Sotkamo

Sotkamo is in Kainuu. The municipality is best known for the Vuokatti ski resort.

Vuokatti is a diverse ski and sports resort by a couple of lakes 7 km from the town of Sotkamo. There are many hotels, resorts and cottages to stay in and enjoy the nature and doings.

Kajaani is the nearest major city, served by planes, buses and trains. From there you can travel to Sotkamo by bus.

Like elsewhere in rural Finland, car is your other option for getting in. Highway 6 leads between Kajaani in the north-west and Valtimo and Nurmes in the south-east. From Kajaani, turn to Highway 76, which leads via Vuokatti to Sotkamo and on to Kuhmo. From Nurmes, you can turn to regional road 899 for the last stretch.

In winter, the free Vuokatti SkiBus operates between Sotkamo and Vuokatti.

Finnish Move on East^{[dead link]} rents electric kick scooters for use in the centre.

If you arrived by car in Sotkamo, using the car is good for travelling longer distances – the municipality is large.

• Menevä Sotkamo, ☏ +358 50-471-0470 (head of office), toll-free: 0800-02120 (booking), info@meneva.fi. 
• Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi

• 64.13211128.3925281 Huovishuone, Niemeläntie 1. Veikko Huovinen´s memorabilia room  
• 64.1294828.409032 Sotkamo museum, Sopalantie 1, ☏ +358 40-848-5543. Two old granaries are the museum of local history and culture in Sotkamo.  
• 64.2037928.733433 Tervajärvi house museum, Tervajärventie 16, ☏ +358 400-755-599. Tervajärvi is a classic Kainuu farmhouse, with a main building built in the 19th century and three storage houses.  

• 64.13228.2711 Vuokatti (7 km east of Sotkamo centre). Ski resort.  (updated Mar 2018)
• 64.187328.22542 Naapurinvaaran Huvikeskus, Naapurinvaarantie 20 B (by Naapurivaara, 6 km north from Vuokatti), ☏ +358 40-761-8165, +358 45-131-0932, tiedustelut@napis.com. Most weeks May–Nov, usually Sat, Midsummer Fri 19:30–00:30. Social dancing to live music (run by the local youth association). Restaurant with nice view towards Nuoasjärvi and Vuokatti. Bus transport for the dances from Sotkamo and Vuokatti, sometimes from Kajaani (☏ +358 40-541-8696). €22–25/15+cloakroom €2–3 (reduced price in 2025 for youth < 25 years, older students get a €1 discount), ticket+bus from Sotkamo/Vuokatti and back €27 (perhaps cash only).  
• 63.68128.2623 Tiilikkajärvi National Park (Tiilikkajärven kansallispuisto) (mostly in neighbouring Rautavaara). Dry ridges, aapa mires and wilderness lakes, among other features.  

• 64.1474128.273371 Vohvelikahvila Wanha Asema (Café Wanha Asema), Keskuskuja 1 (at the former Vuokatti railway station), ☏ +358 41-328-7754, info@vuokatinasema.fi. Café with a small gift shop selling souvenirs, home and sauna products, soaps and other gifts. Gift vouchers and some products can also be ordered by mail.  
• 64.1312528.38692 Lähetystori Majakka, Kangaskatu 12 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 40-415-8610. Tu-Fr 10:00-15:00, Sa 10:00-14:00. Charity second-hand shop selling used clothes, household goods, books and other items. Purchases support missionary work.  
• 64.131228.38813 Kirppari Tuulan Tori, Kainuuntie 32 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 400-313-885, kirpparituulantori@gmail.com. Mo-Fr 09:30-17:30, Sa 10:00-15:00. Large second-hand shop with a café, pet supplies and occasional pop-up toy shop. Also offers parcel services and rental equipment.  
• 64.1319528.390354 Sotkamon Kirjakauppa, Keskuskatu 3 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 45-312-1016, kirjakauppa@sotkamo.net. Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00, Sa 09:00-13:00. Traditional independent bookshop, established in 1897, selling books, maps, games, stationery, cards and craft supplies.  
• 64.130928.38745 Moda Pajakka, Kainuuntie 25 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 8 666-0230, verkkokauppa@pajakka.fi. Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-15:00. Local fashion shop selling clothing and accessories.  
• 64.1310628.387786 Niinan Kuva-Piste, Kainuuntie 26 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 44-219-5905, info@niinankuvapiste.fi. Photography shop offering photo printing, framing services, picture frames and gift items.  (updated Nov 2026)

