Taste the traditional flavours and aromas of Eastern Finland from Karelia to the gates of Lapland
Welcome to the most exclusive tour of the four provinces. Taste Northern Savo Lakeland - Taste Karelia - Taste Kainuu, Arctic Lakeland -Taste Lapland!
- The four-county tour starts at the lakes of Savo and continues through the municipalities of Karelia, through the berry forests of Arctic Lakeland and then on to the gates of Lapland. The flavours and cooking methods of each province differ, thereby providing you with just the right tastes and aromas of the local cuisine. The trip brings together the best of Lakeland and Lapland’s pure nature for you to enjoy all that is on your plate.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Taste Northern Savo Lakeland | Kuopio
Arrival at Kuopio airport or railway station.
>Transport to Kuopio
Taste Savo
Savo is known for its pies, especially the kalakukko, a fish pie. Inside the juicy rye rind, there is plenty of fresh whitefish and fatty pork shoulder. Enjoy with plenty of butter. Kalakukko is registered as a genuine traditional speciality of the European Union. Lake fish, kokkelipiimä, a cultured buttermilk with curd, talkkuna, roasted coarsely ground grain, rieska, a thin unleavened bread and gruel are also part of the Savo culinary tradition.
- Dinner at Puijon Tower
Welcome to the top of Puijo, where the forest, stunning panoramic views and local food combine to create an unforgettable dining experience. The menu includes local delicacies and Savo`s traditional “Kalakukko”, fish pie.
Accommodation at Sokos Hotel Puikkari, twin rooms
Day 2 | Kuopio
- Taste Savo walking
Take a trip to Kuopio Kauppahalli, voted the most beautiful shopping hall in Finland in 2020. There, we will taste Willimau’s non-alcoholic sparkling drink, which tastes of wild nature; try a fish cocktail and enjoy fresh bread and fish. We’ll visit the marketplace and have the berry tasting of the season on our journey. After a short walk around the city centre, we will sit down for some coffee/tea with seasonal pastries.
>Transport to Bomba Karelian village, Nurmes
Bomba Karelian village | Taste Karelia
Karelian food culture is influenced by the East. The area is an oven-food region, and various meat dishes are prepared by simmering them in the oven for a long time. Of these, the Karelian roast is the most famous. The Karelian feast table also includes homemade Karelian pies, sultsinas, tsupukkas, vatruskas and filled pastries. The region is also known for its diverse wild mushroom culture.
- Bomba House and the Karelian village. The Bomba House and Karelian Village is a tribute to Karelianism and Karelian architecture. The area is a unique place to visit in Finland.
- Lunch
- Time for outdoor activities or spa
Dinner: Bomba restaurant: Valamo menu and Valamo Monastery’s berry wines.
- The Valamo menu brings together Karelian and Orthodox culture at the dinner table.
Accommodation at the Sokos Hotel Bomba
Day 3 | Bomba
- Time for outdoor activities, a spa or shopping.
- Lunch
>Transport to Guesthouse to the countryside
- Karelian pie workshop. Learn how to bake traditional Karelian pies.
- Dinner: Karelian evening at the inn. The menu include local delicacies and Karelian Hot pot and Karelian pies. During dinner, we will enjoy a music performance by kantele, a Finnish zither, which is a traditional string instrument unique to Eastern Finland.
Accommodation at the Sokos Hotel Bomba
Day 4 | Taste Arctic Lakeland | Kuhmo
Kainuu, Arctic Lakeland delicacies - Bread, berries, game, fish, tar and nettle shine on the Kainuu delicacy table. The province’s specialities include cheese bread and products made from tar and nettle, such as tar bread. A traditional food from Kainuu, rönttönen is known throughout Finland and has been granted EU geographical indication protection. This protection means that pies produced outside the province cannot be labelled rönttönen.
>Transport to Kuhmo
- Visit Juminkeko
Welcome to Juminkeko - the home of Kalevala, located in Kuhmo near the Russian Karelian border! Here, you can discover Kalevala, the Finnish national epic based in Arctic Lakeland and its history. There are permanent and temporary exhibitions on Kalevala themes as well as one of the largest Kalevala collections in the world.
- Lunch at Cafe Kaisa
- Story time: The bear in Finnish mythology
The storyteller is Giulia Santelli, translator and author of the Giulia in Finlandia blog and ambassador of Finnish culture to Italians. She has studied Finnish literature and Finno-Ugric philology at the University of Bologna (Italy).
- Time to have outdoor activities
- Dinner: Kalevala festive table. The menu include local delicacies .
