Name: Hire Car
Rating: 4.6

Discover Varkaus by Hire Car

The industrial town of Varkaus is located in the area of the Southern Finnish Lake District. At first glance, the no-frills industrial architecture that dominates the cityscape seems unappealing.

But it’s well worth a visit, as the town has plenty of interesting and curious things in store.

Sights in Varkaus

Worth noting is the versatility of Varkaus’ nine-storey water tower: it is a water tower, residence and lookout point all at once. Visitors to the tower can enjoy coffee and pastries on the viewing terrace and enjoy the view over the beautiful forest, lake and river landscape.

The modern church of Varkaus may make an unspectacular impression from the outside, but inside is the impressive altar fresco “Thy Kingdom Come” by Finnish artist Lennart Segerstrale, which covers more than 240 m².

For those interested in Varkaus’ town history, the municipal museum is a good place to visit. The exhibition is housed in a former hotel building. There is a lot to learn about the history of canal construction and inland navigation at the Canal Museum on the Taipale Canal.

Recreational opportunities in Varkaus

Music lovers get their money’s worth in Varkaus. Not only because of the annual crooner festival “Singing Varkaus”, but also because a unique collection can be marvelled at in Varkaus: the “museum” of mechanical music. The one-hour, highly entertaining guided tour through the private collection of barrel organs, gramophones, mechanical pianos and much more is both informative and amusing.

The city represents an important road transport hub. Varkaus is therefore very suitable as a starting point for excursions by hire car. The cities of Kuopio and Savonlinna are worth visiting and can be reached via a scenic byway along the eastern shore of Lake Haukivesi.