Explore the area

The station area serves as Kuopio’s calling card, linking the city centre square and Savilahti. It also connects to Tahko and other tourist destinations. The area has developed into a modern urban and travel hub, featuring high-rise buildings, services, and public squares.

In addition to transport and passenger services, Kuopion Portti offers residential, office, commercial, and service premises. In total, 50,000 square metres of floor space have been built for various uses.

Kuopio Travel Center | hellokuopio.fi

“Mualiman napa”, also known as Kuopio Market Square, is located in the heart of the city and easily accessible to everyone. The lively square is surrounded by pedestrian streets closed to traffic, and at its centre stands the traditional Market Hall. With nearly 200 years of vibrant history, it’s no wonder the square holds a special place in the hearts of Kuopio residents. Spend a relaxed summer day at the square, enjoying ice cream and local favourites like meat pies.

Kuopio Market Hall is definitely worth a visit. Originally completed in 1902, the hall is home to charming small boutiques where you can find delicious baked goods, fine cheeses, unique handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as a wide selection of sweets, specialty coffees, and teas.

The development of lake tourism in Kuopio is gaining strong momentum. In collaboration with local businesses, the City of Kuopio has been enabling improved services along nearby shores for both boaters and others enjoying Lake Kallavesi.

The breakwater, built by the city and featuring walking areas, leisure spaces, and guest berths, has been widely praised. New restaurant boats have also arrived at the harbour, complementing the cruise offerings of inland waterway vessels.

All of this is seamlessly connected to Kuopio’s harbour square, which enables a wide range of events to be organised. The area’s event offering is further enhanced by Väinölänniemi, located within walking distance, where you’ll find diverse sports and restaurant services, as well as a city beach with diving towers.

In Niirala, Kuopio, the Kuntolaakso area features a swimming pool, an ice arena, and a parking facility with 350 spaces.

The swimming pool has been designed as a national-level competition venue with spectator seating, offering excellent facilities for a wide range of aquatic activities. The Kuntolaakso swimming pool is second largest in Finland based on its surface area.

The legendary Kuopio ice arena, also known by the name of Niiralan monttu, provides facilities for playing ice hockey, ice skating and rink ball during the winter season. In the summer, the arena serves as a great environment for fairs, exhibitions and concerts.

The ice arena, swimming pool, and parking facility have been built to function both as a unified complex and as independent facilities. The swimming pool can operate normally even during ice hockey league games, and vice versa. The use of the swimming pool is also scheduled so that competitions do not cause unreasonable disruption to the ice arena.

Located next to Kuopio city centre, the Savilahti area is developing into a major hub for living, education, and business. It is not only about creating a new district but also about building an internationally recognised centre of top-level expertise. The goal is to develop Savilahti into a functional, attractive, and unique environment – the most interesting learning and innovation ecosystem in Europe.

Today, Savilahti is already home to nearly 300 knowledge-based companies, several major research institutes, Kuopio University Hospital (KYS), and a unique multi-level campus formed by the University of Eastern Finland, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, and Savo Vocational College. Kuopio’s strengths in health technology, bio, pharmaceutical and environmental sciences, as well as ICT expertise, have fostered numerous startups and growth companies, offering excellent collaboration opportunities for businesses and investors. The entire innovation environment is designed to maximise synergies between top experts working in close proximity.

Savilahiti embraces the full cycle of everyday life. Its planning is guided by a 360-degree approach, where education, research, work, and a strong business environment seamlessly integrate with housing and leisure. Through the “Valo” concept—covering lighting, design, culture, and art—the area is brought to life around the clock and throughout the year.

Well-being, smart solutions, low-carbon development, a culture of experimentation, and sustainable mobility are key principles embedded in all planning. Innovative ideas are used to develop solutions for services, energy efficiency, and parking, creating new business opportunities for various stakeholders. In Savilahti, diverse living and leisure options are combined with healthy construction and the latest technologies, while energy and mobility solutions are designed to meet future sustainability needs.

Savilahti is being built collaboratively as a smart and sustainable urban district. When multidisciplinary expertise and diverse ideas come together, they generate new solutions, innovations, and business networks.

