Guesthouse to Guesthouse – Karelia à la carte Sauna Tour
An Authentic Finnish journey of saunas, local flavors and peaceful countryside Step into a world of authentic relaxation on this unique guesthouse-to-guesthouse holiday in North Karelia.
During the week, you will experience four different Finnish saunas, each with its own atmosphere and distinctive ”löyly” – the gentle steam and soothing heat at the heart of Finnish sauna culture. Feel the warmth on your skin, Breathe in the pure countryside air and let Everyday stress melt away.
The journey also introduces you to local culinary traditions through House Specialties – Karelia à la carte. At each guesthouse, your hosts serve their own specialties prepared from local and seasonal ingredients. Hands-on workshops, outdoor activities and guided cycling complete this memorable journey through the beautiful landscapes of North Karelia. If cycling isn't for you, you can also travel between the guesthouse by car.
Discover the Flavors of Karelia
Karelian cuisine combines hearty countryside cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients. Fish, mushrooms, root vegetables, rye, barley, oats and wild berries all play an important role in traditional dishes. Karelia is also famous for its delicious pastries and slow-cooked comfort food.
Our meals are prepared with locally sourced ingredients, and organic products are used whenever possible. Each guest house brings its own character, recipes and culinary traditions to the journey.
Highlights
- Experience four different Finnish saunas: a traditional wood-heated sauna, a riverside sauna, a traditional log sauna and a smoke sauna.
- Enjoy House Specialties – Karelia à la carte, featuring each guest house's own dishes and local flavors.
- Learn about Finnish food traditions in hands-on workshops using herbs, wild vegetables, berries and seasonal ingredients.
- Cycle with a guide through the peaceful countryside from one guesthouse to another.
- Meet your local hosts and discover authentic Finnish and Karelian culture.
- Relax in the forest, swim in clean natural waters and enjoy the unhurried rhythm of rural Finland.
- We transport your luggage between the guesthouses.
- To support more responsible travel, your bed linen is transported with your luggage from one guesthouse to the next. You will receive a fresh towel every day.
Sauna experiences
- During this sauna adventure, you will experience:
- A traditional wood-heated Finnish sauna at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu
- A riverside sauna at Laitalan Lomat
- A traditional log sauna at Guesthouse Puukarin Pysäkki
- A traditional Finnish smoke sauna at Minna's
At selected sauna experiences, you will enjoy the house sauna basket filled with the guesthouse's sauna delicacies.
Group size: 2–12 people
Guided departures: 5.6.-12.6.2027 / 26.6.-3.7. 2027 / 14.8.-21.8.2027
Programme
Day 1 | Welcome to Guesthouse Pihlajapuu
Your sauna journey begins with a warm welcome from your hostess, Minna.
After settling into the guesthouse, you will meet the group and receive an introduction to the week's program. In the evening, enjoy your first taste of House Specialties – Karelia à la carte.
* Overnight stay at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu
Day 2 | Wild herbs, berries and seasonal flavors
Karelian pasty workshop and learn how to cook, bake or preserve wild vegetables. Depending on the season we have herbs, blueberries, lingonberries, mushrooms, apples and other ingredients found in the surrounding nature.
In the evening, relax in the traditional wood-heated sauna at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu.
* Overnight stay at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu
Day 3 | Cycling to Laitalan Lomat and the riverside sauna
After breakfast, we cycle approximately 25 kilometers to Guesthouse Laitalan Lomat. Guests may also travel between the Guesthouses in their own car if preferred.
Your hostess, Henna, welcomes you and shares stories about Laitala, its history and its sauna traditions. After lunch, we head into the forest with hammocks for a peaceful relaxation experience. Choose your own place among the trees, listen to the sounds of nature and enjoy the stillness. We also collect natural ingredients and prepare a traditional sauna hair rinse.
The sauna experience begins with a non-alcoholic, tar-flavored welcome drink on the main building's terrace. From there, we walk across the fields to the sauna located by the Karhujoki River.
Henna shares her tips for heating a traditional Finnish sauna and creating the perfect steam ”löyly”. Guests can wash up using locally handmade, eco-friendly soaps crafted from ingredients gathered in the Finnish wilderness. There is also an opportunity to take a dip in the water from the sauna’s pier.
While sauna bathing, you can enjoy the house sauna basket, filled with the guesthouse’s own sauna treats. The evening continues with a House Specialties – Karelia à la carte dinner by an open fire in Laitala’s atmospheric hut.
