Savonlinna is a very nice smaller town located on lakes and surrounded by water. Its big attraction is Olavinlinna castle, one of the few medieval castles preserved in a fairly original shape.
Take a train and enjoy the magnificent lake views during your journey from Parikkala to Savonlinna. You will also travel in comfort with modern onboard amenities like big panoramic windows, power plug sockets and WiFi on board.
Trains
Savonlinna station is a railway station located on the Huutokoski–Parikkala railway in Finland, and also known as Koululahti or Savonlinnan kauppatori (Finnish: “Savonlinnan rautatieasema”; Swedish: Nyslott jarnvagsstation”). It serves both long-distance trains and commuter trains. It is one of the busiest stations on the Saimaa Ring.
Travel to and from Savonlinna by train on comfortable coaches with large panoramic windows, WiFi, power outlets in your seat and information screens. If you book a Pendolino train ticket, your trip will be even more enjoyable as these modern tilting trains are designed to make the journey stress free and pleasant.
There are eight long-distance trains a day from Helsinki to Savonlinna. The journey is four hours and you can purchase tickets from vending machines or online. If you are planning to visit Finland, be sure to check the up-to-date and route-specific timetable with our easy-to-use trip search. You can upgrade your seat on InterCity and Pendolino trains to First Class for an additional few euros.
Stations
The train from Parikkala to Savonlinna takes passengers through one of Finland’s most beautiful shipping lanes. Its narrow passages and wide, open lakes are part of a heritage landscape and have served leisure boaters and commercial carriers since the late 1800s.
The route is operated by VR and features modern Pendolino trains, which offer great onboard amenities like comfortable seats with spacious legroom and big panoramic windows, information screens, and excellent WiFi. A typical trip takes around 53 minutes.
Commuter trains do not require reservations and can be boarded with a ticket purchased from the conductor or vending machine on board the train. For InterCity and Pendolino trains, there is also a seating upgrade option available with normal priced tickets that costs a few euros per journey.
The main train station in Parikkala is located on Road 14. It is a small terminal with a single platform, and it serves several regional trains each day. One-way train fares from Helsinki are 48EUR ($62).
Distances
Savonlinna is stretched out on a series of islands on Lake Saimaa and is often visited as part of a tour of southern Finland, where lakes dominate the landscape. Canoeing and kayaking around the islands is a popular activity in summer.
The train station, formerly named Savonlinna-Kauppatori, is located on the Huutokoski-Parikkala railway and serves only passenger traffic. It was elevated to a staffed station in 1944.
The trains run on FLIRT Sm5 vehicles from Helsinki, with a fuel consumption of 0.071 kWh pkm-1 and a load factor of 0.35 (VTT 2017). In addition to these main routes, several other domestic routes are available between Helsinki and Parikkala. These are shown below, with their energy consumption compared to the reference vehicle of the main airport trains. Routes originating from other cities of the country are also listed, though they do not have any direct connections with Parikkala. These are included to provide an overview of the total national rail network, and as a basis for comparison with routes to other European countries.
Timetables
A passenger train travels from Helsinki to Mikkeli and Savonlinna every day. It is also possible to go from Helsinki to Savonlinna by coach or a flight via Helsinki-Mikkeli and the high-speed line.
During the summer, there are also many cruises on Lake Saimaa, which is one of Finland’s most beautiful shipping lanes and a heritage landscape. The main cruise terminal is located in the centre of Savonlinna.
The railway achieves highly desirable travel time values on the route between the two biggest cities on the link. This is made possible by the station optimization protocol and the use of modern signalling systems.
The InterCity (IC in the timetables) and Pendolino trains offer a choice of seats – including Extra Class – for more comfortable travelling. You can reserve a seat with normal priced tickets for a few euros. Consult a conductor or the customer service to book your seat. Check the current day-specific timetables using the trip search.
