EGN 2026 Pre tours in Salpausselkä Geopark
We warmly welcome you all to Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark, Finland!
The 18th European Geoparks Conference will take place in Lappeenranta, Saimaa Geopark on 16–18 September 2026. Pre tours to the Salpausselkä Geopark will be organized before the event from the Geopark’s main city, Lahti.
On this website, you’ll find useful information about the pre tours as well as tips for planning your trip to Finland.
EGN 2026 PRE TOURS IN SALPAUSSELKÄ GEOPARK
Join our pre-tours in the Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark before the European Geoparks Conference in September 2026!
Enjoy unforgettable experiences, new encounters, and insights that will make your conference week even more meaningful.
Options:
Monday 14th of September 1-day tour Highlights of Salpausselkä Geopark
Monday and Tuesday 14-15 September 2-day tour Even More Highlights of Salpausselkä Geopark
Tuesday 15th of September 1-day Geo activity tour (3 different options)
Please have a look at the details of the pre tour options below. Choose the tour of your choice and complete your pre-registration for the excursions you wish to attend. Please note that the registration is final and binding.
Each trip will take place once the minimum number of participants is reached. Detailed information with invoice will be sent to participants approximately two months before the tour.
Clients should have their own travel insurance. We reserve the right to make changes to the itineraries.
1-day tour: Highlights of Salpausselkä Geopark
During this tour we will explore:
The impressive kettle hole terrain of the forest-covered Salpausselkä ridge in the surroundings of Lahti Sports Centre which has hosted the Nordic Ski World Championships seven times. (Walk 1-2 km).
The fascinating Pirunpesä (Devil’s Nest) Gorge which cuts through the nearly 2-billion-old quartzite bedrock of Tiirismaa residual mountain in Hollola (walk 2-3 km).
The unique cultural heritage site of Hollola village with the Kapatuosia hillfort offering spectacular views and the grand medieval church. (Walk 1-2 km). Lunch is enjoyed in Hollola village at the traditional Restaurant Vanha Kunnantupa (wooden old municipal hall).
Päijännetalo visitor centre and the historical Vääksy Canal completed in 1871 in Vääksy, where the canal and the Vääksynjoki river connect Lake Päijänne and Lake Vesijärvi across the Second Salpausselkä ridge.
Finland’s most scenic route along the Pulkkilanharju esker in Päijänne National Park.
Tour date: Monday 14.9.2026.
Start: 08:00 in Lahti city centre
Finish: 16:45 in Lahti Travel Centre where you can take the train to Lappeenranta.
Groupsize: Min 20
Price/Person: 95,00 €
Tour includes: Guided tour, lunch, possible entrance fees to sites, transportation from Lahti
Tour does not include: Extras
2-day tour – Even More Highlights of Salpausselkä Geopark
During this tour we will explore all the highlights of the 1-day tour (see above) and some more:
Vierumäki Resort & Sport Institute in Heinola, where the Second Salpausselkä ridge is joined by steep-sided eskers and enchanting clearwater lakes.
The charming centre of Heinola, built at the intersection of Heinolanharju esker and Kymijoki River. The nature and built cultural heritage come together in the National Urban Park.
The mysterious Pirunkirkko (Devil’s Church), an impressive rapakivi granite cliff surrounded by wilderness like forest with clearwater lakes at Paistjärvi Nature Reserve, Heinola. (Walk 4 km)
Famous Onkiniemen liikkuva kivi (Onkiniemi Rocking Boulder), an erratic boulder standing in a peculiar position on roche moutonnée. The mica-gneiss erratic boulder looks as if it could roll onto the adjacent highway at any moment.
The enchanting Virtaankoski rapids of Tainionvirta River, a valuable geological, natural and cultural heritage site. The rapids had previously been harnessed for hydropower, but now the rapids flow freely, as the power plant dam was dismantled in spring 2025.
Accommodation at a selected hotel in Vierumäki:
HOTEL OPTIONS:
Hotel Fennada
Sports Hotel Pihkala
PRICES:
PRICE: 190,00€ / person, in shared double room at Sports Hotel Pihkala in Vierumäki
PRICE: 225,00€ / person, in single room at Sports Hotel Pihkala in Vierumäki
PRICE: 210,00€ / person, in shared double room at Hotel Fennada in Vierumäki
PRICE: 265,00€ / person, in single room at Hotel Fennada in Vierumäki
Tour dates: Monday Sep 14, start at 8:00 in Lahti city centre and Tuesday Sep 15, 2026, finishing by 15.45 at Lahti Travel Centre, from where you can take the train to Lappeenranta.
Group size: Min 15
Tour includes: Two days tour with a guide, accommodation one night with breakfast in chosen hotel, two lunches, possible entrance fees to sites, transportation starting from Lahti
Tour does not include: Dinner, extras
NOTE: If you choose a 2-day trip with accommodation in a double room, please specify on the form who you will be sharing the room with.
Please note that both of you must fill out your own registration forms.
1-day Geo activity tour: Sauna and Sahti – ancient beer
Experience the traditional smoke sauna at Geopark partner Hollolan Hirvi, set at the foot of the 2-billion-year-old granite Harmiokallio cliff in a cultural landscape dating back to the Iron Age. Enjoy their unique Kivisahti (stone sahti), a juniper-flavoured ancient beer brewed using glowing stones, preserving the world’s oldest beer-making tradition. Sauna host will tell you about Finnish sauna tradition, part of the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. A true taste of history in a stunning cultural landscape, dating back thousands of years.
