Top Tourist Places to Visit in Joensuu, Finland, Europe

Top Tourist Places to Visit in Joensuu, Finland, Europe

Joensuu is a city as well as municipality belonging to the North Karelia region in Finland lying between latitude 62°36′ in the north and longitude 029°45′ in the east. It comes under the province of Eastern Finland covering an area of 2,751.07 sq. km.

Joensuu is widely known for educational sector with the universities such as the University of Eastern Finland (15,000 students) and North Karelia University of Applied Sciences (4,000 students). Joensuu is also the hometown of Kataja Basket Club and many international basketball players and athletes including Jukka Keskisalo.

History of Joensuu:

The Czar Nicholas I of Russia who was the founder of Joensuu, founded in 1848 and Joensuu also flourished as an industrial as well as Finland’s one of the leading harbor cities at the end of the nineteenth century. Joensuu serves as the headquarters of the European Forest Institute which was initially formed in 1993.

Connectivity to Joensuu:

Joensuu has its own airport, located in Liperi, around 11 km from the downtown Joensuu, served by Finncomm Airlines and Finnair with several flights from Helsinki, the capital of Finland, situated about 435 km northeast of Joensuu.

Taxis are generally available at the airport and also tourists can get bus which costs €5 and takes 10 minutes from airport to the city centre.

It takes around 5 hours from Helsinki by train and 7 hours by bus, catered by Matkahuolto and many other well known bus operators.

Buses, rental cars and bicycles are common options to get around.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Joensuu:

Joensuu, the center of culture hosts dozens of colorful festivals, The Ilosaarirock Festival is the major annual rock festival celebrated on the 2^nd weekend of July and annual film festival, the Rokumentti Rock Film Festival is organized in November. Other festivals include Joensuu Music Winter, Gospel festivals and Festival of Visual Culture Viscult.

Some traditional shopping options in Joensuu include:

Taitokortteli Arts & Crafts
Levy-Eskot Record Store
Flea Market

Restaurants are plenty in Joensuu and some of the famous food corners in Joensuu are listed below:

Hyve & Pahe
Fransmanni
LaPassione
Pizzeria fiesta

Things to do in Joensuu:

Festival celebrations
Shopping
Visiting historical sites

Tourist Attractions in Joensuu:

Bunker museum:

The Bunker museum is home to many models of concrete bunkers that are used during WW2 to defend from the peril of Russia. It is open during the months of the summer season only from 11.00-17.00 (Tuesday-Sunday).

Carelicum:

Located in Joensuu city, The North Karelian Museum showcases the culture of North Karelia region with the traditional karelian folklore dresses and photographs. Tourists can visit this typical museum in any days of the week between 10 – 17 (Monday-Friday) and 11 – 16 (Saturday and Sunday).

The central church of Joensuu:

The central church of Joensuu is well worth a visit and features sharply augmented towers. Other churches in Joensuu include Orthodox Church in Kirkkokatu and Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Kirkkokatu.

Other places of interest in and around Joensuu include:

Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Orthodox Church
Joensuu Railway Station
Joensuu City Hall
Keskusta
Freedom Park
Viihdemaailma Ilona
Tori
Flea Market
Botanical Garden and Tropical Butterfly Garden

Ideal time to visit Joensuu:

The best time to visit Joensuu is during the months between May and September while many grand festivals take place.

Accommodation options in Joensuu:

Joensuu hosts around 30 known accommodation centers categorized as hotels, BB and Inns, lodges and vacation rentals and price depends on the season and facilities provided by such hotels. Here are the reputed hotels in Joensuu: