Saimaa Canal, South Karelia, Finland

5Naj M 5:00 PM Aug 15, 2015

From Lake Saimaa to St. Petersburg without a Russian Visa
This tour was excellent. We departed from Lappeenranta, Finland on the M/S Carelia early in the morning. Kirsi - Marja our tour guide on the boat was awesome. She answered all of our questions and could be spotted cleaning tables and any other tasks on board. She was always smiling and happy. She and her crew were soooo great. The cruise was about 6 hours long and we travelled through many locks on the Saimaa Canal. We arrived in Vyborg, Russia where we cleared Russian customs and then met Kristina. She was soooo much fun and so helpful. Our 2 nights in St. Petersburg were amazing. We then travelled back to Vyborg where we shopped at the outdoor and indoor markets. I totally recommend this tour. It was hassle free and great fun.

4Heli K 5:00 PM Feb 19, 2015

Saimaa Canal Cruise
The Saimaa Canal was opened originally for traffic in 1856 and it connects nowadays small south-eastern Finnish town Lappeenranta and Russian town Vyborg (about the same size as Lappeenranta). Part of the canal is in Finland and Russia has leased the Russian section for Finns. The length of the canal itself is 43 km and the cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg takes about five hours. There is a height difference of 76 m between the levels of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Saimaa. So there are locks (eight) in the canal to level this difference. The height difference is by the way about the same as the height of the tower of Vyborg Castle. The Saimaa Canal is best experienced on a cruise from Lappeenranta to Vyborg when you can see the whole canal. It is a journey worth while to take. m/s Carelia, which is the only cruise ship cruising from Lappeenranta to Vyborg regularly, is oldish but nice, cozy, clean and safe choice to visit Russia especially for the first timers. The ship's staff is friendly and speak many languages. There are restaurants in the ship - and I recommend to have lunch or dinner there. The food is quite nice. I have taken this cruise about 10 times and every time the locks amaze me. It is quite impossible to describe the feeling when a ship goes to lock and the gates are closed and depending whether you are going or coming ship starts going down or raise up ... I have taken the cruise with friends but also with kids and at least my children liked the cruise. On a sunny day it is very nice to relax on sun deck and enjoy the scenery and zip some sparkling wine. But if you are expecting huge villas or gardens etc on the route - you will be disappointed. Even tough there are more and more of those near Vyborg built by rich Russians. Mostly it is the canal, small lakes, woods and of course the archipelago of Lappeenranta and Vyborg. I also recommend to stay at least one night in Vyborg so you have time to see the town. State Hermitage Museum has a small museum there, worth while to see is also the Vyborg Castle as well as Alvar Aalto's Library. There is also nice cafes and restaurants in Vyborg. Cruises to Vyborg are by the way visa-free and organized by Saimaa Travel. You can also start you visa-free cruise trip to St. Petersburg or to Valamo Monastary with this Saimaa Canal Cruise. I have done that too. And I also recommend that after cruise take the sight seeing tour organized by the cruise company. It takes about 40 - 45 minutes and they tell you lot of greats stories about the city of Vyborg.