Finland: Savonlinna Opera

Finland: Savonlinna Opera Overview

We experience the magic of two festival performances in a Finnish mediaeval castle set in a lake, travel through silver birch forest for chamber music concerts at Kuhmo on the Russian border and enjoy exploring the attractive capital Helsinki on a guided tour running 18 - 25 July 2025.

The midsummer Opera Festival at Savonlinna in Finland is internationally famed, not just for the calibre of the performances, but also for its magical setting in the covered courtyard of the 15th century mediaeval castle rising dramatically out of the lake. Further north, the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival attracts artists and audiences from all over the world and has been ranked consistently amongst the world’s top music festivals.

Our itinerary features short, gentle walks to explore this idyllic region of pine and silver birch forest and tranquil lakes; a boat trip in search of the unique Saimaa Seal and soaring ospreys; three chamber music concerts of the Kuhmo Festival and two performances at the Savonlinna opera festival

On our journey to Kuhmo, we encounter the vast forests of the archetypal Finnish landscape and its Karelian history. Between Savonlinna and Helsinki, we travel along the old King’s Road, where the brightly painted houses reflect both Swedish and Russian architectural influences.

We finish the trip in Finland’s lively and attractive capital, Helsinki. In summer, the city enjoys long hours of sunshine, pavement cafés flourish and impromptu art shows and street theatre entertain passers-by. We wander on a guided tour the wide, tree-lined avenues admiring the beautifully preserved Art Nouveau facades, Alvar Aalto’s contemporary architectural masterpieces and the fine Neo-Classical buildings which line the busy quaysides. During the week, we sample Finland’s summer specialities such as fish from the lakes, reindeer, wild forest mushrooms and tangy Arctic cloudberries.