Experience the cultural and natural paradise of Petäjävesi
Accommodations available in Petäjävesi include high-quality suites, cottages and granaries full of rural romanticism. Top off your visit to the Old Church by enjoying the Finnish nature on a hike through a spectacular environment or a swim in a crystal-clear lake or with a taste of high-quality locally produced food.
Accommodation
A night to remember on a high-quality organic farm
The more than 400-year-old Kumpunen organic farm by Lake Kirrinjärvi offers an unforgettable environment full of rural romanticism for ceremonies, events and tourists looking for accommodation throughout the year. The rooms of Uusi-Kirri, brimming with the spirit of the 1920s, provide luxurious accommodation for romantics. You can also enjoy your vacation by staying in traditional Finnish granaries or booking a cottage by the lake for you and your fellow travellers. Top off your visit by booking the cosy smoke sauna of Kumpunen. Large parties can be arranged in the nostalgic stone cowshed of Kumpunen, which has room for 150 people. Read more.
Spend a night next to the Old Church
The farm next to the Petäjävesi Old Church has been inhabited since the 17th century. The Lemettilä farm is a part of the World Heritage Site, and it has been classified as a nationally valuable built environment. You are welcome to rent a cottage at the farm, enjoy a quiet sleep in a two-person room within the thick walls of the stone cowshed or in the idyllic granary of the main building. The idyllic stone cowshed of the Lemettilä farm can also be booked to host a party or a seminar while enjoying locally produced food. Read more.
Enjoy a hot tub and the warmth of a smoke sauna
Spend a night in a cottage by Lake Jämsänvesi and enjoy the landscape of ridges or book a rustic room in the main building of an old farm. Enjoy a hot tub under the open sky and indulge yourself with the warmth and other services of a traditional smoke sauna. The beach has a hut that is ideal for barbecues and memorable nights. Ask about our canoeing and forest trips and holiday weekends for women. Read more.
A log villa for memorable events
A log villa by a crater lake – enjoy the peace and quiet of Petäjälahti by the crystal-clear waters of Lake Karikko. The spacious rooms of Petäjälahti provide an opportunity to share memorable events with your entire extended family. Up to 12 persons can stay in our villa and enjoy its excellent level of equipment. Walk through the morning mist for a swim in the early hours of the day, host a dance in the pavilion in the pleasant warmth of the sun or roast some marshmallows by the campfire in the dusk. Gather your close ones and share memorable events in Petäjälahti. Read more.
Book an idyllic log cabin by Lake Kirrinjärvi
An old grain drying building turned into a cosy log cabin, a traditional summer cottage or an idyllic granary to sleep in – the attractive Jukola cottages, located by the beautiful Lake Kirrinjärvi, are easily accessible via well-maintained routes. Each cottage has a lovely beach with shallow water, and they can be booked any time between June and October. Read more.
A cottage of your own or affordable accommodation in a country hotel
Loma-Ässä provides peaceful environments for holidays, celebrations and meetings. Rent a cottage in a rural setting or spend a night in an affordable country hotel. Loma-Ässä’s dance pavilion hosts a variety of dances in the summer. Read more.
Worth experiencing
Spend a day on a farm or visit the farm shop
The Hakamaa sheep farm provides an opportunity to learn more about daily life on a sheep farm. A day at the farm includes learning more about sheep as production animals and as pets as well as other residents of the farm, such as ponies, chickens, cats and dogs while enjoying tasty locally produced food. Soft furs, yarns from a variety of sheep farms and treats produced by local small-scale producers are available at the farm shop. The shop is located in the birth place of Veikko Hirvimäki, a Finnish artist. Read more.
Horseback riding for all skill levels
Horseback riding in the nature, riding lessons, all-terrain trips, camps and instructional courses – the Furuvatni stables arrange lessons for riders of all ages and skill levels. Please remember to book all lessons and visits in advance. Read more.
