Olavinlinna Castle
Olavinlinna Castle
4.5
About
The building of Olavinlinna, castle of St. Olaf, began in 1475. The Danish-born founder of the castle, knight Erik Axelsson Tott, decided that a powerful fortification should be build to protect the strategically important Savo region. The castle was supposed to repel Russian attacks from the east and to guarantee the control of the Savo region for the Swedish Crown. The history of Olavinlinna is a mixture of medieval arms clashing, cannons roaring and every-day chores inside the security of the castle's thick walls. The changes in the ownership of the castle left their mark on Olavinlinna: this can be seen in the varied architecture of the castle. These days the castle's halls and rooms can be rented and used for all kinds of events.
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4.5
659 reviews
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Vale
Cagliari, Italy4,440 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
This building, is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Finland, is definitely worth a visit. It is the most beautiful and best preserved castle in this nation, you can visit it only with a guided tour in English, the cost of the ticket is 16 euros, and it deserves them all. It is a medieval castle, built in honor of Olaf, a Norwegian saint, its purpose was to protect the eastern border of the Swedish empire.
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Written 27 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gerard D
16 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
Interesting castle. Join a guided tour, included in entrance price, running on the hour in multiple languages. Suggest starting at the nearby nautical museum and getting a combined museum and castle ticket castle has an excellent cafe that serves very good buffet lunch.
Written 11 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Netra M
100 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
Nestled on a small island; this castle stands testimony to a heritage more than five hundred years ago. The Swedes and the Russians left their mark on its architecture particularly visible in the two iconic towers. Today Olavinlinna castle is a famous tourist attraction in Savonlinna, Finland particularly in summer. World class opera performers grace Olavinlinna in summer. There are also boxing nights and music concerts. Themed events; group bookings and destination weddings also take place during the year. The castle offers scenic views of its surroundings from every angle.
Children love to try pieces of armour as well as costumes and sit on the baliff's chair at the Little Duke's Hall.
The castle is divided into various segments. The permanent exhibition is located on the ground floor near the entrance. With a chronological structure and touchable scale models present here; various stages of the castle's constructions are effectively displayed. The chapel continues to conduct service. The King's Hall is the centre of attraction. Parts of this castle have withstood fire and are reconstructed. Being a heritage site renovation and restoration is still going on to preserve the monument.
Guided tours are available in Finnish; English; Swedish and Russian. Family gets a discounted package on entrance fee. We had a English guided tour and our guide explained every aspect of the castle in detail which transferred us to the various stages of its rich past and present. The guide answered our queries patiently and was eager to share information which made the visit memorable. Special mention to the lady staff at the ticket counter who suggested to take the optional guided tour which comes free with the entrance ticket.
Olavinlinna Castle beckons every visitor to have a glimpse of its interiors and savour its past.
Children love to try pieces of armour as well as costumes and sit on the baliff's chair at the Little Duke's Hall.
The castle is divided into various segments. The permanent exhibition is located on the ground floor near the entrance. With a chronological structure and touchable scale models present here; various stages of the castle's constructions are effectively displayed. The chapel continues to conduct service. The King's Hall is the centre of attraction. Parts of this castle have withstood fire and are reconstructed. Being a heritage site renovation and restoration is still going on to preserve the monument.
Guided tours are available in Finnish; English; Swedish and Russian. Family gets a discounted package on entrance fee. We had a English guided tour and our guide explained every aspect of the castle in detail which transferred us to the various stages of its rich past and present. The guide answered our queries patiently and was eager to share information which made the visit memorable. Special mention to the lady staff at the ticket counter who suggested to take the optional guided tour which comes free with the entrance ticket.
Olavinlinna Castle beckons every visitor to have a glimpse of its interiors and savour its past.
Written 3 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marco T
Florence, Italy1,972 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The one-hour guided tour in English allows you to explore this beautiful castle and learn more about its history. Of the few remaining intact or partially rebuilt fortresses that Finland can boast, this is the most interesting, both for the structure - which, moreover, has been modified several times over the centuries compared to the original medieval layout - and for the beautiful location on the lake. Its scenographic presence, as is well known, has been the setting for the important opera festival for many years. Transiting from Savonlinna without visiting it would make no sense.
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Written 10 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reslysten54
Vienna, VA2,728 contributions
Jul 2022
This strategically placed castle evolved during centuries of battle for control of what was once disputed territory between Sweden and Russia. It is now famous for hosting the annual Opera Festival in Savonlinna.
Tours in Finnish and English are included in the entrance fee. Our tour attracted about 25 participants and another tour leaving at the same time had more people. Given the narrow stairs and hallways, it was sometimes very crowded and a bit chaotic. If you struggle with steep and uneven stairs, this is not for you! But the guide was good and the castle is a history lesson in itself.
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Tours in Finnish and English are included in the entrance fee. Our tour attracted about 25 participants and another tour leaving at the same time had more people. Given the narrow stairs and hallways, it was sometimes very crowded and a bit chaotic. If you struggle with steep and uneven stairs, this is not for you! But the guide was good and the castle is a history lesson in itself.
