Lahti

Lahti City Theater Lahti [1] is a town in southern Finland, which lies on the shore of Vesijärvi. Lahti is a traditional industrial city. However, the city has suffered heavily during the economic downturms, especially in the early 90's, earning a somewhat gritty reputation. Unemployment and alienation are still commonplace in suburbs of Lahti. Things are however now looking brighter again with a new direct railroad to Helsinki and city centre being revamped. Understand Lahti has a population of 100,000 making it the 7th largest city in Finland by population. The area of the city is 154,6 square kilometres, of which 19,54 km² is water. Current mayor of Lahti is Jyrki Myllyvirta. Get in By car Lahti is exactly 104 km from Helsinki, a one-hour drive on the expressway number 4 connecting the two cities. By bus The bus station There is an almost hourly ExpressBus [2] coach connection from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to Lahti bus station operated, departing from platform 13 in front of the international flights terminal. The service operates round the clock, although there may be a gap of 1 to 2 hours between services in the small hours of the night. The trip takes between 1 h 15 min and 1 h 30 min depending on whether the service calls in towns on the way. In some cases, there is a change of coach at Kerava but it is well co-ordinated and easy. Tickets cost €20.50 (round trip €36.90) for adults, €10.30 for Finnish students (ISIC not accepted) and children of age 4-16. Children under the age of four travel free. By train Travel from Helsinki to Lahti by train takes about an hour. The train service is provided by VR [3], the national train company. Trains are also preferred by locals, because they're fast and comfortable. There are several train types: Local train Z (Lähiliikennejuna Z). Costs around €13,80 adult, €6,90 child(6-16 years). - Stops at Pasila, Tikkurila, Kerava, Haarajoki, and Mäntsälä. Goes hourly from about 6AM to roughly midnight. InterCity trains(InterCity-juna). Costs around €20 adult, €10 child. Very comfortable trains, usually with 6 wagons, 3 of them are double-deckers. Stops at Pasila, Tikkurila and depending on the train also at Kerava. Most of the Intercity trains continue onwards from Lahti and are only marginally faster than the Z train. Current (winter 2009) timetable indicates 54 minutes travel time. Pendolino trains. Costs around €25,2 adult, €12,6 child. Very comfortable trains and they tilt while turning (allows faster speeds). Stops only at Pasila and Tikkurila before Lahti. 48 minutes travel time. All of the Pendolino trains continue from Lahti. Allegro train, travel between Helsinki and St. Petersburg stop in Lahti. If you travel with children, you should choose Perhelippu(Family ticket). With each adult, one child can ride for free. For example, if you have three children, you will only pay for 2 adults and 1 child. The train station is less than ten minutes walk from the city center. Cross Mannerheiminkatu and take Rautatienkatu towards north. = Leave the radio hill to your left and railway tracks behind you. Check more informations from VR's websites. www.vr.com Get around Lahti has a good system of public transport. You can ride from one part of the city to another with a single ticket of 3.20€, kids 1.60€. Kauppatori is the center of Lahti's public transport system, but be aware that many bus lines go in both directions from Kauppatori. You can use interactive route planner [4] to find bus routes. Interactive map of Lahti [5] See Lahti has a partly deserved reputation as an unattractive, economically depressed industrial town. In the recent years, however, Lahti has improved its reputation with a lovely harbor area with outdoor cafes and bars (but in summer beware of the wasps!). In the harbor area there is also beautiful Sibelius Hall which is used for concerts and conferences. Sibelius hall Sibelius Hall Sibelius Hall (built in 2000) is an example of a modern wood construction and the largest wooden building built in Finland for 100 years. Finnish forests were the main inspiration for the architects. The building consists of four parts: the renovated ex-carpentry factory (the oldest industrial