Shopping / Local handicrafts
Visit the lovely Villakamari
Villakamari, located in an old police station, is a gift shop specialised in felt. The two holding cells of the building are also used by the shop. Two determined women with extensive experience from the textile industry bustle around the shop, creating unique accessories and felt products. Felting materials and supplies are also available at Villakamari. Villakamari’s selection of materials includes imported merino wool fibre and needle loom felt, silk fibres, yarns, fabrics, woollen fabrics, special knitting yarns and other felt-making supplies from felt needles to polystyrene shoe lasts. Read more.
Piiku – woollen products made from local sheep
Piiku’s main products are the wool of Finnsheep and a variety of woollen products manufactured from it for felt-making purposes and other handicrafts. The wool is sheared from the Piesalantila’s sheep herd and processed at the farm into multi-coloured flat cards. The farm’s wool shop provides its customers with colourful and locally produced woollen handicraft materials. Please call us in advance to discuss your visit. In addition to natural-coloured woollen products, Piiku’s trademarks include flaming colours, for which the unique wool of Finnsheep is ideal. Piiku has been processing the wool of Finnsheep with devotion since 1984. Read more.
Wooden toy gifts from Puupiippola
Learn more about the skills of a master artisan and discover the unique products of Puupiippola! Wooden toys have been made in the Puupiippola workshop for 30 years. Dollhouses, coat racks and hobby horses are created by our masterful crafters. Please check that we are available before arriving by calling us. Read more.
Organic Petäjävesi food from Heinähattu
The unique shop of Heinähattu is located just a stone’s throw from the Petäjävesi Old Church. The boutique beloved by the summer residents of Petäjävesi greets everyone with the smell of fresh buns. Heinähattu brings together the masterpieces of local artisans, organic products produced by rural tourism companies and a flea market brimming with hidden gems. Enjoy a cup of coffee and a slice of fresh pie in the unhurried ambience of the countryside. Read more.
Nature sites
Enjoy the silence of Tampinkierros
Tampinkierros is a lovely nature trail that takes you through the nature reserve of Teerijärvensuo. Here, you are able to experience the wilderness and the true silent ambience of nature, as studies have shown that Teerijärvensuo is one of the most silent areas of Central Finland. The nature trail takes you to marshlands and easily accessible heaths. The trail is equipped with benches for you to rest your legs for a while and observe the wilderness and its birds. Make some coffee in a campfire pot at the shelter located along Tampinkierros. Chopped firewood can be found in the shed located nearby. Read more.
Address: Metsä-Piesalantie
Follow the footsteps of ancient hunters at Karhulenkki
A well-known primeval forest since the 16th century, Karhunahas is located on the borders of Töysänperä, Petäjävesi and Multia. Karhunahas, or the Bear Path, was named after ancient bear hunters who drove bears along the riverbend to become trapped between the steep cliffs. The regionally valuable conservation area of Karhunahas can be found by following the signs along the approximately 600-metre long Karhulenkki around the ravines. A shelter and a campfire site are located at the top of the high rocky ravine. Firewood can be found at the beginning of the trail. Read more.
Address: Töysänperäntie
Bike or hike near the Old Church
The Töllin Taival is a 12-kilometre biking and hiking trail from the centre of Petäjävesi in the beautiful coniferous forests around the Lake Jämsänvesi. The Ramin Tölli campfire site located on the route provides an opportunity to enjoy a campfire throughout the year. Firewood for the campfire can be found inside the Tölli. The route can be accessed via Verkkalantie or Ruokoilantie. The way to the route is indicated by signs at major crossroads in both directions. Read more.
The Old Church Gravel Loop is an epic 442km and 5-8-day rollercoaster-like bikeroute. It connects the rural villages and towns of the area as well as a number of splendid natural sites to some great services mainly on rarely-used logging routes and old connecting routes. It features nicely rolling and flowy gravel roads deep in the Central Finland’s taiga, a loads of little sand beaches for swimming as well as several unique lodging and camping options. Read more.
