Lieksa travel guide

Lieksa is a town in North Karelia, at the eastern shore of Lake Pielinen. The municipality reaches from the lake to the Russian border.

Understand

Neitijärvi in the Ruunaa hiking area (Photo: Saruwine, CC BY-SA 3.0)

One of the main draws of Lieksa is the wild taiga, which in Lieksa stretches along the Russian border and is home to some of Europe's last remaining primeval forests. Partly unspoiled, this landscape provides ample opportunities for outdoor activities like hiking, berry picking, mushroom hunting, and wildlife watching.

• Visit Karelia, ☏ +358 50-346-0568. Tourist info by Business Joensuu
• Lieksa Tourist Information, Pappilantie 2 (Pielinen Museum), ☏ +358 40-104-4151.

Get in

By car

Lieksa is 90 km from the nearest major city Joensuu, and you can drive from there in a little over an hour.

By public transit

Lieksa is connected to Joensuu and Nurmes by local train and bus.

• Lieksa Railway Station (Lieksan rautatieasema), Asemakatu. Founded in 1910. No ticket sale.

By boat

The ferry across Pielinen was suspended in 2020 and later sold. The crossing can be booked on other vessels, but there is no regular traffic.

Pielinen is reachable by private vessel from Saimaa via Joensuu (height restriction 10.5 or 12 m in Pielisjoki).

Get around

The centre of Lieksa is compact, but many of the attractions listed here are off the beaten track and only accessible by car. The coaches are usable for some sights.

By dial-a-ride

Kimppakyyti service is a demand-responsive, accessible, door-to-door service open to all. You can order a ride directly from the driver, whose contact details can be found in each area. The order is made in the day before the service, between 16:00 and 18:00. The driver will provide you with the exact time of departure.

By taxi

• Menevä Lieksa, ☏ +358 50-471-0470 (head of office), toll-free: 0800-02120 (booking). Also bookable by app or web. Fixed price based on calculated route and time if destination address given when booking by app or web. Flag fall M–Sa 06:00–18:00: €4, other times and holidays: €7; 1–4 persons €0.90/km + €0.90/min, 5–8 persons minimum €20, €1.60/km + €0.90/min (March 2021).
• Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

See

Entrance to Paateri church (Photo: Lieska, Public domain)

A trench of the Änäkäinen fortification in Lieksa (Photo: Evpeikko, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Interior of the Rukajärvi front museum (Photo: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Pielisen Museo, Pappilantie 2, ☏ +358 40-104-4151. 10:00–18:00. An open air museum and exhibition halls with log houses, old tools and vehicles and such, where visitors can learn about the daily life in Lieksa in the days of yore. adults €5, children under 12 years €1.50.
• The Rukajärvi front, Asema-aukio 2, ☏ +358 13 521-929. Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00. Sites from Second World War battles in the forests north-east of Lieksa. Office and exhibitions at the railway station.
• Paateri church (in Vuonisjärvi, 25 km south of Lieksa). Check hours; visits may need to be arranged in advance. A wooden church designed like no other, completed in 1991. Often visited together with the atelier of Eva Ryynänen (1915–2001), the sculptress who created the church.

Do

• Patvinsuo National Park (40 km south-eastward from Lieksa centre), ☏ +358 20-639-5654. National park centred around a large mire. Free.
• Pikkukili, Salonkyläntie 90, Kelvä, ☏ +358 40-586-2863. A zoo with farm animals almost in the middle of nowhere, halfway to Joensuu along highway 73. Views over Lake Pielinen from the observation tower, and looking east you can see Russia. They also have cottages where you can stay overnight. adults €12, children €10.
• Reposuo-Kalliolahdensuo Nature Reserve (10 km east from Lieksa centre, by the village Pankakoski; the Lieksa–Ruunaa biking route passes the reserve). Mires by the lake Pankajärvi. Bird area. The village Pankakoski is adjacent. Don't disturb the birds inside the circle trail 15 April–10 July. Right to access mostly applies, but collecting invertebrates, fishing etc. is restricted. Dogs must be on a leash. Have long sleeves etc. in the mosquito season, and suitable footwear especially in spring flood times. Bring binoculars. Most birds arrive in April and many stay to October, most action at migration times. The easy 12-km trail is best walked contraclockwise; reserve 3–7 hr for walking the trail. There is a shop in Pankakoski. Don't rely on the water in the area, at least not without boiling it for a minute. You can camp by the campfire sites.
• Ruunaa, ☏ +358 20-639-5654. Public hiking area maintained by Metsähallitus. The visitor centre for Koli handles also Ruunaa.

Ruunaa Hiking Centre (Ruunaan retkeilykeskus), Neitikoskentie 73, ☏ +358 13 533-170. A kind of wilderness activity centre in the middle of the forest about 20 km east of Lieksa. Aside from being a hotel it is also a place for white water rafting, fishing, hiking and cross-country skiing in the winter.

• Erästely Canoe and Outdoors, Timitrantie 3, ☏ +358 400-271-581. Guided tours. Canoeing, hiking, cycling and winter walks.

Buy

• K-Citymarket Lieksa, Pielisentie 34 (in the centre), ☏ +358 10-538-9400. Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00, Sat 8:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–20:00. A hypermarket.

Eat

• Hurtan Holvi, Simo Hurtan katu 11 (in the centre), ☏ +358 45-345-7919. Mon–Fri 9:00–15:00; lunch 10:30–14:00. Lunch restaurant. Catering. €11.
• Lobos, Torikatu 3 C 16 (in the centre), ☏ +358 41-317-6163. Daily 11:00–21:00. Pizza, kebab, hamburgers. €7–15.

Drink

Cafés

• Lieksan Leipomo, Pielisentie 31 (in the centre), ☏ +358 13 521-777. Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00, Sat 09:00–14:00; lunch Mon–Fri 10:30–14:00. Bakery with café. Bruch on Saturdays in July. Lunch usually a soup, with salad, bread, Karelian pie and coffee. Lunch €8.30.

Pubs and bars

• Pub Icella, Pielisentie 19, ☏ +358 50-307-8756. Sun–Thu 09:00–01:00, Fri–Sat 09:00–03:00. A karaoke bar.

Sleep

• Hotelli Puustelli, Hovileirinkatu 3, ☏ +358 13 511-5500, fax: +358 13 511 5555. A basic hotel in the centre.
• Kaatrahovi, Pielisentie 45, ☏ +358 46-959-9797. The location makes it ideal for customers using the train and bus services.
• Lomakylä Timitraniemi, Timitrantie 25, ☏ +358 45-123-7166.

Go next

• Koli National Park — see Lake Pielinen from the top of Ukko-Koli
• Nurmes — the next town to the north

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