Kuopio Tourist Service (Kuopio Info)
Address: Apaja Shopping Centre, Kauppakatu 45, 70110 Kuopio
Opening hours: Check the website.
Tel: +358 80 018 2050
Email: palveluneuvonta@kuopio.fi
Information about the Kuopio region:
The City of Kuopio was founded in 1775 to stimulate trade and other economic activity in the extensive region of Eastern Finland. Today Kuopio has a population of over 117 000 and it is the ninth largest city in the country. The City of Kuopio is the largest city in the Province of Eastern Finland. Kuopio has developed into a centre serving the entire region of eastern Finland. Some 600 000 people live within its sphere of influence.
Kuopio is a modern, developing centre of economic life in Eastern Finland. 70% of those living in Kuopio are employed in service professions. The unique nature and services of excellent quality make the city an appealing place to live in. The people of the growing city have not forgotten their roots and they still highly value the genuine Northern Savo region’s way of living. The unique summer atmosphere in the Kuopio region is provided by lakes and islands, and as well as by the landscape of forest-covered hills. Boating, hiking and other forms of outdoor recreation are plenty. The lakes, which are abound with fish, guarantee good catches throughout the year. Leisure spas with their bubbling pools and baths offer relaxation and invigoration whenever you feel the need.
In general, the climate varies a lot in Kuopio. Here you can enjoy the four distinctive Finnish seasons. The temperatures may vary from -30 C in the winter to +30 C in the summer. Read more information on the weather . The northern lights, although more common in Lapland, can sometimes be seen during winter nights also in Kuopio.
The main road of the region is Highway 5, which runs from Helsinki to Lapland. The Saimaa Canal links Kuopio to the Baltic Sea and is open for most of the year. By road, the distance from the capital Helsinki to Kuopio is about 390 km. There are also several daily flights from Helsinki to Kuopio. Coach and railway connections to Kuopio also are excellent from Helsinki as well as from the Tampere and Turku regions.
Distances and travelling times (approximately) to Kuopio from
| Distance | By car | By rail | By air | |
| Helsinki | 390 km | 4 h 30
min |
4 h | 60 min |
| Tampere | 300 km | 3 h 45
min |
3 h 30
min |
(via Helsinki) |
| Turku | 450 km | 5 h 30
min |
5 h 40
min |
(via Helsinki) |
| Joensuu | 136 km | 1 h 45
min |
3 h 30
min |
(via Helsinki) |
| Savonlinna | 161 km | 2 h | 6 h | (via Helsinki) |
Kuopio Tourist Service (Kuopio Info, opens in a new tab)
Multicultural Centre Kompassi (opens in a new tab)
Kompassi is the multicultural centre of the Kuopio Settlement Puijola, which is located in the city centre of Kuopio. Kompassi was established in 1999 and is funded by the City of Kuopio and RAY (Finland’s Slot Machine Association). Kompassi offers information, support and activity opportunities, multicultural events and Finnish language courses. In Kompassi you can use a computer, meet new people, get help in problematic situations, get information about, for example, immigration services in Kuopio, multiculturalism and internationality. Kompassi welcomes everyone and values all of its visitors equally without discrimination.
The Community College of Kuopio (Kansalaisopisto) is an institution offering adult education, enabling people of all ages to study and participate in activities relevant to their interests. Courses range from languages and sports to music and social sciences. The autumn semester starts in September and the spring semester in January. Please note that fees are usually charged.
Both the Open University (Avoin yliopisto) and the Snellman University (Kesäyliopisto) of Kuopio offer a wide variety of courses (including Finnish language courses) to all interested students. Please note that fees are usually charged.
Cinema
There are two cinemas in Kuopio, Scala and Kuvakukko (website in Finnish only). Films are shown in the original language with Finnish and Swedish subtitles.Films usually run for one to three weeks. Film clubs show classic films and re-runs at reduced prices at Kuvakukko. Scala offers discounts for students.
There is also the Student Union Film Club (Hyvät Kuvat, website in Finnish only), which is open to everybody. You have to buy a personal movie card. Please note that there are free club cards available for exchange students every semester. The film club shows one film in two sessions in the cinema Kuvakukko (Vuorikatu 27). All the films are in their original language with subtitles in Finnish.
Theatre
The Kuopio City Theatre (website in Finnish only) has several stages and there are many other theatre groups in Kuopio. Even if you cannot understand the language (all the shows are in Finnish), the performances are worth seeing.
The Student Theatre (KYT) is the Kuopio Student Theatre.
Music
A popular rock festival called Kuopio Rock (website in Finnsh only) is arranged every year around mid-July drawing thousands of young people into the city.
SawoHouse Underground (website in Finnish only) is a popular venue for music just outside the city as is Maxim (website only in Finnish) in the city centre.
Kuopio Symphony Orchestra has concerts at the Kuopio Music Centre (Kuopiolahdenkatu 23). More information and tickets are available at Kuopio Music Centre and Kuopio Info (Apaja).
