The best about leisure time in South Karelia is Lake Saimaa and the many other lakes in the region. The area includes nearly 8,000 kilometres of shoreline carved by the Ice Age. Spending time at a cabin, boating, and lakeside living are popular in the region. Thousands of satisfied holiday residents have noticed the same!
At best, leisure time starts at your front door. Swimming beaches, fishing waters, and boat launching sites are all close by. For those with no cabin of their own, the beaches, lean-tos, and saunas owned by the South Karelian Foundation for Recreation Areas offer plentiful leisure activities in the heart of Lake Saimaa.
The traditions of Karelian culture continue to have a strong presence. Lappeenranta and Imatra are cities of music and theatre and their new theatre houses offer excellent premises unforgettable experiences.
For children and the youth, South Karelia offers diverse training in the arts. The excellent art schools in the region also have classes for adults. The diverse cultural selection is like the region’s food: interesting tastes are on offer everywhere and everyone can participate in their making.
With several sports teams playing in the national series, South Karelia is larger than its size as a sports region. The region’s identity colours change from the usual red and black to yellow and black when the local team SaiPa is playing. In addition to ice hockey, locals have succeeded at floorball, basketball, Finnish baseball, bandy, rinkball, plus many individual sports.
Opportunities for sports are excellent. The east coast Base Camp at the border of Imatra and Lappeenranta offer opportunities for summer and winter sports all year round. Also sports fields, indoor sports facilities, climbing walls, golf courses, curling lanes, skiing tracks, swimming beaches, and canoeing routes in the region are waiting for you.