building still existing in Lahti, built by August Fellman in 1907 to serve as a kraft pulp factory with a sawmill, the building was extended many times and it served as a glass factory, wood meal factory, carpentry factory and wooden house factory), the Main Hall with wonderful acoustics, the congress centre and the Forest Hall (a beautiful lake scenery opening from Forest Hall's windows). Guided tours for groups of 1-13 persons. The ex-carpentry factory was renovated into a restaurant, offices and cabinets. Sibelius Hall host about 800 events every year: about 140 concerts from classical music to rock, pop etc. Parks Laune Family Park, Kaarikatu 26. In Laune park, you'll have lots of fun. There's a traffic city, where you can drive with free bicycles and scooters. There are pipes and water, and parents can rest on grass while kids are having fun. Free of charge Bus no. 31 from Kauppatori stop A Vesiurut, Pikku-Vesijärvi park. Vesiurut means water organs. Every day at 1PM and 6PM, at the park there is a small 15 minute concert. The fountain starts in unison with music from speakers up in the trees. There are some classical music pieces and some Finnish pop music pieces. You can sit on rocks around the fountain, but be aware - you can get wet ;) During the fall, there are also lights playing. Free of charge Very close to the city center Yli-Marola 4H Farm Animal Yard, Neljänkaivonkatu 47 Barnyard animals in the sweet country milieu right in the city center. Open only in Summer. Free of charge Puksu city train Puksu train goes through the city's entertaining places. It starts from Vesijärvi harbour, then goes to Laune park, then Farm Animal Yard, "Little Marketplace" and back to Vesijärvi harbour. 4€ Adults, €2 kids Outdoor swimming pool (Maauimala) In the summer, the bottom part of the highest ski jump is opened as a pool. There's a shallow kids area as well as a deeper area, which goes quickly from 2m to 3m deep. Swimming ability required. You can borrow trunks and glasses. 4€ Adults, €2 kids. Sports Park (Kisapuisto) You can play almost anything in the sports park. There are tennis courts, a tennis wall, volleyball court, baseball field and of course a football field. Inside, there are tennis, badminton, and squash courts. Outside prices unknown Inside tennis €12/hour, squash and badminton €8/hour. Do The long wave masts Lahti has the best known symphony orchestra in Finland, Sinfonia Lahti. Annual winter sport event, Salpausselän kisat is very popular and worth to see. Lake Vesijärvi, Ankkurikatu. A nice way to spend a summer day is to embark a paddlewheeler ship to cruise Lake Vesijärvi. Remember to have an ice-cream onshore.  edit Medieval Greystone Church of Hollola, Rantatie 917 (Hollola kk). mon-fri 10-80, sun 11-16. Visit nearby Hollola for it's medieval greystone church. Completed around 1480 it represents the best middle aged church architechture. This church is famous for it's well preserved wooden carvings, some of which are from the 1400s. Free.  edit Radio and tv museum, Radiomäki, ☎ +358 (0)3 814 4512 (museo@lahti.fi, fax: +358 (0)3 814 4515), [6]. Mon-Fri 10-17, Sat & Sun 11-17. Lahti's radio and television museum is located on Radiomäki (literally Radio Hill). You can see receiving and transmission equipment from the 1920's to modern times, and outdoors you can't miss the two long wave masts that can be seen from everywhere around the city. Adults 5€, Children 2€.  edit Buy Aleksanterinkatu, the main street Shopping centers Lahti has several big shopping centers. One of them is Trio [7] at Aleksanterinkatu 20. There are over 90 shops, in 3 floors. Opened on weekdays between 10AM - 8PM, Saturdays between 9AM and 6PM. Sokos shopping center [8] at Aleksanterinkatu 19-21. It's a big center with 3 floors and a basement floor. The three upper floors are filled with shoes, clothes, toys, electronics, dishes, games, movies and everything that you need in your household. In the basement, there's a S-Market grocery store, which has a store in almost every city in Finland. Opened on weekdays between 8AM - 9PM, Saturdays between 8AM and 6PM. Outside of the town (LAUNE) is a large commercial area filled with large hypermarkets, electronic and car stores. Most stores