TOUR DATE: Tuesday Sep 15, 2026
START: 09:00 from Lahti city centre
FINISH: 14:30 Lahti city centre
GROUP SIZE: Min 15
PRICE: 115€ / person
TOUR INCLUDES: Guided sauna experience, light lunch, towel, hot tub and shower, tasting of sahti beer and lesson on the sahti tradition. Transportation from Lahti.
TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE: Extras
Note! Bring your own swimsuit and slippers.
BOOK YOUR TOUR HERE1-day Geo activity tour: Bike and Sauna
Discover Salpausselkä, shaped by glacial forces into ridges, kettle holes, and deltas some 12,000 years ago. Explore the unique landscape on a guided bike tour with Geopark partner Kitetirri, then enjoy lunch and relax at Teivaan Hehku sauna, with the option for a swim in Lake Vesijärvi. Once heavily polluted, the restored lake now supports rich aquatic flora, over 100 bird species, and offers excellent swimming, boating, and fishing opportunities. Experience the perfect blend of geology, nature, and relaxation in the heart of Salpausselkä Geopark.
TOUR DATE: Tuesday Sep 15, 2026
START: 08:30
FINISH: 14:30
GROUP SIZE: Min 10
PRICE: 119€ / person
TOUR INCLUDES: Guided bike tour with E-mountainbike, protective eyewear, helmet, instruction on use and riding practice. Lunch, sauna 2h, towel.
TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE: Extras
Note! Bring your own swimsuit and slippers. Please inform us participant’s height in advance so that we can select the best bike sizes.
The Bike tour starts and ends at the parking area of Restaurant Lokki, where your guide will meet you with the biking gear.
Sauna is located next to the restaurant. Lunch after the sauna at Restaurant Lokki. Address: Jalkarannantie 19, 15100 Lahti.
1-day Geo activity tour: Salpausselkä Geopark Environmental Education
Meet our environmental educators (Kaisla Nature School) with their van, which serves as an outdoor classroom. Get to know our Early Education Programme at one of our Geopark Kindergartens, as well as our activities aimed at 9th grade pupils at the geosite Radiomäki / Radio Hill in the centre of the city of Lahti. Visit Theatrum Olga, the Green Student Theatre of Salpausselkä Geopark / Diakonia College of Finland Lahti Campus. Experience the unique Salpausselkä kettle hole terrain surrounding the Lahti Sports Centre in the same way as the children do while taking part in outdoor learning activities. Lunch at Restaurant Voitto, adjacent to the Ski Museum, one of our partners.
In the afternoon, visit Salpaus Further Education Asikkala campus, located on the shore of Lake Päijänne along a prominent esker. The campus offers Nature-based studies and has been an important partner of Salpausselkä Geopark since the geopark’s establishment process.
TOUR DATE: Tuesday Sep 15, 2026
START: 08:30 Lahti city centre
FINISH: 16:45 Lahti Travel Centre, where you can take the train to Lappeenranta
GROUP SIZE: Min 15
PRICE: 70€ / person
TOUR INCLUDES: Guided tour, lunch, afternoon coffee, possible entrance fees, transportation from Lahti
TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE: Extras
Accommodation services from Geopark partners
Accommodation in Lahti City centre
Accommodation in the rest of the Geopark area
Need more options or help with your accommodation?
You can find more accommodation options through Regional tourism organisation Visit Lahti.
Visit Lahti is happy to help with all travel arrangements in the Lahti region. Please contact us by email sales@lahtiregion.fi or tel. +358 (0)207 281 760.
More accommodation optionsArrival in Helsinki & Lahti, Salpausselkä Geopark
Helsinki Airport
Book your flight to Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki Airport is located less than an hour from Lahti by train or car.
Finnlines ferries to Finland
Finnlines offers ferry trips from Germany to Helsinki and from Sweden to Naantali. Pack your car and drive onboard. Ports are conveniently located; the port of Helsinki approximately an hour’s drive from Lahti and Naantali is about 3 hours away.
By train from Helsinki airport to Lahti
The train connection from Helsinki Airport to Lahti takes less than an hour with a change in Tikkurila. Book your train ticket in advance at VR or use the ticket machine at the Airport railway station.
Car rental – Book in time!
Finland is a large and sparsely populated country – it’s easy and comfortable to drive here.
Public Parking with own/rental car: Public paid parking facilities are available within the Lahti City Centre, as are timed street parks. The largest parking halls are P-Tori, P-Silta and P-Kartano (recommended) in the city center. Check Lahti City Parking Guide (pdf) here.
Taxis and minivans
More information about taxi services and minivans here.
Tallink Silja and Viking Line ferries
Tallink Silja Line and Viking Line provide regular and versatile ferry connections between Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Passengers can enjoy comfortable cabins, lounges, restaurants, and shopping while taking in the beautiful Baltic Sea scenery. The routes connect Helsinki, Turku, Tallinn and Stockholm, as well as other ports, making travel convenient and enjoyable.
Getting around in the Lahti Region, Salpausselkä Geopark
Local and regional bus transport is carried out by LSL. Use the journey planner and check timetables on a website or buy a mobile ticket from an app you can download from App Store or Google Play. For visitors, the easiest way to get around is to pay with contactless card, mobile tickets (app) or day tickets. More
Taxis, minivans and charter buses can be found here.
Rent a car in time! Book here rental cars.
Public Parking with own/rental car
Public paid parking facilities are available within the Lahti City Centre, as are timed street parks.
The largest parking halls are P-Tori, P-Silta and P-Kartano (recommended) in the city center. Check Lahti City Parking Guide (pdf) here.
Practical information about Finland – FAQ
Things you should know about Finland – check before arrival!
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