Saimaa Canal
Saimaa Canal
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4.5
214 reviews
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POstcardswa
Canning Vale, Australia89 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
My Finnish friends have their summer cottage on Lake Saimaa and had never been to Russia, so the idea of taking me on this cruise through seven locks from Lappeenranta to Vyborg without having to get a Visa was most appealing.
The cruise vessel M/S Carelia was comfortable, the food enjoyable and the scenery pleasant. Having been to Russia before and cruised from Moscow to Saint Petersburg visiting numerous towns on the way Vyborg was no surprise to me, just what I expect of a Russian town - a central square in good condition, a very good food market with top quality fruit, meat and vegetables, a big and leafy park with some very interesting sculptures and, being curious and getting off the beaten tourist track, some sadly broken down slum areas - but that is Russia.
Altogether a worthwhile trip, but what I want to mention is the ships 'Jill of all trades'. By that I mean the lady who greeted every one of the individual passengers as we arrived prior to departure at 7.45 am and explained to each of us the lunch menu and took our order.Thtought the cruise she visited each of us more than once to check that all was as we desired. At least she had a 3 hour break while we were in Vyborg, but then it was back to work on the home journey looking after our every need, conducting a Bingo competition and then having a long stint playing bongo drums with the band on the way home and was sitting at the foot of the gangplank to farewell all of us after our arrival home at 9.45 pm, and all in the happiest of good humour.
Why do I mention this?
Because in over 50 years of world travel and fronting an award winning television travel programme, this person is the best tourist communicator I have ever encountered. And to top it off, when I enquired I learned that she had done the same trip yesterday and was on duty again tomorrow!
Her name I am told is Kirsi - Marjo Jokonen. I hope that this can be published. I have never met her before and am sure I will never meet her again, but she truly deserves an accolade.
But if you are in Lappeenranta with a day to spare, this is a very pleasant and educational way to spend it.
The cruise vessel M/S Carelia was comfortable, the food enjoyable and the scenery pleasant. Having been to Russia before and cruised from Moscow to Saint Petersburg visiting numerous towns on the way Vyborg was no surprise to me, just what I expect of a Russian town - a central square in good condition, a very good food market with top quality fruit, meat and vegetables, a big and leafy park with some very interesting sculptures and, being curious and getting off the beaten tourist track, some sadly broken down slum areas - but that is Russia.
Altogether a worthwhile trip, but what I want to mention is the ships 'Jill of all trades'. By that I mean the lady who greeted every one of the individual passengers as we arrived prior to departure at 7.45 am and explained to each of us the lunch menu and took our order.Thtought the cruise she visited each of us more than once to check that all was as we desired. At least she had a 3 hour break while we were in Vyborg, but then it was back to work on the home journey looking after our every need, conducting a Bingo competition and then having a long stint playing bongo drums with the band on the way home and was sitting at the foot of the gangplank to farewell all of us after our arrival home at 9.45 pm, and all in the happiest of good humour.
Why do I mention this?
Because in over 50 years of world travel and fronting an award winning television travel programme, this person is the best tourist communicator I have ever encountered. And to top it off, when I enquired I learned that she had done the same trip yesterday and was on duty again tomorrow!
Her name I am told is Kirsi - Marjo Jokonen. I hope that this can be published. I have never met her before and am sure I will never meet her again, but she truly deserves an accolade.
But if you are in Lappeenranta with a day to spare, this is a very pleasant and educational way to spend it.
Written July 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Naj M
Burnaby, Canada92 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
This tour was excellent. We departed from Lappeenranta, Finland on the M/S Carelia early in the morning. Kirsi - Marja our tour guide on the boat was awesome. She answered all of our questions and could be spotted cleaning tables and any other tasks on board. She was always smiling and happy. She and her crew were soooo great. The cruise was about 6 hours long and we travelled through many locks on the Saimaa Canal. We arrived in Vyborg, Russia where we cleared Russian customs and then met Kristina. She was soooo much fun and so helpful. Our 2 nights in St. Petersburg were amazing. We then travelled back to Vyborg where we shopped at the outdoor and indoor markets. I totally recommend this tour. It was hassle free and great fun.
Written August 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heli K
Lappeenranta, Finland1,686 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
The Saimaa Canal was opened originally for traffic in 1856 and it connects nowadays small south-eastern Finnish town Lappeenranta and Russian town Vyborg (about the same size as Lappeenranta). Part of the canal is in Finland and Russia has leased the Russian section for Finns.
The length of the canal itself is 43 km and the cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg takes about five hours. There is a height difference of 76 m between the levels of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Saimaa. So there are locks (eight) in the canal to level this difference. The height difference is by the way about the same as the height of the tower of Vyborg Castle.
The Saimaa Canal is best experienced on a cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg when you can see the whole canal. It is a journey worth while to take. m/s Carelia, which is the only cruise ship cruising from Lappeenranta to Vyborg regularly, is oldish but nice, cozy, clean and safe choice to visit Russia especially for the first timers. The ship's staff is friendly and speak many languages. There are restaurants in the ship - and I recommend to have lunch or dinner there. The food is quite nice.