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Written 17 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Richie Reel
Ayia Napa, Cyprus160 contributions
Dec 2021
we visited out of season and was pretty much the only people there, in main part of Castle it was warm but obviously cold in the outer parts. The reception was very informative with leaflets on the history of the Castle in our language.
Entrance fee was resonable, it was very interesting as many small walkways and stair cases to take you around the outter Castle but not an abundance of artefacts inside.
We managed to go round the whole Castle within a few hours, we have been rushed a little due to outside temp that time of year.
There were area's setup for conferences and meetings which could be quite an original setting for such a thing.
There was parking across the way which was convenient and views of the surrounding lake and areas was lovely from the look outs at the top. Worth a visit if your in the area.
Entrance fee was resonable, it was very interesting as many small walkways and stair cases to take you around the outter Castle but not an abundance of artefacts inside.
We managed to go round the whole Castle within a few hours, we have been rushed a little due to outside temp that time of year.
There were area's setup for conferences and meetings which could be quite an original setting for such a thing.
There was parking across the way which was convenient and views of the surrounding lake and areas was lovely from the look outs at the top. Worth a visit if your in the area.
Written 3 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B T
London, UK1,255 contributions
May 2021
This is a really good castle, one of the best in Finland.
They offer guided tours which last around an hour and leave on the hour and doesn't cost any extra. As of May 2021 due to coronavirus the castle is still open but you can't look around all of it (some of it is also being refurbished). You can see more of the castle on the tour than if you just wander round by yourself. Now, there are not many visitors and luckily due to low numbers they were able to do the tour in English rather than Finnish which was very good of them. The guide was really informative so the tour was worth it.
They offer guided tours which last around an hour and leave on the hour and doesn't cost any extra. As of May 2021 due to coronavirus the castle is still open but you can't look around all of it (some of it is also being refurbished). You can see more of the castle on the tour than if you just wander round by yourself. Now, there are not many visitors and luckily due to low numbers they were able to do the tour in English rather than Finnish which was very good of them. The guide was really informative so the tour was worth it.
Written 10 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pepita K
Helsinki, Finland83 contributions
Jun 2021 • Friends
As the Savonlinna Opera Festival was cancelled due to the COVID situation, the free guided tour of the castle included a peek behind the scenes of the production. Some of the opera festivals props where already built, so we got to see the stage, backstage area and so on during the tour. The tour also included facts and history of the beautiful castle.
The place has a lot of stairs, but mainly all the routes are easy to walk and explore. You can buy tickets beforehand online or from the port of the castle.
The place has a lot of stairs, but mainly all the routes are easy to walk and explore. You can buy tickets beforehand online or from the port of the castle.
Written 11 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Petsku83
Helsinki, Finland526 contributions
Jun 2021 • Friends
This castle is one of the most important historical sites and one of the oldest buildings in Finland. A must for a history buff, like myself. The castle has a fascinating history connecting Finland to Sweden and Russia, but the building is also very beautiful and situates in a beautiful natural scenery. It has three towers left and each of them has its own history.
Written 11 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aekrfk
Newport Beach, CA256 contributions
May 2022
We were expecting to see more than just forests during our eight day self drive Finland tour. Olavinlinna Castle did not disappoint us and it was worth a drive through the beautiful lakes district. It really is a unique castle in a nice town. You must take the tour with a guide. It provides so much more information than just walking through it alone and was reasonably priced. We had the last English tour of the day at 3 pm and it was just us and the guide. It was wonderful and I would say if you are in that area of Finland a must see attraction.
Written 2 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is it easy to get to from Helsinki, via public transport or organised tour?
Written 1 December 2024
Hi. Due apologies, we stayed nearby and were driving from Helsinki to various places by renting a car from the airport.Public transport is well organised though you will need to adhere to timings rather than your convinience. Scandic hotels do provide private and custom tours. Hope this would be of help. Enjoy!
Written 2 December 2024
hi, sorry but just received your question.
Hope this will help: savonlinnanyt(dot)fi
Written 13 November 2019
What are the working hours on Jan 03rd 2018? What are the ticket prices for adults? For children 9 y.o. Are the guided tours available in Russian or English?
Written 30 December 2017
Добрый день! Зимой замок закрыт для посещений, поскольку лестничные переходы становятся опасными из-за наледи. Не помню точно цену, но на мой взгляд, очень низкая. Есть экскурсии на русском, английском, финском, шведском. Интересно. Детям тоже будет интересно.
Written 10 January 2018
What are the working hours on Jan 03rd 2018? How much is the ticket for adults? For child 9 y.o.?
Are the guided tours available (Russian or English)
Written 30 December 2017
Как работает 3 января- лучше узнать на сайте, думаю как в обычный день.
Туры есть на русском иу нас была потрясающая русская гид с очень интересным рассказом и отличным русским.
Хорошего путешествия!
Written 30 December 2017
I am visiting on the 29th Of december 2016. Will the castle be open? And will it be covered in snow ? thanks
Written 16 August 2016
Hi, unfortunately the Castle will be closed between 19th Dec - 1St Jan because of Christmas.
I would suggest you to visit the castle during summer months as the castle and surrounding lake with islads are so beautiful.
Written 16 August 2016
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