The small village of Vainikkala stands right next to Finland's eastern border with Russia. Even more importantly, all passenger trains between Russia and Finland stop at the Vainikkala railway station. Travellers who hire a car here can find roads that lead across the border into Russia or to the Finnish National Route 6, which heads west towards Helsinki - a total drive of around 15 miles. The regional centre of Lappeenranta is 2 miles to the north and beyond that are the extensive Saimaa lakes and waterways.
The tiny community of Vainikkala stands along the small but beautiful Lake Telkjärvi, which can be crossed by a low road bridge. This remote spot among the forest and farmland only has a few hundred residents - and most of those work at the town's railway station, the border post or the customs. Many visitors arrive by train from Moscow or St Petersburg to avoid the traffic queues at the road border crossing. With a rental car, they can drive from Vainikkala and easily reach the rest of the Finnish road network.
