TOHMAJÄRVI > JOENSUU (56 km) From Tohmajärvi you can also take a detour via Joensuu and Kuopio to Nurmes. Take route 70 to Joensuu.
	Joensuu is the capital of North Karelia. In the summer, the market place in Joensuu is full of life from morning to night. The town's bakeries make the best Karelian pastries in all of Finland.
	Culture and tourist centre Carelicum & North Karelian Museum, Koskikatu 5, tel. +358 (0)13 267 5222, www.carelicum.fi. The permanent exhibits provide a considerable insight into Karelia’s fascinating history and its rich traditions. Joensuu Market Place Joensuu Art Museum and Ahjo Art Centre, Kirkkokatu 23, tel. +358 (0)13 267 5388. Diverse collections that include Finnish and foreign art. University Botanical Garden, Heinäpurontie 70, tel. +358 (0)13 251 2630. Travel from an infertile desert to a verdant rain forest and admire freely fluttering butterflies from Easter until the beginning of September. Bunker Museum, Marjala, tel. +358 (0)13 267 5222. Every other Saturday during the summer, there is a regular tour to the Old Valamo Monastery at Lake Ladoga in Russia. The monastery was founded in the 12th century by the Greek monk Sergius and it became one of the most important pilgrimages for the Karelian Orthodox population. The monastery was opened to visitors a few years ago. You need a visa for this trip. Please book your seat well in advance - Karelia Expert Tourist Service, tel. +358 (0)400 239 549.
JOENSUU > KUOPIO (about 140 km) From Joensuu, the tour continues on route 17 from Joensuu via Tuusniemi to Kuopio, which is the centre of Northern Savo and the largest town in eastern Finland.
	Kuopio is a town with an easygoing atmosphere. The most important landmarks in Kuopio are the Puijo ridge with its outlook tower, from which you have a magnificent view over the Finnish lake landscape and the market place where you can stop for a cup of coffee and try the local delicatessen such as vendace, strawberries and the most renowned local specialty, kalakukko (fish pie). Up to 30 cruises on Lake Kallavesi depart daily from the passenger harbour.
	Puijo tower with its rotating restaurant offers a panorama view while serving local specialties, Puijo ridge, tel. +358 (0)17 255 5255. www.puijo.com. Finland’s Orthodox Church Museum is the most significant Orthodox church museum in Western Europe. Exhibits of icons, sacred objects and liturgical textiles. The exhibits have their origin in the 18th and 19th century. Karjalankatu 1, tel. +358 (0)20 610 0266. www.ort.fi/kirkkomuseo. Kuopio Museum is an Art Nouveau style building that houses the Kuopio Museum of Cultural History, where you can familiarise yourself with prehistoric times, local industries and lifestyles in the region and the Museum of Natural History. Kauppakatu 23, tel. +358 (0)17 182 603. www.kulttuuri.kuopio.fi/museo. Old Kuopio Museum consists of a block of 11 old wooden houses that represent different types of interiors in residential houses and workshops from the 19th century to the 1930s. Kirkkokatu 22, tel. +358 (0)17 182 625. www.korttelimuseo.kuopio.fi. "Jätkänkämppä" - Lumberjack Hut offers traditional Finnish evenings by the lake on Tuesdays year round and also on Thursdays 1 June-31 August. The world’s largest smoke sauna, lumberjack shows, traditional dinner buffet and accordion music. Rauhalahti, tel. +358 (0)30 60 830. www.rauhalahti.com.
Continue the detour from Kuopio along route 5 to Siilinjärvi and turn onto road 75 to Nurmes (about 130 km), where you can continue along the actual tour.