Finland · South Savo · Premium route guide
Lake Saimaa and Puumala Archipelago
Ridges, bridges and islands across Finland's Lake Saimaa.
An easy day loop through the lake district of South Savo, along narrow ridges and over bridges between islands. Built from our own track.
- Distance
- 251.4 km
- Peak elevation
- 152 m
- Elevation gain
- 869 m
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Finland · South Savo
- Loop
- 100% paved
The route
A loop from Mikkeli east via Anttola to Puumala, along the Route 62 scenic road through the Puumala archipelago, north to Sulkava, east to Savonlinna and back west to Mikkeli.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~72 m at the base to 152 m at the top, 869 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 251 km with about 870 m of climbing, around 5 to 6 hours of riding. An easy full day with stops.
Why ride it
Water on both sides of the road, pine ridges and bridges between islands, and Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna. Relaxed, flowing roads with little traffic.
Hazards
Elk and deer, bridge joints in the wet, and summer caravans on the main roads.
Fuel
Fuel in Mikkeli, Puumala, Sulkava and Savonlinna.
Best months and difficulty
June to September. Difficulty: easy.
What to see along the way
- Mikkeli - Start and finish.
- Anttola - Lakeside village on the way east.
- Puumala - Archipelago village on the Route 62 scenic road.
- Sulkava - Village on the Saimaa waterways.
- Savonlinna - Olavinlinna castle and lakeside town. Fuel.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Lake Saimaa and Puumala Archipelago
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Mikkeli / Savonlinna - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
Rentals powered by BikesBooking. StayToRide may earn a small commission - no extra cost to you.
Verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route, no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
No verified stays within 30 km yet.
Been through here? Add a stay, this list fills in one rider at a time.
Ridden this road and stayed somewhere great?
This whole directory grows one rider recommendation at a time. Add a stay and it will appear on this guide automatically if it is within 30 km of the route.
Suggest a stay