Kajaani

Kajaani (Swedish Kajana) is a town and municipality in Finland and the administrative capital of the Kainuu region. It is southeast of Oulujärvi (Lake Oulu), which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki (river Oulu).

A view to the downtown of Kajaani.
Kajaani main street in January.

Understand

Kajaani is a typical small and quiescent former industrial city. For many visitors, Kajaani is a stop on their way to the Vuokatti skiing centre, 40 km east of the city. As Kajaani is the largest city (36,000 inhabitants) in Kainuu, there are more shopping opportunities than in Vuokatti. Especially Russian tourists staying in Vuokatti are a common sight in the shops of Kajaani in the winter.

Talk

As in most of Finland, the English language is widely understood, as is Swedish to some extent, since both are compulsory languages in Finnish comprehensive schools. Since the Kainuu region borders Russia, that language holds an important position as residents from both countries visit the other for business and pleasure. Some residents can also speak German and French.

The locally strong Finnish accent adds extra vowels to words. Even if you're capable of speaking and understanding Finnish at a basic level, you may find it hard to understand some elderly people. For the same reason, English spoken by the locals may in some cases be hard to understand.

Get in

By car

Highway 5, one of the major roads between northern and southern Finland passes through Kajaani, highway 6 links the city with Joensuu, highways 22 and 28 links Kajaani to Oulu and Kokkola respectively on the west coast. Roads are well maintained and taken good care of overall.

In the Kainuu region (and Finland generally) driving is a very practical way to get around and that's not only because of the long distances (and the weaker public transport). Landscapes are magnificent and it's so relaxing to drive around in almost empty roads. Just remember those few common things (see article Finland and get around by Car section) and you'll enjoy driving!

Moose alert! If you are continuing your trip towards north or east from Kajaani, watch out for elks and reindeers that may run out of nowhere to the road. Be cautious particularly in dusk and dawn when driving trough vastly uninhabited areas.

By plane
  • 🌍 Kajaani airport (KAJ  IATA) (located 7 kilometres northwest from Kajaani city centre). Nordic Regional Airlines flies from Helsinki. Airbus offers connections for most flights from and to Kajaani center. Local bus number 4 links the airport to the centre. You can also take a taxi.  

By train

There are many trains every day from Helsinki via Kuopio or Oulu. Kajaani train station is near the centre within walking distance. For more information

By bus

There is a daily bus from Helsinki, 3-4 buses a day from Oulu and Joensuu and even more frequent bus traffic from Kuopio. For more information

Get around

By foot

City centre and main attractions, like the castle, can be easily reached by foot.

Maps and more information about the city and Kainuu region can be found from Kajaani-Info. Info is next to the town hall (address Pohjolankatu 13). Tourist information is also available in the VisitKajaani website.

By car

Driving everywhere in the town area is easy, as the city government continually improves driving conditions by building roudabouts, improving intersections and streets in general. There are minor weekday rushs in the mornings and afternoons, when residents head to work and home from there, however they usually don't last long. Finding parking space is not usually a problem, but you may have to search little longer during those "rush moments".

A view to Kauppakatu, the main street of Kajaani.

By bus

The only mode of public transportation is the bus. The routes are operated by the city of Kajaani and the timetables available here (Finnish only). You can use route planner to seek local bus routes between given locations and addresses. Local transport operates during weekdays and Saturdays but not on Sundays.

You can also use long-distance bus lines of Matkahuolto for travelling inside Kajaani. During Sundays long-distance buses are the only form of public transport inside Kajaani. Buses from Kajaani bus station to Sotkamo for south direction, to Oulu, Rovaniemi and Kuhmo for northeast direction, to Helsinki, Kokkola and Oulu for southwest direction.

See and do
  • 🌍 Kajaani Art Museum (Kajaanin taidemuseo), Linnankatu 14 (in front of the 2nd town hall), ☎ +358 8 61552599. Su-F 10:00-17:00, W 10:00-20:00 (closed Sa). This small, two-story art museum in the middle of downtown Kajaani exhibits a wide variety of art, in medium, content and theme. Photography, videography, installation art, and more can be found here. Exhibits change about 6 times a year. They also offer workshops, lectures, and performances (in Finnish, of course). There is little to no English available here, but that's rarely an issue. (Take a Finn with you if you'd like a more detailed description of each piece of art.) The museum is in front of the historic, yellow town hall (which features a clock tower). Just look for the nondescript, white-gray building with the word Taidemuseo on it. €2 (free on W). 
  • 🌍 Kajaani Castle (Kajaanin linna), middle of the Ämmäkoski bridge (follow the river or Ahontie road). This 17th-century ruin of Kajaani castle (fortress is a more likely term) doesn't offer much more than the experience of walking through the ruins of a 400-year-old castle. There are a few plaques placed around the castle (in English, as well as others) that detail its history and the placement and purpose of the original rooms. 15 to 20 minutes enough to explore the castle and its grounds. Free. 
The castle ruins of Kajaani.

