The Lake Päijänne basin starts from Lake Vesijärvi in Lahti and continues north as far as the city of Jyväskylä. Altogether the lake covers an area of 1 118 km2. The largest open bodies of water in the lake are “Asikkalanselkä”, “Tehinselkä” and “Judinsalonselkä” in the southern part and “Vanhanselkä” and “Ristinselkä” in the northern part. The largest islands in the southern part are Virmailansaari (situated in Padasjoki) and Salonsaari (situated in Asikkala). You get to Lake Päijänne from Lake Vesijärvi via Vääksy Canal and from Lake Päijänne to Lake Ruotsalainen via Kalkkinen Canal.
A treat for nature tourists, Päijänne National Park is located in southern Lake Päijänne and contains steep rocks, sandy eskers, isolated lagoons and small islets. Sightseeing spots on land you can find Päijätsalo lookout towers or Kullasvuori lookout towers close to Padasjoki marina. Kullasvuori nature track leads to Kullasvuori lookout towers. Address: Kullasvuorenkuja 2, 17500 Padasjoki. Video of Kullasvuori nature track and lookout towers. Visitors can enjoy the magnificent lake scenery and Päijänne National Park either by joining a cruise (with M/S Elbatar in Padasjoki and Vääksy, M/S Jenni – Maria II in Sysmä, and Päijänne-Risteilyt Hilden from Lahti), by taking a water taxi, by canoeing or with your own boat.
