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Varkaus on the map
The most convenient way to get to Varkaus from Helsinki is by taking a direct OnniBus bus or a VR train via Pieksämäki, with a transfer.
The distance from Kuopio Airport (Rissala) to Varkaus is about 100 kilometers, and the best way to get there is by bus via downtown Kuopio, by train, or by rental car or taxi.
Distances by car
Helsinki 317 km (3.5 hours)
Turku 420 km (4.5 hours)
Kuopio 78 km ( 1 hour)
Jyväskylä 127 km (1.5 hours)
Oulu 363 km (just over 4 hours)
Nearest airport Kuopio Rissala, well connected by bus and train
Old Varkaus
Old Varkaus is one of the city’s historic heartlands, and its nearly 300-year history of industry is still strongly felt in its streets, buildings, factories, and parks. Within a one-kilometer radius of this small, compact area, you’ll find a wide variety of attractions: industry, culture, nature, and a blend of old and new. Here you can experience culture, view art, stop by cafés, visit charming shops, and explore fascinating museums.
The area also boasts some of the most beautiful urban nature, where you can hike from a gentle grove to the banks of a rushing rapids. Old Varkaus also offers a wide range of accommodations for your trip, from distinctive workers’ apartments to full-service hotels and restaurants. Right next door, in perfect harmony with history and today’s residents, industry hums away—the beating heart of Varkaus.
Varkaus is not a defunct ironworks area; rather, its diverse industries continue to create new industrial cultural history here. Varkaus’s living industrial cultural heritage was awarded the prestigious European Heritage Label in the spring of 2026. The label is granted to sites of exceptional significance to Europe’s shared history and development.
Photos of Old Varkaus