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 on 16–18 September 2026. Pre tours to the Salpausselkä UNESCO Global 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
The tour starts at 8:00 in Lahti with a visit to the Lahti Sports Centre and the nearby Häränsilmä kettle pond, followed by the tranquil Likolampi area. The route then continues to Tiirismaa hill in Hollola, where a roughly two-kilometre walk leads to the dramatic Pirunpesä gorge and showcases the area’s natural forest scenery.
After the walk, the tour explores Kapatuosia hillfort and its viewing tower, offering wide views over Hollola, before visiting the historic medieval church of Hollola. Lunch is enjoyed in Hollola village at the traditional Restaurant Vanha Kunnantupa.
In the afternoon, the journey continues through the rural landscapes of Hollola and Asikkala toward Vääksy. There, the group visits Päijännetalo and the Vääksy Canal, where the waterways of Lake Päijänne and Lake Vesijärvi meet. The tour concludes with a drive along the scenic Pulkkilanharju ridge in Päijänne National Park, one of Finland’s most admired lake landscapes, before returning to the Lahti Travel Centre at 4.45pm.
Tour date: Monday 14.9.2026
Groupsize: Min 20
Price/Person: 95,00 €
Tour includes: Guided tour, lunch, possible entrance fees to sites, transportation from Lahti
Tour does not include: Drinks, extras
2-day tour – Even More Highlights of Salpausselkä Geopark
This two-day pre-tour takes participants through the highlights of the Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark.
Day 1
The day starts at 8 am from Lahti. Discover the highlights of the Salpausselkä Geopark on this inspiring full-day tour. The journey takes you to the shores of Lake Vesijärvi, the iconic Lahti Sports Centre, and the dramatic Pirunpesä Gorge in Hollola, where Ice Age forces have shaped a truly unique landscape.
Enjoy a relaxing lunch in the idyllic village of Hollola, before continuing to experience the region’s cultural and historical sites, including the ancient Kapatuosia hillfort and the famous Vääksy Canal in Asikkala. The day concludes in the beautiful surroundings of Vierumäki Resort in Heinola, arriving no later than 6 pm.
Accommodation at a selected hotel in Vierumäki
Day 2
The day starts at 8.15 am. After an inspiring first day the journey continues deeper into the Heinola–Sysmä region, revealing the raw beauty and geological diversity of the Salpausselkä Geopark. Experience the power of the Jyrängönkoski rapids, step inside the mysterious Pirunkirkko (Devil’s Church) cliff, and admire the dramatic, ice-age sculpted rocky terrain surrounding Lake Paistjärvi in Heinola.
The route then follows ancient glacial formations to Onkiniemi’s famous rocking boulder and Tainionvirta River, before reaching the breathtaking Pulkkilanharju ridge in Päijänne National Park – one of the finest and most iconic examples of Salpausselkä’s glacial landscape. The day ends with a return to Lahti by 3:45 pm, leaving you with unforgettable memories of a landscape shaped by ice, water and time.
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 to Tuesday Sep 15, 2026
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, drinks, 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. 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
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: Drinks, 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 over 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
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: Drinks, extras, transportation.
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 tour starts at the courtyard of Restaurant Lokki. Address: Jalkarannantie 19, 15100 Lahti.
1-day Geo activity tour: Salpausselkä Geopark Environmental Education
Begin your day at Pääskynpesä Kindergarten and Radiomäki Hill in Lahti with an engaging environmental education programme led by Kaisla Nature School. Experience a lively performance by Theatrum Olga, the Green Theatre of Salpausselkä Geopark. Continue to the Lahti Sports Centre, where glacial forces shaped ridges, kettle holes, and deltas over 12,000 years ago, for outdoor learning activities and a museum visit, followed by lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Salpaus Further Education Asikkala campus, located on the shores of Lake Päijänne along a prominent esker. The campus offers Nature-based studies and has been a pilot school in the Salpausselkä Geopark School programme since 2024.
TOUR DATE: Tuesday Sep 15, 2026
GROUP SIZE: Min 15
PRICE: 70€ / person
TOUR INCLUDES: Guided tour, lunch, afternoon coffee, possible entrance fees, transportation from Lahti
TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE: Drinks, extras
Looking forward to seeing you!
Kati, Jenni, Anne-Mari, Vilma-Lotta and Emma
Any questions? Please contact us:
Tourism specialist
Anne-Mari Sipponen
tel. +358 40 357 6918
sales@lahtiregion.fi
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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