Why visit Sortavala
Townapedia lists 55 museums and landmarks, 10 parks and trails, 34 places to eat, 20 places to stay and 8 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bastion Historical Park, Regional Museum of North Ladoga and Исторический парк «Бастионъ».
Weather in Sortavala
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Sortavala
Sortavala (Russian: Сортавала; Finnish and Karelian: Sortavala; Swedish: Sordavala), in Russian sometimes known as Serdobol (Сердоболь), is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga near the Finnish border, 246 kilometres (153 mi) west of Petrozavodsk, the capital city of the Republic of Karelia. The closest city on the Finnish side of the border is Joensuu, which is located 136 kilometres (85 mi) from Sortavala. In 2021, the population of Sortavala was 19,215.
From the Wikipedia article Sortavala (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Sortavala on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do8
Museums and landmarks55
Regional Museum of North Ladoga
Museum · 1.9 km
5 набережная Ладожской Флотилии, Сортавала
Jun 01-Aug 31 Tu-Fr 09:00-17:00; Jun 01-Aug 31 Sa,Su 10:00-17:00;...
Военно-исторический музей имени полковника А.Л.Бондарева
Museum · 2.0 km
25 улица Советских Космонавтов
We-Su 11:00-18:00
Городская усадьба доктора Винтера
Monument and historic site · 1.9 km
17 Ладожская улица, Сортавала
Жилой дом кузнеца Манделина (1915)
Monument and historic site · 1.6 km
Объект культурного наследия
43 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds10
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park Bastion
Sports field and stadium · 0.7 km
КАССА, магазин сувениров при входе
Приозёрная улица, Сортавала
Аллея Славы
Park · 0.6 km
Аллея Славы, посвященная 60-летию Победы в Великой Отечественной войне
Restaurants and cafes34
Любовь и люди
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 km
9 площадь Кирова
Mo-Su 08:00-21:00
ПЛЕД
Cafe · 2.2 km
Mo-Th 18:00-00:00; Fr-Su 18:00-02:00
Причал
Restaurant · 1.5 km
1 Валаамская улица, Сортавала
Mo-Th 09:00-22:00; Fr 09:00-23:00; Sa 09:00-23:00; Su 09:00-22:00
22 more on the map.
History
The district of Sortavala was first recorded in Swedish documents dating to 1468. Russian documents first mention it as Serdovol or Serdobol in 1500. It was ceded to Sweden after the Ingrian War.
With the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, the settlement was joined to Russia along with the rest of Old Finland and was given the Russian name Serdobol. It became known for its marble and granite quarries which provided materials necessary for construction of imperial palaces in St. Petersburg and its neighborhood. In 1812, along with the rest of Viipuri Province, it was joined to the newly formed Grand Duchy of Finland.
In 1917, the town remained a part of independent Finland. It suffered extensively from mass Soviet bombardment during the Winter War, and through the Moscow Peace Treaty Finland was forced to cede the town to the Soviet Union. All of the population of the town was evacuated for the first time. Like the rest of Finnish Karelia, Sortavala was retaken by Finland during 1941–1944 (the period of the Continuation War) and most evacuees returned to rebuild their homes. However, after the armistice of 1944, the Finns were evacuated again and the town was ceded back empty of population. After the war, the town was resettled by the Russian and Karelian population.
From the History section of Sortavala on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay20
Кемпинг Айране
Campground · 3.2 km
хутор Айранне Хаапалампинское сельское поселение, посёлок участка № 1 совхоза Сортавальский
Churches and places of worship5
Церковь Николая Чудотворца
Church · Russian Orthodox · 1.2 km
31 улица Горького
Сортавальский приход Евангелическо-лютеранской церкви Ингрии
Church · Lutheran · 0.7 km
Shopping20
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Healthcare12
Map of Sortavala
181 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
- Khelyulya 3 km north, about 3 min by car
- Kharlu 16 km northeast, about 16 min by car
- Lyaskelya 17 km east, about 17 min by car
- Yanis’yarvi 24 km northeast, about 24 min by car
- Ruskeala 25 km north, about 25 min by car
- Lakhdenpokh’ya 35 km southwest, about 35 min by car
- Pitkyaranta 43 km east, about 43 min by car
- Vyartsilya 52 km north, about 52 min by car
- Salmi 72 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Priozërsk 81 km south, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Центр города Сортавала (Center of Sortavala), Виктор Вячеславович Касаткин, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0441Fa8. Sortavala. Bastion Historical Park, Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0441Fa7. Sortavala. Bastion Historical Park, Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sortavala 2021 20210412 181132, Павел Черников ( Charoplet ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sortavala 20251103 114546, Bogdanov-62, CC BY 4.0
- WMF-UG-NWR-Hist wikimeetup in Sortavala 2020 — IMG 20201226 190504, ssr ( talk ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sortavala 20251103 114023, Bogdanov-62, CC BY 4.0
- Sortavala 2021 20210412 171413, Павел Черников ( Charoplet ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sortavala 2021 20210412 171409, Павел Черников ( Charoplet ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0440Fa. Sortavala. Bastion Historical Park, Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Residential building - Sortavala - 12 Antikainena Street, JukoFF, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0441Fa4. Sortavala. Bastion Historical Park, Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0442Fa. Sortavala. Bastion Historical Park, Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sortavala RunicSinger 1939, V.Hakulinen, Public domain
- Вид со стороны ул. Карельской, Тупякова Наталья, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0533Ac. Сортавала. Исторический парк "Бастiонъ", Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Дом Винтера, Serge Kolyzhev, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала. Рунопевец с кантеле, AlPot, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Жилой дом в Сортавале на закате, Vladimir Pankratov, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 0441Fa5. Сортавала. Исторический парк "Бастiонъ", Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0441Fa9. Сортавала. Исторический парк "Бастiонъ", Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, усыпальница Халлонблад, Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, ул.Карельская 60, Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, мемориал ВОВ, вид 2, Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (4), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (3), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, платформа Карельская, путевой указатель (1), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, мемориал ВОВ, вид 1, Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, платформа Карельская, вид 2, Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (5), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (6), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0515Ga. Сортавала. Исторический парк "Бастiонъ", Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (1), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (7), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (2), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0439Fa. Сортавала. Исторический парк "Бастiонъ", Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, платформа Карельская, вид 1, Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (8), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, Ладожская нерпочка на Карельской (9), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Сортавала, платформа Карельская, путевой указатель (2), Avsolov, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0441Fa2. Sortavala. Bastion Historical Park, Александровы АГ, CC BY-SA 4.0
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