* Overnight stay at Laitalan Lomat
Day 4 | Finnish baking and canoeing
Today, Henna teaches you how to bake traditional Finnish sweet buns. These soft, cardamom-spiced buns are typically enjoyed with coffee or as a dessert.
You can also prepare cinnamon rolls or a cheesecake made with local berries.
In the afternoon, we enjoy a leisurely canoeing trip on the river, accompanied by a picnic lunch. The day concludes with a relaxing sauna and dinner.
* Overnight stay at Laitalan Lomat
Day 5 | Cycling to Puukarin Pysäkki Guesthouse
After breakfast, we cycle approximately 18 kilometers to Puukarin Pysäkki Guesthouse, a charming Karelian guesthouse set amidst peaceful countryside.
Upon arrival, your hosts will welcome you and share stories about the house's history, atmosphere, and traditions.
In the evening, we relax in a traditional log sauna. While cooling off, we enjoy sauna baskets filled with the guesthouse own sauna treats. The day culminates in a House Specialties – Karelian à la carte dinner, where you can savor the flavors and specialties of Puukarin Pysäkki.
* Overnight stay at Puukarin Pysäkki Guesthouse
Day 6 | Seasonal food workshop at Puukarin Pysäkki
Today, we participate in a hands-on food workshop inspired by the seasonal harvest. Ingredients and recipes vary depending on what is currently available from the garden, the fields, and the surrounding nature. You will learn more about traditional Karelian cooking and prepare seasonal dishes together with the guesthouse staff.
In the afternoon, there is time to relax and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of the guesthouse. The evening features a sauna session and the House Specialties – Karelia à la carte dinner.
* Overnight stay at Guesthouse Puukarin Pysäkki
Day 7 | Cycling back to Guesthouse Pihlajapuu
After breakfast, we cycle approximately 40 kilometers to Guesthouse Pihlajapuu.
In the afternoon, you will enjoy an authentic Finnish smoke sauna experience. Before entering the sauna, we will craft traditional sauna whisks from natural materials such as birch, juniper, and aspen. The experience includes eco-friendly ”Ole Hyvä”- washing products, sauna hats, bathrobes, towels, and bench covers.
Weather permitting, you can paddle the approximately one-kilometer distance across the lake from Guesthouse Pihlajapuu to Minna’s smoke sauna. If the weather is unsuitable for paddling, transport to the sauna will be arranged by car. There is also an opportunity for swimming. After the sauna, you can enjoy the house specialties dinner – Karelia à la carte – by an open fire in an atmospheric ”kota” (traditional grill hut).
Day 8 | Time to say goodbye!
Price: €1,495 / person | 8 days / 7 nights
Single room supplement + 40€/day
Price includes:
The price includes: Full-service sauna trail from Guesthouse to Guesthouse: overnight stays in double/twin rooms, bed linen, full board (breakfast, lunch, sauna menu dinner, sauna), guesthouses have rooms with shared bathroom and toilet. Services according to the programme include bikes, guidance, luggage transfers from one accommodation to the next, and group transfers from/to Kuopio airport or Train Station Nurmes.
Transfers & Arrival Details
Make your Finnish sauna adventure effortless from the very first moment. We ensure a smooth and comfortable start and finish to your journey through Karelia’s authentic sauna culture.
Arrival by Plane or train to Kuopio:
- Your experience begins with a stress-free group transfer from Kuopio Airport (recommended flights arriving around 17:00) or from Siilinjärvi railway station (train arrival around 16:00).
On the final day, enjoy a comfortable group transfer back to Kuopio Airport (flights around 14:00) or Siilinjärvi railway station (trains around 13:00).
Departure from the guesthouse is at 11:00 AM.
Additional private transfers to/from Kuopio Airport or Siilinjärvi railway station are available at €400 per taxi.
Arrival by Train to Nurmes:
We offer pick-up from Nurmes railway station at 14:00 or 20:00.
On departure day, trains from Nurmes leave at 6:35 (morning) and 15:40 (afternoon).
If you travel to Nurmes by train, you will need to spend an additional night in Helsinki due to the train schedules.
We would be happy to include accommodation in Helsinki as part of the same holiday package, making your journey as smooth and convenient as possible.
!Note:
The contents of the menus and sauna basket 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.
Program
Day 1. Arrival at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu.
The sauna trail begins with a greeting from hostess Minna.