I have taken this cruise about 10 times and every time the locks amaze me. It is quite impossible to describe the feeling when a ship goes to lock and the gates are closed and depending whether you are going or coming ship starts going down or raise up ...
I have taken the cruise with friends but also with kids and at least my children liked the cruise. On a sunny day it is very nice to relax on sun deck and enjoy the scenery and zip some sparkling wine. But if you are expecting huge villas or gardens etc on the route - you will be disappointed. Even tough there are more and more of those near Vyborg built by rich Russians. Mostly it is the canal, small lakes, woods and of course the archipelago of Lappeenranta and Vyborg.
I also recommend to stay at least one night in Vyborg so you have time to see the town. State Hermitage Museum has a small museum there, worth while to see is also the Vyborg Castle as well as Alvar Aalto's Library. There is also nice cafes and restaurants in Vyborg.
Cruises to Vyborg are by the way visa-free and organized by Saimaa Travel. You can also start you visa-free cruise trip to St. Petersburg or to Valamo Monastary with this Saimaa Canal Cruise. I have done that too. And I also recommend that after cruise take the sight seeing tour organized by the cruise company. It takes about 40 - 45 minutes and they tell you lot of greats stories about the city of Vyborg.
The length of the canal itself is 43 km and the cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg takes about five hours. There is a height difference of 76 m between the levels of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Saimaa. So there are locks (eight) in the canal to level this difference. The height difference is by the way about the same as the height of the tower of Vyborg Castle.
The Saimaa Canal is best experienced on a cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg when you can see the whole canal. It is a journey worth while to take. m/s Carelia, which is the only cruise ship cruising from Lappeenranta to Vyborg regularly, is oldish but nice, cozy, clean and safe choice to visit Russia especially for the first timers. The ship's staff is friendly and speak many languages. There are restaurants in the ship - and I recommend to have lunch or dinner there. The food is quite nice.
I have taken this cruise about 10 times and every time the locks amaze me. It is quite impossible to describe the feeling when a ship goes to lock and the gates are closed and depending whether you are going or coming ship starts going down or raise up ...
I have taken the cruise with friends but also with kids and at least my children liked the cruise. On a sunny day it is very nice to relax on sun deck and enjoy the scenery and zip some sparkling wine. But if you are expecting huge villas or gardens etc on the route - you will be disappointed. Even tough there are more and more of those near Vyborg built by rich Russians. Mostly it is the canal, small lakes, woods and of course the archipelago of Lappeenranta and Vyborg.
I also recommend to stay at least one night in Vyborg so you have time to see the town. State Hermitage Museum has a small museum there, worth while to see is also the Vyborg Castle as well as Alvar Aalto's Library. There is also nice cafes and restaurants in Vyborg.
Cruises to Vyborg are by the way visa-free and organized by Saimaa Travel. You can also start you visa-free cruise trip to St. Petersburg or to Valamo Monastary with this Saimaa Canal Cruise. I have done that too. And I also recommend that after cruise take the sight seeing tour organized by the cruise company. It takes about 40 - 45 minutes and they tell you lot of greats stories about the city of Vyborg.
Written February 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kaaljkmn
Arnhem, The Netherlands152 contributions
Jul 2011 • Couples
daily boat trip all the way to Vyborg in Russia. No visa requirements. Shopping opportunities in Russia. On board guide with plenty of knowledge on the history and technology of the canal. Facilities (bar, restaurant) good value.
Written August 24, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
davefr0mireland
Helsinki, Finland38 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
A Scenic Cruise on Lake Saimaa and the Saimaa Canal
Lake Saimaa is the 4th largest freshwater lake in Europe. We took one of the evening cruises on the lake from the harbour at Lappeenranta. This cruise lasts 3 hours and includes a trip along the Saimaa Canal through the first lock gate at Mälkiä and then returns to continue among the islands. The boat (the Camilla, Karelia Lines) has two decks (top deck open air) with bars, restaurant (dinner can be booked separately) and adequate indoor seating on both decks.
Recorded commentary of history and places of interest is provided in Finnish, English and Russian unobtrusively throughout the cruise.
An excellent way to enjoy the lake if you haven't time to do the long day cruises through the 8 locks on the Canal to Vipuri (Vyborg) in Russia.
Very popular in summer. Best to book tickets in advance to guarantee places on the boat.
Getting there : The harbour (follow signs for Satama) for cruise boats are within a few minutes walk from Lappeenranta city centre.
Lake Saimaa is the 4th largest freshwater lake in Europe. We took one of the evening cruises on the lake from the harbour at Lappeenranta. This cruise lasts 3 hours and includes a trip along the Saimaa Canal through the first lock gate at Mälkiä and then returns to continue among the islands. The boat (the Camilla, Karelia Lines) has two decks (top deck open air) with bars, restaurant (dinner can be booked separately) and adequate indoor seating on both decks.