LUOLA Sports and Event Centre

Completed in 2024, LUOLA is Savilahti’s sports and event centre. It is Finland’s largest and one of Europe’s most modern dual-use underground civil defence shelters, with capacity for nearly 7,000 people.
The multi-purpose facility serves a wide range of users, including schoolchildren, students, sports clubs, and residents. It also provides a versatile venue for events such as concerts, seminars, tournaments, league matches, and international competitions.

Investment opportunity

The development of this new district offers extensive opportunities to utilise smart city and data-driven solutions to support sustainable development and improve everyday life.

Contact

Kuopion kaupunki / project leader Antti Niskanen, antti.niskanen@kuopio.fi

Bellanranta, located along the iconic Saaristokatu road about two kilometres from Kuopio Market Square, has developed into a vibrant hub for activities and experiences. In just a few years, the former industrial area has transformed into a centre for leisure and tourism on the shores of Lake Kallavesi.

The area features, among others, a spa, two large gyms, a trampoline arena, 15 indoor and three outdoor padel courts, a city golf course, two microbreweries, an indoor karting centre, and the Lignell & Piispanen visitor centre. Boaters are served by a marina fuel station offering fuel at the same price as for cars.

Bellanranta brings together active people, experience seekers, families, groups, and business visitors—all within a compact area, year-round. The area is easily accessible by car, local bus, boat, cruise, or Vilkku city bike.

Bellanranta | bellanranta.com

Matkus is the only Ingka Centres shopping centre in Finland, opened in Kuopio in 2012 along Highway 5. The area is located in southern Kuopio, in Hiltulanlahti, just north of Lake Matkusjärvi, approximately 11 kilometres south of the city centre. Matkus takes its name from the nearby lake, which connects Northern and Southern Kallavesi – just as Matkus connects people and encounters.

Matkus is home to nearly 80 shops as well as an IKEA store, all under one roof. Visitors can also spend time together in the Olopuisto family park located outside the shopping centre, designed to cater to a wide range of users. A variety of events are organised at Matkus throughout the year, and the centre actively participates in community activities. Matkus attracts around three million visitors annually.

In addition to the shopping centre, the area features a Juustoportti service station, and a circular economy shopping centre is set to open in autumn 2026.

Pieni Neulamäki, located along Highway 5 south of Kuopio city centre, has become one of the most sought-after business areas in the region. Its excellent location has attracted several logistics companies, including Inex Partners, Savon Kuljetus, and Valio Aimo. The area is also home to a Gasum gas filling station, and the food industry is represented by Kalavapriikki Oy.

Thanks to its strategic location, Pieni Neulamäki is also of great interest to property investors. Numerous small businesses have found rental premises in the area. The diversity of the business environment is further reflected by the presence of health technology companies such as Bittium Oyj and Medikro Oy.

Pieni Neulamäki is a key focus area for future business construction in Kuopio. The area, which covers nearly 400 hectares, was formerly a Finnish Defence Forces depot site.

The area benefits from excellent transport connections, with direct access from Highway 5 via the Pitkälahti interchange. It can be reached from the Helsinki metropolitan area within a single drive. A gas filling station for transport fuel is located in the area at Kranaattikuja 2, 70800 Kuopio.

In brief:

• Located south of Kuopio along Highway 5
• A growing and developing business area
• Plots available in various sizes
• Versatile zoning also enables retail operations
• Adjacent to the Kylmämäki industrial area

Tahko is growing into a year-round destination offering a wide range of services. Continuous development is central to Tahko’s approach, with a strong focus on meeting the evolving needs of visitors. Digital connectivity, extensive route networks, accessibility, quality, and memorable experiences are at the heart of Tahko’s ongoing development. New investments continue to attract more operators and visitors to the area.

Tahko also provides an excellent setting for sustainable tourism. Its beautiful nature and diverse lake landscapes can be enjoyed responsibly. Sustainability is being advanced through systematic, environmentally respectful actions by local residents and businesses. Tahko’s goal is to preserve the environment while enabling all visitors to do the same. In recognition of this work, Tahko has been awarded the prestigious Sustainable Travel Finland label.

Tahko | tahko.com