- Tour information
- Dinner
- Overnight stay at Guesthouse 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: Wood-heated traditional Finnish basic sauna at Guesthouse Pihlajapuu
- Dinner
- Overnight stay at Pihlajapuu
Day 3. Laitala River bank sauna
After delicious breakfast we bike to Guesthouse Laitalan Lomat (25 km). Guests may also drive between guesthouses with their own car if preferred.
Laitala sauna trail to the River bank sauna
The trip begins with a greeting from the hostess Henna at about 14:00. We go through the program together and hear stories about Laitala's history and saunas.
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.
Later in the afternoon 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.
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. There is a possibility to go swimming.
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 on the river. with picnic lunch
- Evening sauna and dinner
- Overnight stay at Laitalan Lomat
Day 5. Nurmesniemi summer cottage sauna
After breakfast tour to the Traditional Karelian village Bomba.
Biking of 25 km to Nurmes. Picnic snack at the harbor of Nurmes (or lunch in the restaurant of Supikas in Porokylä, the new centre of Nurmes).
The Bomba House is the heart and main attraction of the Karelian village of Bomba, and its architecture reflects the region’s rich and diverse history. The building was opened in August 1978 and is a replica of the original house built by Jegor Bombin in 1855 in Suojärvi.
Where the original barn once stood in the old Bomba House, visitors can now enjoy the Bomba Restaurant, known for its grand halls and warm hospitality. Surrounding the Bomba House is a Karelian village, built to enhance the area’s tourism services and to give visitors an authentic experience of Karelian culture and tradition. Overnight at the Karelian village of Bomba in the log buildings.
Afternoon a lovely summer evening boat trip to Nurmesniemi sauna
The boat trip starts at about 5 pm from the Bomba harbor.
We’ll take the evening sauna at Nurmesniemi summer cottage sauna. There is a possibility to go swimming.
With sauna experience we’ll also enjoy sauna basket delicacies.
We’ll be back at about 9 pm.
Sauna basket of Nurmesniemi:
Various Karelian pies and egg butter.
Salads
Berry pie and biscuits
Berry juice
- Overnight at the Karelian village of Bomba
Day 6. Bomba village and city of Nurmes
Breakfast and morning swim in the lake Pielinen. Guided walk in the area of Bomba. Visit to the orthodox chapel of Bomba.
Biking tour via Nurmes to Guesthouse Pihlajapuu, 25 km.
- Lunch at the cafeteria Thure in the old railway station of Nurmes
- Shopping and sightseeing in Nurmes.
- Overnight at the guesthouse Pihlajapuu
Day 7. Karelian pasty workshop and smoke sauna
Sauna lunch delicacies:
Karelian pasties
Vegetable soup
Smoke sauna
The smoke sauna experience starts at about 4 pm: Before the sauna session, guests prepare different whisks for example of birch, juniper and aspen. The sauna experience includes OleHyvä ecological washing detergents, a sauna cap, 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 go to the smoke sauna by car, 6.5 km. There is a possibility to go swimming.
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
Day 8. Time to say hei, hei! Good-bye!
Total price: 1495€/person, 7 nights, 8 days
Single room supplement + 40€/day
The price includes: Full-service sauna trail from Guesthouse to Guesthouse: overnight stays in double/twin rooms, bed linen, full board (breakfast, lunch, sauna trail menu, dinner), guesthouses have rooms with shared bathroom and toilet. Services according to the programme include bikes, guidance, luggage transfers from one accommodation to the next, and group transfers from/to Kuopio airport.
Transfers & Arrival Details
Make your Finnish sauna adventure effortless from the very first moment.
We ensure a smooth and comfortable start and finish to your journey through Karelia’s authentic sauna culture.
Arrival by Plane or train to Kuopio: Your experience begins with a stress-free group transfer from Kuopio Airport (recommended flights arriving around 17:00) or from Siilinjärvi railway station (train arrival around 16:00).
On the final day, enjoy a comfortable group transfer back to Kuopio Airport (flights around 14:00) or Siilinjärvi railway station (trains around 13:00).
Departure from the guesthouse is at 11:00 AM.
Additional private transfers to/from Kuopio Airport or Siilinjärvi railway station are available at €400 per taxi.
Arrival by Train to Nurmes: We offer pick-up from Nurmes railway station at 14:00 or 20:00.
On departure day, trains from Nurmes leave at 6:35 (morning) and 15:40 (afternoon).
If you travel to Nurmes by train, you will need to spend an additional night in Helsinki due to the train schedules.
We would be happy to include accommodation in Helsinki as part of the same holiday package, making your journey as smooth and convenient as possible.
!Note:
The contents of the menus and sauna basket 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
