Tourist Attractions in Imatra

The most interesting and beautiful tourist sites in Imatra

Photos, reviews, descriptions, and links to maps

About Imatra

This small Finnish town near the Russian border is famous for the largest lake in the country, Lake Saimaa, and the ice-free Vuoksa River. Forests, river rapids and a turbulent waterfall made Imatra the main tourist attraction in Finland back in the XVIII-XIX centuries. Local beauties were admired by Catherine II and Nicholas I. The latter founded the Kruununpuisto Park here.

Among other sights worthy of attention are several religious buildings – the unique in its architecture Church of the Three Crosses and the only Orthodox church in Imatra. Also of interest are the colourful historical objects – Valtionhotelli Castle and Karelian House, a complex of old village buildings.

For tourists wishing to spend their holidays in Imatra with health benefits, the doors of water spa centres offering courses of recovery procedures are open.

Top-10 Tourist Attractions in Imatra

Imatrankoski

The powerful waterfall on the Vuoksa River is Imatra’s main attraction and a popular tourist attraction. It has long been called the Finnish Niagara. The spectacular natural phenomenon was admired by Catherine II herself in 1772. In 1929 a hydroelectric power station was built on the river. Since then, the free fall of water into the boulder-filled canyon takes place at a strictly designated time during the summer months, as well as on New Year’s Eve. The whole action is accompanied by a light and music show.

Scandic Imatran Valtionhotelli

 4.2/5

1811 reviews

An architectural treasure of Imatra. A castle-hotel in the very centre of the town, 300 metres from the waterfall. It was built in 1903 to replace wooden hotels destroyed in a fire. During the First and Second World Wars it was used for military purposes. After several renovations, the building was restored to its original appearance. Includes hotel rooms, saunas, swimming pool, conference hall, 2 restaurants and a freestanding congress centre. A special pride is the smoking lounge decorated with guns and hunting trophies.

Open time

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

Cultural Centre Virta

 4.4/5

40 reviews

Located on the coast of Vuoksa, near the city hall. It was erected from granite and quartz sand in 1986. The building houses the city and art museums, library, music school, city culture department, café. The Karelia Hall can accommodate 500 people and is designed for conferences, cultural programmes and concerts. The cosy Kaleva Hall is suitable for small meetings and acoustic music evenings. The foyer of the centre is used for temporary exhibitions and presentations.

Open time

Monday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Veteran Museum

 4.7/5

87 reviews

It was established in Imatra in 2000 by the Ikjavalko couple, who had been collecting exhibits related to the country’s military history for many years. The expositions are dedicated to the Finnish struggle for independence and cover the period from the 19th century to the middle of the last century. Various types of weapons, awards, uniforms and photographs are kept here. The building of the museum is of interest. It is a private house built in 1926. On the ground floor in 11 rooms museum exhibitions are placed, and on the second floor the owners live.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Karelian Farmhouse

 4.1/5

62 reviews

The open-air museum expositions on the Vuoksa shore familiarise you with the life and everyday life of Finnish peasants. The small territory recreates a colourful village landscape with original wooden houses and outbuildings of the 19th century brought here from different parts of South Karelia. Inside the dwellings are collected antique furniture, crockery, clothes and household items of the villagers. There is a pen with domestic animals in the farmstead. The museum has been working since 1959.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Church of the Three Crosses

 4.1/5

109 reviews

This unusual architectural structure in the middle of a pine forest was built in 1957. Its facade is decorated with 103 windows, absolutely different in shape and size. The bell tower of the church is made in the form of an arrow pointing upwards and contains 3 bells. The interior decoration is characterised by restraint and nobility – pews made of Karelian birch, altar made of marble, a small organ. On the altar there are three crosses symbolising Golgotha. They gave the church its name.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Church of the Three Crosses

 4.1/5

109 reviews

In 1956 it was built as a chapel for the Orthodox community. It received the status of a church 30 years later. It is located on the bank of the Vuoksa River. The building is made of wood in the traditional Russian style. The wooden carved iconostasis is the main decoration of the church. All icons for it were painted on the territory of Russian monasteries. Next to the church there is a 3-storey tower with bells. The church services are conducted in Finnish, but some ministers speak Russian.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Imatran seurakunta, Tainionkosken kirkko

 4.3/5

44 reviews

It is considered to be the oldest religious building in Imatra. It was built in neoclassical style in 1932. The austere two-storey building is devoid of any ornamentation or decoration, and its roof is crowned by a graceful pointed spire. Large windows on the façade let in a lot of light. In 1997 the Finnish artist K. Uusitalo made a modern image of the altar. The only reminder of its religious purpose is the all-seeing eye in the middle of the canvas. The maximum capacity of the hall is 600 people.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: Closed
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Maiden Of Imatra

 3.9/5

8 reviews

It was erected in 1972 not far from the waterfall. It has no analogues in the world, as it is dedicated to suicides who drowned in the Vuoksa. After the construction of the dam on the river, the number of such cases increased catastrophically. People came from all over Europe to commit suicide. Many tourists were from St. Petersburg. The sculpture is made in the form of a figure of a girl with a broken head, and the fountain symbolises the waters of the Vuoksa. Along the shore there are stones with the names and dates of the suicides.

Open time

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

Imatra

 0/5

A large water and recreational complex. It includes cottages and a hotel with rooms of different comfort levels, restaurants and bars, a gym and a hairdressing salon. A rich choice of spa procedures is offered in the aqua therapy salon – jacuzzi, different types of massage, body masks, herbal baths, stone therapy, thermotherapy. A luxurious water park with slides, tunnels, waterfalls, swimming pools, hydro massage, hot bowl, Finnish saunas is also at the guests’ disposal.