Enjoy the scenery of the Wanha Witonen canoe trail
The 75-kilometre Wanha Witonen canoe trail from Petäjävesi to Lake Päijänne in Jämsä is ideal for people of all ages and different skill levels. The trail can also be travelled in shorter sections. The recommended number of kilometres to travel in one day is between 15 and 25 kilometres. Follow the signs from the boat harbour of Kirveslahti in Petäjävesi by Lake Jämsänvesi, only a little less than a kilometre away from the beach of the Petäjävesi Old Church. Canoeing equipment and instructional lessons are available at the regional tourism service providers. Read more.
Drop by the crater lake of Karikkoselkä
Experience the magnificence of Lake Karikkoselkä, an approximately two-million-year-old round crater lake. A 10-kilometre trip to Karikkoselkä and Petäjälahti can be made from the coast of Lake Petäjävesi in Pirkonsaari.
Address: Kirveslahti boat harbour, Miilutie 2
Birdwatching towers for ornithologists
Bird enthusiasts can observe the lives of birds in the four bird watching towers of Petäjävesi, each located in a different type of terrain. The Piesalakylä watch tower is located in the middle of an open field (Mataraniementie 13). The bird population of open field areas can be observed in the tower (e.g. sky larks, starlings, northern lapwings and Eurasian curlews) as well as a variety of migratory birds passing by, such as ruffs and European golden plovers. The horned grebe is a common visitor to the nearby fish pond. Whooper swans and Eurasian wigeons can be observed at the Pien-Hete bird watching tower over a small forest pond (Ristikankaantie 319). The Lahnajärvi tower (Kuitulantie 56) allows you to observe the breeding of whooper swans and the courting of tufted ducks in the spring. The open marshlands and areas covered with peat moss of Sallistensuo tower (Sakarintie 817) provide a breeding ground for black grouses and common gulls. Read more.
Culture
A concert experience to remember
Unbelievable acoustics and amazing artists have helped create an unforgettable atmosphere in the Petäjävesi Old Church for 10 summers. Summer concerts are arranged in June, July and August.
Book your ticket well in advance and make sure that you have a seat at the concert, as the church is able to hold only 250 visitors at a time.
Visit the art house Toinila
The Toinila building is a protected site owned by the municipality, and it has served as a paper and candy shop since the 1950s. In Toinila, children and adults are able to create art to lighten up the building’s interior and surroundings. Artists in charge of Toinila, Johanna Juvonen and Biagio Rosa, received State award of children’s culture (Lastenkulttuurin valtionpalkinto) for their work in Toinila in 2021.
The summery art path of Toinila invites visitors to continue the work of previous artists who have visited the building. Most of the material used to create art in Toinila is recycled. Toinila also hosts exhibitions of professional artists in the summer. Read more here.
Seminars and team building events
Seminars or team building events in Petäjävesi?
The Petäjävesi auditorium Miilu is an affordable and practical solution for a seminar or a team building event. The ascending seating arrangement of Miilu has seats for 250 people. Ask for a quote by sending an e-mail to miilu@petajavesi.fi
Parish
A meeting place of a thriving parish
The Petäjävesi Old Church continues to serve as a place to have a moment of peace and quite. The Old Church still serves its original purpose, and it hosts services, weddings and christenings, mostly in the summer.
For wedding couples
Do you want to hold your wedding in a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
The four centuries old Petäjävesi Old Church has served as a stage for the beginning of countless love stories. Approximately 240 guests can be invited into the popular and idyllic wedding church. The fee to hold a wedding in the church is €400 for people from outside Petäjävesi and €200 for wedding couples of which at least one has ties with Petäjävesi. More information and wedding reservations are available at the Petäjävesi parish (tel. +358 (0)400 816385, petajaveden.seurakunta@evl.fi).