Festivals

Events
  • Kajaani Poetry Week: 3–7 July 2019. Annual poetry festival spreads all around the town in July.
  • 🌍 Kajaani Market Street: , Kauppakatu. Main street of Kajaani is closed from traffic for one week in July. At that time the street is taken over by stalls selling local products, food and clothes. Dates change every year, but street is usually organised same time as the Poetry Week (see above). (date needs fixing)

Buy
  • 🌍 Taito Shop Kainuun Pirtti, Brahenkatu 3, ☎ +358 40 534 7851. M-F 09:00-16:00, Sa 09:00-14:00. Traditional handicrafts and knit garments. Arranges handicraft courses. 
  • 🌍 Kauppapaikka 18, Kauppakatu 18. Small shopping centre in the center of the city. Few international chains, like H&M and Benetton. In same building you can also find a bank, ATM, cosy cafe and a fast food restaurant. 

Eat
  • 🌍 Ravintola Sirius, Brahenkatu 5, ☎ +358 8 612 2087. M-F 10:30-17:00. Tasty, no-nonsense Finnish food with a good wine list. Main dishes €6.5-14, fixed menu a little more. The restaurant is situated on a beautiful site next to river. 
  • 🌍 Ravintola Ranch, Kauppakatu 26, 87100, ☎ +358 8 636 696. M 10:30 – 14:30, Tu 10:30 – 20:00, W 10:30 – 22:00, Th 10:30 – 22:00, F 10:30 – 23:00, Sa 12:00 – 23:00, Su 14:00 – 20:00. As implied by the restaurant's name, the food is influenced heavily by sort of "wild-west", Texas or Mexico thing or such. Delicious hamburgers, steaks, french fries and wedges can be found on menu, and restaurant also haves daily lunch. Place is decorated in wooden style of old "wild west" saloons. 
  • 🌍 Mantan Grilli-Kioski, Sudenpolku 15, ☎ +358 8 6141 515, e-mail: . M-F 10:00-23:30, Sa Su 11:00-23:30. Famous local hamburger-grill. Big take-away dishes of kebab and fries, but location is rather far away from the city center. €5-9. 
  • 🌍 Pekka Heikkinen, Välikatu 7, ☎ +358 8 617 890, e-mail: . M-F 07:30-19:30, Sa 07:30-14:00. Legendary bakery that has been awarded for its quality rye bread. There is a factory shop where you can buy the products of the bakery and a small cafe if you want to enjoy them right there. 

Drink
  • 🌍 Pitkä Taneli, Linnankatu 21, ☎ +358 8 010 7637010, e-mail: . M Tu Su 09:00-00:00, W Th 09:00-02:00, F Sa 09:00-03:00. The most famous pub in Kajaani. The 40-year-old pub gathers young and old people to sing karaoke during weekends. 
  • 🌍 Onnela, Linnankatu 18, ☎ +358 8 0207759485, e-mail: . W F Sa 22:00-04:00. Onnela ("Place of happiness") is the largest nightclub in Kajaani. DJs play Top 40 hits and Finnish classics. Targeted to young adults, but older folks have started to hang around after few other clubs have been closed. 
  • 🌍 Club96, Kauppakatu 26, ☎ +358 8 636 696, e-mail: . F Sa 22:00-04:00. Club96 attracts just-turned-eighteen clubbers. Trendy dance & hip-hop music. 
  • 🌍 Balls (Jengabaari), Lönnrotinkatu 5, ☎ +358 44 358 6411. Su-Tu 11:00-02:00, W-Sa 11:00-03:00. Local rock´n´roll fans stare into their half-empty pints in this place which offers rock and metal gigs at weekends. 

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

Kajaani is a very safe city. The area between Kauppakatu and Välikatu may be a little restless during weekend nights when bars close their doors at 02:00 or 03:00 and drunken local people wander out.

Go next
  • 🌍 Paltaniemi (9 km northwest from the city center). Paltaniemi is a picturesque rural village next to airport. The view is dominated by Paltaniemi Church and long fields. Paltaniemi is also the birthplace of Finnish poet Eino Leino and his home has been turned into a museum-cafe. Families gather to Paltaniemi Beach on hot summer days. Although Paltaniemi is officially a neighbourhood of Kajaani, you´ll need a bike or car to reach the place. Buses move far apart. 
People summerbathing in a hot day at Paltaniemi beach
  • Vuokatti (40km east from Kajaani). Vuokatti is a ski- and spa-resort in the municipality of Sotkamo. Vuokatti offers 13 slopes for downhill skiing and extensive network of ski tracks. Daily bus connection from Kajaani. 
  • Kuhmo (100km east from Kajaani). Small city of Kuhmo offers a chance to meet wildlife. Travel agencies arrange bear watching tours. City draws also classical music artists to participate in Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival every July. For more information about the festival: kuhmofestival.fi 
Routes through Kajaani

Sodankylä ← Kuusamo ←  N  S  → Iisalmi → Turku


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