This town is 335 kilometers (208 mi) away from the capital of Helsinki by road, some four hours away by train. There is an airport in the town, and the journey to Helsinki takes 40–60 minutes by plane. It is built on a chain of islands located throughout a number of large lakes.
Tiny Savonlinna Airport (IATA: SVL) is served by Flyby , which offers flights from Helsinki to Savonlinna up to two times per week day, and daily during the Opera Festival. Advance fares start from €32/one way, cheaper than the train, but go up quickly as the plane fills. There is a shuttle service to and from the bus station, which departs one hour before the flight leaves.
There are 3-4 trains daily from Helsinki or Joensuu to Savonlinna. The price is reasonable especially for students, seniors and juniors. It takes about 4 and half hour to Helsinki by train.
The main station in Savonlinna is called Savonlinna-Kauppatori next to the market square. The "station" is unmanned, but you can buy tickets in the train with no surcharge if you board here.
Savonlinna is stretched out on a series of islands in the middle of Lake Saimaa. While you can cover the central parts on foot, you'll need to resort to buses (or rent a car) to access the suburbs. If you want to rent a car, there is a Hertz rental office at the waterfront, near Hotel Tott. Savonlinna is surrounded by lakes and you can also go around town centre by a cruise ship. If you have someplace specific in mind to spend the day, it is probably cheaper to get a taxi, however. Taxis are plentiful, and certainly cheaper than renting a car for the day, if you are only going to one or two places
