Information and links for living in Lappeenranta
Useful info for everyday life, after you get comfortable.
Travelling in Lappeenranta
- Public transport is by buses for travel within the city. I recommend that you get a Waltti card (buy and reload at the Aalef shop in the university and the city shop Winkki); it can be reloaded with cash on the bus, by online net payment on the Waltti website, and by card or cash in the two shops. Students get a decent discount–you need a student certificate/student card to get the lower student prices. A parent with a child+pram travels free.
Buses go nearly everywhere you’ll need to, but are quite infrequent (or absent) on holidays and Sundays. Plan carefully for those days, especially if you have a train to catch on Sunday early morning (take a taxi)! Use the bus route planner (available in English). The monthly pass is a lifesaver, especially in winter.
- The best way to travel in the city is on bicycle, it’s healthy and cheap. Get a strong chain lock for your bike, and store it indoors preferably – it’s the one thing in Lappeenranta that gets stolen! Don’t let the slopes of Lappeenranta scare you, your legs will get used to them in a couple of weeks. Cycling is also really fast – if you live within 3 km of the university, your door-to-door time is faster by bicycle than by car! All of Lappeenranta has separate, well-maintained cycling+walking paths. You’ll see lots of old people cycling everywhere, even in -25°C, so what can stop you? Check out the Shopping Guide for where to buy bicycles, both new and used.
- Buying and maintaining a car in Finland is generally fairly expensive because of the extra taxes and insurance etc. A decent used car will cost around €1200-€2000. If you have a driving license from your non-EU country, check if your country is on this list. If it is, you can exchange your license for the Finnish driving license for a €40 fee, after 6 months of arriving in Finland but within 2 years of living here. The Finnish driving license is valid throughout the EU.
Libraries
The city has two libraries, one in the city center and another at Sammonlahti. Library membership is free (on showing your passport and visa/residence permit) and lets you borrow 70 books plus lots of movie DVDs and music CDs, exercise gear like kettlebells, bicycles etc. There is a decent English section as well as a nice children’s section. The main city library also runs a “Language cafe” (Kielikahvila) for those wanting to practice their Finnish, English, Russian etc. The university has its own scientific library, which is open to all residents in Finland.
Learning Finnish
The Finnish language is not the easiest in the world, to put it mildly. Normally, everyone speaks English and it’s possible to get by without knowing any Finnish. But if you are here for a while (say more than 2 years) or if you have children, it is a great idea to learn Finnish. Interactions at places like the health center, day care, and so on become much easier when you can speak Finnish. The Finns are just terribly shy about speaking in English (they often feel they don’t speak it well), and your attempts at Finnish (however terrible!) typically create an instant welcome!
- The best place to learn Finnish in Lappeenranta is the EKKO organization, which is an adult education center. The courses typically start in September and January; you have to register and pay for them in the previous month usually. The everyday courses are much more useful than the twice a week kind, but that really depends on how motivated you are! EKKO also runs many other hobby courses, though you need to know some Finnish to enroll in those.
- A free way to learn Finnish is through Luetaan yhdessä, which means Let’s Read Together, which is for women (children are often welcome). Their groups are divided into 3 levels of Finnish, from beginner to advanced. Look for their posters in the library and other public spaces.
- Me-Talo is another space in the city where immigrant women come together to learn Finnish, in a child-friendly way. It also offers a space to participate in various activities like cooking, dancing, ice-skating and so on. It’s really a wonderful initiative, supported by the Nicehearts (Naapuriäidit Lappeenranta), who are really as nice as their name!