are open on weekdays between 9AM - 8PM, Saturdays between 9AM and 5PM. Buses no. 72, 8, 13, 16, 21, 30 from Kauppatori stop C. Liike shopping center is near the city centre. Mail order business Anttila [9] has a big 2-floor store there, which sells nearly everything found in the catalog. There are also several smaller shops, a cafe and a sports shop InterSport. Shopping center Syke is located just opposite of Liike, Kauppakatu 18. Unlike Liike, which has a few shops. Syke has many shops, S-Market, which sells household products and food, Clas Ohlson [10], which sells electronics and household products, Emotion, which sells cosmetics and womens lingerie, TOP Sport, which sells sport equipment. Just by walking around in the city centre you can find stores that sell almost anything (everything from buttons to cars). A new shopping center Karisma [11] is situated about 5 km's east from the city center, beside the E75 motorway. It has nearly 80 shops. Factory outlets Lahti has several good factory outlets. For clothing Finnkarelia Outlet in Hollola and Luhta Outlet in Lahti are good places to visit. Maria Drockila's candle factory in Orimattila's old spinnig mill is also worth a visit. Eat Ahtialan Pizza-Kebab Ahtialantie 137. There is a variety of pizzas and kebabs. It's located quite far from the town centre. Ararat Rautatienkatu 10. Pizzas & kebabs. Aspendos Kebab, Aleksanterinkatu 15, [12]. This place is said to have the best kebabs in Lahti.  edit El Toro, Mariankatu 8, [13]. Spanish styled food  edit Italiano Jalkarannatie 1. Great variety of italian dishes. Lahden Kebab&Pizza Vapaudenkatu 22 Lorano Hämeenlinnantie 26 Lounaskahvila Tara Aukeankatu 1 Marry Dian, Ritaniemenkatu 11, [14].  edit Oluthuone Rautatienkatu 11 Pizzeria Kebab Antonio, Rauhankatu 19, [15]. famous for their wrapped kebabs.  edit Ravintola Erika Lahdenkatu 46 Restaurant Roux, Rautatienkatu 7 (Near Town Hall), ☎ +358 10 279 2930, [16]. Finnish fine dining with local delicasies.  edit Santa Fe, Aleksanterinkatu 10, [17]. Right next to Kauppatori. An interesting restaurant specialized in Mexican food. There's also a bar downstairs.  edit Tähti Pizzeria Ostoskatu 16 Ravintola Taivaanranta, Rautatienkatu 13, ☎ +358 424 925 230, [18]. Grill and distillery.  edit Ravintola Mamma Maria, Vapaudenkatu 10, ☎ +358 3 751 6309, [19]. Italian food, good pasta and their own ice-cream. You can talk Italian with the owner.  edit Drink Alexin Panimo, Aleksanterinkatu 6, ☎ +358447458887, [20]. New brewery and bar in Lahti.  edit Amarillo Bar, Aleksanterinkatu 10, ☎ +358 3 87 89810, [21]. tex Mex styled bar in Lahti.  edit Lahti passenger harbour, Vesijärven satama, [22]. At summertime it is worth visiting the Lahti passenger harbour, several restaurant ships operate as popular summertime terraces.  edit Torvi, Loviisankatu 8, [23]. The most legendary bar in Lahti. If you dig rock music, Torvi is a must  edit Other places worth to visit are restaurant Taivaanranta and Teerenpeli which have their own whisky distillery and beer brewery. In Teerenpeli there is very nice athmosphere and friendly service. Teerenpeli, Vapaudenkatu 20, [24]. This place has its own whisky distillery and beer brewery. You can buy single cigars aswell, they are kept in a big humidor. Friendly service.  edit Sleep Budget Huoneistohotelli Lahden Koti, Karjalankatu 6, [25]. Koti Onnela, Onnelantie 10 [26]. Youth Hostel. Matkakoti Patria [27]. Budget hostel near railway station. Mid-range Cumulus Lahti, Vapaudenkatu 24, [28]. Pet friendly hotel in the center of Lahti. There are conference facilities for 50 people. The hotel has 171 rooms, bar and disco. Musta Kissa, Rautatienkatu 21, [29]. Double rooms from €80. Omenahotelli Lahti, Rauhankatu 14, [30]. Next to market square. Scandic Lahti, Vesijärvenkatu 1, [31]. Next to railway station. Sokos Hotel Lahden Seurahuone, Aleksanterinkatu 14, [32]. In the city center, next to the market square and shopping facilities. Get out Among the neighboring counties are Asikkala, Heinola and Orimattila. Many of them have something worth a visit, although perhaps just a brief one. Routes through Lahti Rovaniemi ← Jyväskylä ←  N  S  → Helsinki → END This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!