Archipelago life by Lake Saimaa

Welcome to Niinisaari, Lake Saimaa’s little archipelago village. The first stop is Hanhiniitty, where the local village blacksmith will present the traditional work of the smithy. Guests can also pick up the smith’s hammer and try their hand at working hot iron. After leaving the smithy, the next farm is Okkola, where a restaurant has been built in the attic of an old barn, serving up the farmwife’s traditional lunch – local food at its best. Over lunch, the farmwife will tell the tales of the island’s colourful history and how people got by on an island that could only be reached by boat.

After lunch, the journey continues onwards to the neighbouring Liehtalanniemi museum farm, where the museum steward introduces the history of the old archipelago farm and tales of local celebrities. Coffee will be prepared over a fire and traditional buns will be baked on sticks. The M/S Kaunis Veera will be waiting at Liehtalanniemi pier to set sail on a cruise (1 hour 30 minutes) on Lake Saimaa to Sahanlahti, an idyllic former sawmill. A guided drama tour will introduce the eventful history of Sahanlahti and the day will be rounded out with a homemade dinner, made from scratch from local ingredients at the Koskivahti restaurant, which offers without question the most stunning views over Lake Saimaa.