and vatruska, egg butter
Fresh salad and house salad dressing
Wild mushroom salad
Potato salad
Smoked salmon
Meatballs
Homemade beer, juice, water
Berry cake
Coffee, tea
- Evening sauna and dinner
- Overnight stay at Männikkölän Pirtti
6. Day Breakfast and morning sauna and swimming in Männikkölä's sauna.
Karelian Pasty workshop
In the morning we bake Karelian pies with Ritva. Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (eggbutter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.
- Luch
- Free Time to go town have shopping and sightseeing in Nurmes.
- Evening sauna and dinner
- Overnight stay at Männikkölän Pirtti
7. Day Breakfast and driving or biking back to Guesthouse Pihlajapuu.
The sauna lunch is served at 2 pm in the guesthouse.
Sauna lunch delicacies:
Kukkonen (traditional pastry) with wild fish cream cheese. Kukkonen is made with Grandma Anna's traditional recipe with barley porridge filling. Cream cheese for kukkonen is made from buttermilk and whole milk itself. The wild fish of Pielisen Kalajaloste has been fished from Lake Pielinen. Some sweet delicates also.
As a drink, Guesthouse Pihlajapuu's own rowan leaf drink
Vegetable soup
The smoke sauna experience starts at 4 pm: Before the sauna session, guests prepare different whisks for example of birch, juniper and aspen. The sauna experience includes OleHyvä washing detergents, a sauna cap, linen bathrobes, towels, and sauna seat covers. You can paddle by canoe from guesthouse Pihlajapuu over the lake to Minna's smokesauna (about 1 km distance from the guesthouse). If the weather is not good, you can drive to the smoke sauna by car, 6.5 km.
Pihlajapuu smoke sauna trail menu by the campfire at hut.
Glow-fried salmon
Seasonal salad with salad dressing of the house
Potato salad with wild vegetable pesto
Sour cream dressing for salmon
Beverages of berries or foliage
Crêpes with berry jam
- Overnight stay at Pihlajapuu
8. Day Time to say hei, hei! Good-bye!
Total price: From 1495€/person, 750€/Child 4-12 years | 7 nights, 8 days
The price includes:
- Full-service sauna trail from Guesthouse to Guesthouse: overnight stays in double rooms, bed linen, full board (breakfast, lunch, sauna trail menu, dinner), guesthouses have rooms with shared bathroom and toilet.
- Services according to the programme
- Bikes
- Guidance
- Group transfers from/to Kuopio airport.
- Arrival by plane: On the arrival day one group transfer from Kuopio airport (flight at around 17:00 in Kuopio) or Siilinjärvi railway station (train at around 16:00 in Siilinjärvi).
On the return day one group transfer to Kuopio airport (flight at around 14:00) or Siilinjärvi railway station (train at around 13:00). Departure from the guesthouse at 11:00 AM.
- All extra transfers from/to Kuopio airport or Siilinjärvi railway station 400€.
Arrival by train:
- Pickup from the Nurmes railway station at 14:00 or 20:00.
- On the day of departure, trains leave at 6:35 in the morning or 15:40 in the afternoon. Check the timetable from your tour operator.
! Note: The contents of the menus and sauna bag may change depending on the availability of raw materials and the season.
Travel insurance:
Travel insurance is highly recommended for overseas travel. A comprehensive plan should include coverage for trip interruption, delay and cancellation, medical expenses, emergency medical transportation, loss and damage to baggage.
Presentation of the Guesthouses:
www.laitalanlomat.com
www.aksytammat.fi
www.mannikkolanpirtti.com
