Savonlinna: the Castle on the Lake Where Opera Resounds Every Summer

Finland is the land of lakes: one hundred and eighty thousand bodies of water covering nearly a tenth of the national surface. But Lake Saimaa, in the southeast of the country, is something different from the rest — an interconnected water system so vast and labyrinthine that it is considered one of the largest lakes in Europe by surface area. And at the centre of this watery labyrinth, on three islands linked by bridges, rises Savonlinna: thirty thousand inhabitants, a medieval castle set directly on the water, and every July one of the most unusual opera festivals in the world.

Olavinlinna and the waters of Saimaa

Olavinlinna Castle was built in 1475 on a rocky outcrop emerging from the lake, a strategic control point between Swedish Finland and Russia. Its cylindrical grey granite towers are reflected in the water with an effect that varies enormously with the changing light: golden on summer evenings, spectral in autumn fogs. The castle is visitable year-round, but in July its walls host the Savonlinna Opera Festival, with evening performances that continue even as the midnight sun paints the sky pink and orange at eleven at night.

The Saimaa Ringed Seal

Lake Saimaa is home to one of the rarest mammal populations in the world: the Saimaa ringed seal, endemic to this lake system and stranded here after the last Ice Age. Just over four hundred individuals are counted. Boat trips on Lake Saimaa offer some chance of sighting, especially during evening hours in spring. Local cuisine showcases the lake's bounty: fried muikku (small freshwater fish), pike-perch in a crust, and the salmon soup that Finns prepare with cream, spring onions and dill.

When to go and how to get there

Savonlinna is reachable by train from Helsinki in about three hours, with frequent services and lake views along the route. The ideal months are July for the festival and the Nordic summer, and August–September for the ruska, the Finnish autumn foliage that paints the forests in orange, red and yellow. In winter the lake freezes and offers cross-country skiing and ice-fishing experiences. Accommodation is varied and affordable: hotels, lakeside cottages and holiday homes are available at reasonable prices even in peak season.