Accommodation at Hotel Kalevala
Day 5 | Vuokatti
>Transport to Vuokatti
- Traditional baking workshop in Heikkilä
The hostess of Heikkilä’s Pirtti will guide you into the world of Kainuu’s grain and baking. The workshop will explore the traditions of olden-time mothers through rönttönen pies. At the end of the course, you will be able to taste warm dishes and hear stories about the history of the region. Soup lunch.
- Visit Haapala Brewery
Welcome to a tour through our brewery to get to know Haapala's philosophy, operating methods and manufacturing process, and of course a few tastings from the tanks.
> Transport to Paltamo
- Jättiläisenmaa/Arctic Giant
- Time to outdoor activities.
- Artic Giant dinner: The rosvopaisti, a roast beef dish, is a work of art by the biggest and strongest of the Kivesvaara giants, Wäki-Turila, combining anticipation, atmosphere and enjoyment. The rosvopaisti is an old traditional technique, where meat is cooked slowly and carefully outdoors under the shelter of a pit, giving it a charming flavour which is all its own. We will collect the mushrooms, berries and herbs we need as raw materials from nature. In every dish, you can taste the pure and invigorating flavours of the local food, with a touch of Kainuu. Tar is one of our favourite flavours. It is used to finish both savoury and sweet treats.
Accommodation in the Jättiläisenmaa/Arctic Giant
Day 6 | Suomussalmi
>Transport to Suomussalmi
- Kurimo Historical Area. A workshop on baking traditional Kainuu potato flatbread at Kurimo house.
- Lunch at the cafe Niittykahvila
Niittykahvila, Cafe of the Silent People, offers an unforgettable experience. We offer travellers a unique opportunity to travel back in time. Back to when haymaking took weeks and labourers slept in the barn.
>Transport to Kuusamo
- Dinner at Pohjan pirtti
Pohjolan Pirtti & Kievari are located in the village of Vuotungi. Vuotunki is one of the oldest villages in Kuusamo inhabited by Finnish settlers. Our private restaurant serves the best local wild food. We know the land where the food comes from, we know the person who picked it and prepared it. At dinner, we serve food made of local ingredients such as game, moose and berries.
Accommodation at Royal Ruka hotel
Day 7 | Taste Lapland
Lapland is known the world over for its unique natural beauty and the pure natural bounty of the Lapland diet. Lappish cuisine includes aromatic and unique Northern ingredients. Reindeer, together with the fish of Lapland’s clean waters, forests and bogs as well as their tasty berries, are well-known and appreciated delicacies around the world.
> Transport to Kuusamo
- Shopping and own time in the city.
- Lunch in the city, self-paid.
- Visit to the Bear’s Paw Centre. The centre houses, among other things, the famous nature photo exhibition.
- 15:00 Visit to a reindeer farm. Getting to know the local reindeer industry.
- Kujala reindeer farm is one of the oldest and largest reindeer farms in Kuusamo. We offer reindeer adventures all year round and sell quality reindeer products, art and crafts made on site. By visiting our authentic farm, you also support local culture and our ancient livelihood!
- Before dinner, there will be a craft workshop to make your own souvenir for this trip.
- Reindeer herder’s dinner.The menu includes local delicacies and reindeer.
- Depending on the group size, dinner is served in the Kiela’s Kota by the open fire or at the new Reindeer Center. Kiela’s Kota sits on top of a high ridge, offering a mighty scenery around the farm. Up here we enjoy the gorgeous views, sometimes even the northern lights,
Accommodation at Royal Ruka hotel
Day 8
Breakfast
>Transport to Kuusamo airport, flight home.
Groupsize: min. 20 Person
Valid: On request 1.9 - 20.12.2023 | 1.3.-30.5.2024 | 1.8.- 20.12.2024
Transportation: to destinations 0.5 - 2.5 hours.
Price from 2150€/person / 7 nights, 8 day / Net price
Incl: Accommodation: double or twin room. Food and drinks: daily breakfast, lunches, dinners, non-alcoholic drinks with meals. Workshops. Visit to Haapala, Juminkeko, Karhun tassu and Reindeer Farm.Guided tour: Kuopio and Bomba. Transport. Bomba Spa.
On request and not included in the price per person: Single room: + 55€/day. A local guide for the duration of the trip. Contact us for an option and price. If the group has own transport, we will make a new offer that does not include transport.
Videos:
Arctic Giant
Hotel Kalevala
Nittykahvila
Pohjolan Pirtti
Kujalan Porotila
-Rights to program changes are reserved