Recorded commentary of history and places of interest is provided in Finnish, English and Russian unobtrusively throughout the cruise.
An excellent way to enjoy the lake if you haven't time to do the long day cruises through the 8 locks on the Canal to Vipuri (Vyborg) in Russia.
Very popular in summer. Best to book tickets in advance to guarantee places on the boat.
Getting there : The harbour (follow signs for Satama) for cruise boats are within a few minutes walk from Lappeenranta city centre.
Written July 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CanberraTripper
Canberra66 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
An excellent and totally unique choice of activity when staying in Lappenranta. We were able to book and pay for our cruise to Vyborg online. The trip is long- about 5 hours each way- but the scenery is beautiful and the locks are fascinating. Because of the long time on the boat we did find ourselves spending a fair amount of $$ on food and drink (the food was very nice though!). The excellent guide seemed to speak a huge number of languages and went to a lot of trouble to explain the canal system etc. However, at one point there was a very long presentation in Finnish- I still have no idea what it was about as it wasn’t repeated in other languages- so I wonder what we missed out on!!
Vyborg itself is totally fascinating. It was obviously, at one point, a very elegant city with broad boulevards and grand buildings. War damage and neglect ever since mean it is now crumbling and just a shell of its former self. Fascinating to visit, and very photogenic, but also very sad.
Vyborg itself is totally fascinating. It was obviously, at one point, a very elegant city with broad boulevards and grand buildings. War damage and neglect ever since mean it is now crumbling and just a shell of its former self. Fascinating to visit, and very photogenic, but also very sad.
Written September 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ketley007
Telford, UK60 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
The lake was placid and blue. The Camilla was ship shape and Bristol fashion. Her engines ran well and her crew were proficient. Lake Saimaa is surrounded by trees and has tree covered islands. It is a great place to look at trees. There is a massive wood mill to admire and extensive arrays of floating logs. The canal rises and falls , the locks are clean and tidy too. The fountain in Lapeenranta harbour sprays nicely upwards, fresh clean water. The cruise gives you a chance to admire the fortress and sand sculptures.
Written August 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TJandTR
Portland, OR1,205 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
We had never been to Russia and did not want to deal with visas. So we took the one-day cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg on the M.S. Carelia. The pretty canal has 8 locks dropping 260 feet. The cruise was 5.5 hours each way with 3 hours to wander around Vyborg (enough time for us). On the ship, we were often indoors with the Finns who sang along with a guitarist. We were among the few non-Finnish speakers, and the tour director (who spoke excellent English) made sure we knew what was happening along the way and what to look for in Vyborg. We joined some Finns for an hour-long city tour with a Finnish guide who gave the highlights in English. We also enjoyed dinner on board. This was an interesting trip that we are happy to have taken, but I don't expect that we will go into Russia again. I would recommend the Finnish side for a cruise with Saimaa Travel anytime.
Written August 30, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rantamap
Lappeenranta, Finland20 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
If You visit Lappeenranta during summertime, Saimaa Canal is worth seeing. Easy 2-hour Cruise is possible almost every day few times. Some history, and beautiful views.
Written August 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HMK2310
Sydney, Australia161 contributions
Jul 2019
Cruised all the way to Viborg and listened to the history of the canal, very interesting. Very sad that the Finns built the canal and then the Russians took half away and now Finland has to pay rent to use their 'own' masterwork!
Written August 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bynivern
Moscow, Russia
Спасибо за предложение, пока это предварительный просмотр материалов
Travellorey
Hyattsville, MD9 contributions
Is the 3-day Visa free trip really long enough? Apparently it is really only one full day in St. Petersburg, even though a second hotel night would still be within the 72 hour window. Would it be worth it to spend the money (close to $200/pp) for a Visa to stay a bit longer and take the train back?
Rantamap
Lappeenranta, Finland20 contributions
I´ve been visiting there several times. It´s easy to find many ways to spent few days in StPetersburg. Many museums and palaces to see. Food is good and cheap.
duaneoftheozarks
Russellville, AR106 contributions
You say you visited Vyborg and St. Petersburg without a Visa...would this be true for me, with a U.S. Passport?
Naj M
Burnaby, Canada92 contributions
I am Canadian - traveled with my Canadian Passport. Check with Saimaa Travel.
Webern2009
Hastings, UK15 contributions
Is it possible to cycle along or very near the canal all the way from Lappeenranta to Vyborg? Is there a cycle path all or most of the way?
bwoe
Vienna Region, Austria538 contributions
cycle paths exist along lake saimaa in both directions from Lappeenranta (Taipalsaari and Imatra/Joutseno/Rauha) and partly along the canal until the locks. however, they don't stretch until vyborg/viipuri.
below some more details on possibilities, sights and sounds.
gosaimaa com en Activities/Summer-activities/Biking
hope that helps.
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