Kuopio City Library
The City Library (kaupunginkirjasto) is run by the City of Kuopio. In Finland, libraries are open to all and borrowing material is free of charge. In order to be able to borrow material from the library, you will need a library card (kirjastokortti). You can get a library card for free from any library in Kuopio. You need to present proof of identity and fill in an application form in order to get a card. If books are not returned by the date they are due, a fee will be charged. Remember to cancel your library card immediately, if you lose it as the material borrowed on your card is on your responsibility. Please note that the university library card is not valid at the city libraries, only at the university libraries. The Kuopio City Library also has a music library where you can listen to music or borrow records, CDs and notes.
Museums
Kuopio Art Museum Kumma (Kauppakatu 35) is housed in a former bank building. The collections include primarily Finnish art from the end of the Nineteenth Century to the present, with an emphasis on local painters. The central theme of museum is nature and the environment.
Kuopio Museum (Kauppakatu 23) is a cultural historical museum. Their permanent collection consists of pieces from the history of the Northern Savonia region. They also arrange temporary exhibitions.
Old Kuopio Museum (Kirkkokatu 22) consists of a block of eleven old wooden houses. Their interiors represent living conditions and living styles of different families from the 1800s to the 1930s. In addition, there is a pharmacy house, an exhibition hall and a room dedicated to the renowned local author Minna Canth.
VB Photographic Centre (Kuninkaankatu 14-16).
J. V. Snellman Home Museum (Snellmaninkatu 19) is museum for the philosopher and statesman. The museum building is the house he used to live in during his years in Kuopio in the 1840s.
The Orthodox Church Museum of Finland (opens in a new tab) preserves studies and displays the unique cultural heritage of the Orthodox Church of Finland and to uses this heritage for educational purposes.
Kuopio is famous for a multitude of events and known as both a lively sports centre and a city of rich cultural life. Every summer in June the Kuopio Dance Festival (Kuopio Tanssii ja Soi) takes place in Kuopio. The festival is a significant international dance festival presenting a wide spectrum of dance art from different cultural backgrounds, as well as modern trends and traditional dance theatre. Students get a discount on tickets.
Every year Kuopio also hosts many other national and international events and festivities. Among them are the rock festival Kuopio RockCock, Kuopio International Wine Festival, Ice Marathon on Lake Kallavesi, different food festivals and many more. There are also several sport events (ice hockey matches, football in the Keskuskenttä and Väinölänniemi and Finnish baseball in the Puijo Stadium).
Anti, International Contemporary Art Festival held in Kuopio every autumn, free entrance to festival events
For further information on sport activities in Kuopio (opens in a new window).
Please note that the Sykettä Sports Programme offers a variety of activities for students on Kuopio campus.
Kuopio has a wide network of jogging and skiing tracks. Information on different sports possibilities in Kuopio (opens in a new window).
Exercise tracks and skiing trails.
Check also the rights and the regulations for the outdoor activities (everyman’s right).
Swimming Pools (Uimahalli):
- Lippumäen uimahalli Petosentie 8, 70820 Kuopio
- Kuntolaakson uimahalli, Hannes Kolehmaisenkatu, 70110 Kuopio
You can try ice swimming with the Kuopio Ice Swimming Association (opens in a new tab, page in Finnish). Swimming and sauna are available for non-members by a single payment of about EUR 10.
Kuopio Hall (Opistotie 4) offers several sporting options and their facilities include a football field, a running track, a gym etc.
If you want to try fishing, it is good to know that persons who are 18 years or older must pay a fishing management fee (kalastuksenhoitomaksu in Finnish) and a local fishing license (kalastuslupa). No fishing licenses are needed for ice fishing or angling. More information here:
Horseback Riding
There are several stables in the Kuopio area. You can find the stables in the internet, but the most popular stable is Savisaaren Ratsastuskeskus (Savisaari 61, tel. +358 17 2822238, also SMS messages, talli@savisaari.com)
- Kuopion jäähalli Olvi Areena
- Hannes Kolehmaisen katu 4, 70100 Kuopio
- Lippumäen jäähalli Rauhalahdentie 66, 70820 Kuopio
There are excellent opportunities for winter sports in Kuopio. You can find ice-skating rinks around the town in wintertime, and they can be used by everyone, free of charge. Skates can be purchased at sports shops, department stores or flea markets.
Alternatively, you can borrow a pair of skates from a fellow Finnish student or from the storage of the Student Union office. Skiing is a very important part of Finnish culture. If you have never skied before, in Finland you have a unique opportunity to try both cross- country and downhill skiing. There are many publicly maintained cross-country skiing trails in Kuopio, for example in Puijo. Trails are always open, naturally depending on the snow conditions, and some of the trails are lit. There are also many downhill skiing centres close to Kuopio, such as Kasurila and Tahko.
Skiing
- Kasurila Ski Centre, Viitonen 1920, 71800 Siilinjärvi
- Tahko Ski Centre, Tahkolaaksontie 4, 73310 Tahkovuori
Bowling Alley (Keilahalli)
- Kuopion keilahalli, Tel. +358 17 282 4003
- Rauhalahti Bowling, Kartanonkatu 11, 70700 Kuopio
Climbing
- Kuopio Climbing Centre Voema, Kaivotie 23, 70700 Kuopio
There are also several fitness clubs and gyms in Kuopio.