• 64.130528.380561 Ravintola Messi, Kainuuntie 14 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 40-596-0133, juho@ravintolamessi.fi. Locally owned restaurant serving weekday lunch buffets and seasonal à la carte dishes, including regional specialities. Has a large summer terrace.  
• 64.1310928.384762 Ravintola Ruthai, Torikatu 8 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 45-183-3030. Thai restaurant serving a weekday lunch buffet, à la carte dishes and takeaway.  
• 64.1325928.389693 Ravintola Kämppä, Keskuskatu 12 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 40-540-4900. Lunch and catering restaurant serving Finnish home-style food, buffet lunches and desserts.  
• Sotkamon Pizza ja Kebab, Kainuuntie 30 (in the town centre), ☏ +358 50-557-1140. Pizzeria and kebab restaurant serving pizzas, kebabs, salads and falafel dishes. Takeaway available. 
• 64.1310528.310854 Haapala Restaurant and Brewery, Haapalantie 3 (in the countryside near Vuokatti), ☏ +358 44-077-3245. Restaurant and craft brewery on a historic farm, serving seasonal dishes made with local ingredients and beer brewed on site.  
• Ravintola Kipinä, Kipinäntie 10, ☏ +358 50-352-8811. Restaurant serving lunch, à la carte dishes and takeaway meals. 

• 64.1312128.38461 Makea Cafe ja Deli, Torikatu 8 (In the town centre), ☏ +358 40-831-7202. Café serving pastries, cakes and other sweet treats, including the local Sotkamo cake.  
• Leipomo-Konditoria Vilja, Kainuuntie 17 (Opposite the market square), ☏ +358 50-574-7977. Traditional bakery and café selling freshly baked bread, pastries, pies and cakes. (updated Nov 2026)

Cottages at campsites; hotels, apartments and cottages at Vuokatti.

• 64.14128.2951 Break Sokos Hotel Vuokatti, Kidekuja 2 (1.5 km from Vuokatti towards Sotkamo), ☏ +358 10-783-1000 (pvm/mvm), +358 10-783-1805 (restaurant; pvm/mvm), hotelvuokatti.vuokatti@sokoshotels.fi. The restaurant serves Finnish and regional cuisine.  
• 64.13956828.2574052 Vuokatinrannan rantahotelli (Vuokatinranta Hotel), Vuokatinrannantie 8, ☏ +358 8 619-470, info@vuokatinranta.fi. Accommodation and Christian course centre on the shore of Lake Nuasjärvi. The hotel has 12 twin rooms, an accessible room and two 34 m² apartments with a kitchen, separate bedroom and private sauna. The property also offers holiday apartments and cottages.  (updated Nov 2026)

There are a few shelters by the trails, behind Vuokatti and to the north, one above the steep western slope of Naapurivaara. Camping by tent by the shelters is probably possible. The shelters probably have an outhouse and a campfire place, no other services.

Proper campsites:

• 64.170128.20933 Naapurivaaran Lomakeskus Ky, Pohjavaarantie 66, ☏ +358 40-504-7694, naapurivaaran.lomakeskus@tahtesi.fi. Cottages all year, camping summer season only. Camping and cottages. Beach. Most cottages have their own sauna, others can book and pay one separately. Campers have access to communal showers and kitchen. Tent €12/person; caravan, two persons and electricity €37+€5/2.50 per additional person.  

Wild camping is possible according to the right to access, but you should keep off developed areas, which in practice means finding a suitable place 2–3 km from the centres of Sotkamo and Vuokatti. Nature reserves, such as the one behind the Vuokatti downhill slopes, are off limits. Also don't stray into the Pisterinniemi golf course.

Postal code: 88600 Sotkamo

• 63.901928.99771 Hiidenportti National Park – national park offering silence, old-growth forest and the Hiidenportti gorge. 30 km from the centre, mostly by small roads, signposted from road 76 towards Kuhmo.
• Kuhmo – with a famous chamber music festival and associated events
• Kajaani – the biggest town in the region, with 35,000 inhabitants
• Valtimo

Kouvola ← Valtimo ←

S  N

→ Kajaani → END