Canal Villages along your route

In Heinävesi, it’s easy to take a break along the way, whether you’re trav­el­ing from north to south from the direc­tion of Kuo­pio or Savon­lin­na, or from west to east from the direc­tion of Varkaus or Joen­suu. Between two nation­al parks – Koli and Kolovesi – you can explore both on the water, on the roads, and on for­est trails, and there are ser­vice­able canal vil­lages always near­by.

Whether you’re trav­el­ing by bike, car, boat, or pub­lic trans­porta­tion, Heinävesi is easy to reach. High­way VT23 and road 476 as well as the rail­way pass through the munic­i­pal­i­ty from west to east, and the Heinävesi route on Lake Saimaa takes trav­el­ers between the north and south. Stop by our charm­ing canal vil­lages and come to the town cen­ter for ser­vices.

In addi­tion to gro­cery stores, the vil­lage cen­ter offers many qual­i­ty spe­cial­ty shops, well­ness and beau­ty ser­vices, as well as sev­er­al cozy din­ing options. You can stay com­fort­ably in your own stu­dio apart­ment or even in an authen­tic police cell. Dur­ing the sum­mer, Ker­man­ran­ta Har­bor offers a motorhome park, café, and equip­ment rental, while in win­ter, Pääskyvuori with its sur­round­ing ski trails pro­vides activ­i­ties for skiers of all lev­els, from sled­ders to avid mogul skiers.

The north­ern area of Heinävesi includes the vil­lages of Karvio-Lep­ikkomä­ki, Varis­taipale, Palok­ki, and Suu­ra­ho. This region is home to the Valamo and Lin­tu­la Monas­ter­ies, as well as the Karvio, Varis­taipale, and Taival­lahti Canals.

Karvio, locat­ed along High­way VT 23, serves as the hub of north­ern Heinävesi. Here, through­out the year, you’ll find a diverse range of ser­vices includ­ing a Neste ser­vice sta­tion and a K‑market. Karvio Camp­ing offers accom­mo­da­tion dur­ing the sum­mer months along with var­i­ous activ­i­ties, a guest har­bor for boats, and restau­rant ser­vices.

In Palok­ki, the Lin­tu­la Monastery’s shop and café are open dur­ing the sum­mer sea­son. Near the monastery, there is also a nature trail. Accom­mo­da­tion options in Palok­ki include the quaint Palok­ki Inn, which is housed in a ren­o­vat­ed old vil­lage school. Dur­ing your vis­it, you can also explore the his­toric Palok­ki Rapids area and enjoy a cup of cof­fee in Ront­topuis­to Park.

Locat­ed along High­way VT 23, Karvio serves as the cen­ter of north­ern Heinävesi and is a favorite spot for fly-fish­ing enthu­si­asts. In addi­tion to the K‑market, Karvio offers var­i­ous ser­vices for trav­el­ers, includ­ing the diverse Karvio Camp­ing camp­ground and its Restau­rant Leiskari, as well as the Neste ser­vice sta­tion with guest boat docks.

The loca­tion offers an ide­al posi­tion along a water­way, pro­vid­ing easy access for boat­ing and water-based activ­i­ties. Sit­u­at­ed between the towns of Varkaus and Joen­suu, it serves as a con­ve­nient mid­point, allow­ing trav­el­ers to break their jour­ney while enjoy­ing the scenic sur­round­ings and recre­ation­al oppor­tu­ni­ties offered by the water­way. Whether arriv­ing by boat or road, vis­i­tors can take advan­tage of the ameni­ties avail­able in the area while tak­ing in the beau­ty of the nat­ur­al land­scape.

In Varis­taipale, trav­el­ers are catered to by var­i­ous ameni­ties, includ­ing the Varis­taipale Canal Kiosk locat­ed by the canal. Here, vis­i­tors can pur­chase fresh sea­son­al berries or veg­eta­bles to enjoy on-site or take home. Dur­ing the sum­mer, explore the his­to­ry of the canals and arti­facts on dis­play at the canal muse­um. Addi­tion­al­ly, Vari­ran­ta offers a splen­did swim­ming spot, pro­vid­ing a com­fort­able set­ting for a relaxed day by the beach.

