Where to stay in Joensuu

Joensuu is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland.

Joensuu ("River's mouth" in Finnish) is near the point where the Pielisjoki river flows into the Lake Pyhäselkä. It is one of the relatively fast growing centres in Eastern Finland. The University of Eastern Finland supplies a constant stream of fresh student meat from all over the country and exchange students from abroad. Joensuu's industry, as well as a large part of the University programs, is dominated by forestry.

Getting in

Many daily flights from Helsinki provided by Finnair to Joensuu Airport (JOE), about 11 km northwest of the centre. A bus runs between the airport and town (the university and downtown) before and after each flight. The bus takes 10 minutes and costs €5. There are also taxis at the airport. Direct connection from Helsinki via Lappeenranta, several trains a day. Travel time is about 5 hours. If coming from Russia, transfer at Kouvola. There are also trains from Pieksämäki. The station is small and open only during the day. It's on Railway Square on the left bank of the river.

Getting around

The local bus terminal is located one block south from the main market square, a 10-minute walk from train and the bus station. There are ten bus lines which serve traffic inside the city of Joensuu. Departures are usually every hour per line, most traffic runs in work/school days and there are less departures in Saturdays and Sundays. Some bus lines continue to countryside outside the city. A one-way ticket on Joensuu local buses costs €2 (June 2016). If you travel frequently, Waltti card will offer a discounted rate.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.