The east­ern part of Heinävesi includes the Ker­ma-Sap­pu-Pöl­läkkä area, Vihtari region, and Sarvikumpu. High­way 476 to Joen­suu pass­es through the vil­lages of East­ern Heinävesi. Vihtari also has a train sta­tion, pro­vid­ing con­ve­nient access for pub­lic trans­porta­tion users to des­ti­na­tions such as Vihtari Nature Trail or to enjoy a relax­ing sheep farm stay at Pirteä Päs­si.

The East­ern Heinävesi area offers plen­ty of nat­ur­al beau­ty for nature enthu­si­asts to admire. Along your jour­ney, you’ll encounter the pic­turesque Ker­mankos­ki and Ker­ma Canal, where you can take a detour for a short nature trail in Vihovuonne or enjoy a pleas­ant pic­nic by Pilp­pa Canal. The rapids offer chal­lenges for both kayak­ers and anglers, and fish­ing per­mits are avail­able con­ve­nient­ly at the Ker­mankos­ki kiosk dur­ing sum­mer sea­son.

Com­fort­able guest­hous­es offer accom­mo­da­tion options, and there’s even a small camp­ing area with kiosk ser­vices in Ker­ma. Dur­ing the sum­mer, boaters are served by Ker­mankei­das guest mari­na and restau­rant, along with lodg­ing facil­i­ties. Ker­mankos­ki dance pavil­ion (Ker­mankosken Lava) has recent­ly under­gone exten­sive ren­o­va­tions, pro­vid­ing excel­lent facil­i­ties for both dancers and sum­mer the­ater audi­ences to enjoy their time.

In the Ker­ma-Sap­pu-Pöl­läkkä area, you’ll find the Ker­ma Canal and Ker­mankos­ki Rapids. Serv­ing trav­el­ers in this rapids land­scape are Ker­mankei­das and Ker­ma guest mari­nas, along with the renowned Ker­mankos­ki dance pavil­ion, which local com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers have dili­gent­ly ren­o­vat­ed in recent years. At the edge of the rapids, vis­i­tors can acquire fish­ing per­mits and reserve accom­mo­da­tion spots at Ker­man­vir­ran­ran­ta camp­ing site from the Ker­mankos­ki kiosk.

In Vihtari, the nature-cen­tric busi­ness­es and the lush sur­round­ings are sure to impress trav­el­ers. Vihtari is eas­i­ly acces­si­ble by train, and from here, it’s a short jour­ney to the Kolovesi Nation­al Park, per­fect for hik­ers and nature enthu­si­asts alike.

The west­ern and south­ern parts of Heinävesi are tru­ly havens for nature lovers. In the south, the area bor­ders the Kolovesi Nation­al Park, where you can pad­dle or hike amidst stun­ning rocky land­scapes or enjoy a vaca­tion horse­back rid­ing on Ice­landic hors­es.

The area is dot­ted with small vil­lages, although there are rel­a­tive­ly few per­ma­nent res­i­dents. Vaca­tion cot­tages offer accom­mo­da­tion for trav­el­ers. Pilp­pa Canal fea­tures a beau­ti­ful park area and an excel­lent envi­ron­ment for pic­nics. For boaters, there’s a guest har­bor along the Heinävesi route, for exam­ple, in Säynämö.

In the small vil­lages, local, dis­tinc­tive vil­lage events and oth­er activ­i­ties are orga­nized, warm­ly wel­com­ing vis­i­tors. Karhi­la-Malkki­la boasts active vil­lage activ­i­ties, and you can enjoy a relaxed hol­i­day, per­haps even horse­back rid­ing. Accom­mo­da­tion is pro­vid­ed by the area’s cot­tage entre­pre­neurs.

The Kypäräjärvi-Viita­lahti area offers a unique blend of nat­ur­al beau­ty and local charm, mak­ing it an ide­al des­ti­na­tion for tourists seek­ing authen­tic expe­ri­ences. Here, vis­i­tors can immerse them­selves in the tran­quil­i­ty of the Finnish coun­try­side.

Explore the pic­turesque vil­lage land­scape: Take a leisure­ly stroll or bike ride through the scenic coun­try­side, expe­ri­ence local cul­ture and tra­di­tions: Immerse your­self in the rich cul­tur­al her­itage of the region by par­tic­i­pat­ing in tra­di­tion­al events and activ­i­ties orga­nized by the Kypäräjärvi-Viita­lahti com­mu­ni­ty.

Indulge in out­door adven­tures: Nature lovers will find plen­ty to explore in the sur­round­ing wilder­ness, with oppor­tu­ni­ties for hik­ing, bird­watch­ing, and wildlife spot­ting.