- Population
- 9,876
- 9.9K
- Elevation
- 67 m
- above sea level
- Local time
- UTC+02:00
- Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
- Places inside
- 3
- listed under Kitee
- Airports
- SVL Savonlinna Airport52 km
- JOE Joensuu Airport74 km
About Kitee
Kitee is a municipality. Location: Keski-Karjala, North Karelia. Population: 9,876. Elevation: 67 m.
Kitee (Finnish: [ˈkiteː]; Swedish: Kides) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) south of Joensuu and about 175 kilometres (109 mi) northeast of Lappeenranta. The municipality has a population of 9,397 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 1,724.41 square kilometres (665.80 sq mi) of which 275.61 km2 (106.41 sq mi) is water.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel notes for Kitee
From Wikivoyage
Kitee is a municipality of almost 10,000 people (2021) in North Karelia, Finland.
Understand+
One of the most famous aspects of Kitee's identity is its association with heavy metal music. The town is the birthplace of the internationally renowned symphonic metal band Nightwish, which was formed in 1996 by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen. Today, Nightwish remains one of the most successful bands in the genre, having sold millions of albums worldwide. Fans of the band often travel to Kitee to see the places where the members grew up and first started playing together.
Beyond its musical legacy, Kitee is also known for its beautiful natural scenery. The town is situated on the shores of Lake Kiteenjärvi. Popular recreational activities in the area include hiking, fishing, and boating, as well as cross-country skiing and ice fishing during the winter months.
Get in+
By train:
Kitee has a railway station, 7 km from the centre. There is no connection bus between the railway station and the centre. Walttl line 500 goes between the railway station and the centre of Kitee. Line between Kitee and Rääkkylä can be used if the schedules are suitable. See the schedules for trains that have a connecting bus service. Timetables are available from VR website.
1 Kitee Railway Station, Asematie 3 (7 km from the centre). (updated Oct 2026)
By bus:
Coaches from Joensuu (Waltti line 500) and Savonlinna. Onnibus.com has a direct route from Helsinki, but it comes and goes, so check if it operates from Onnibus web site. Joukkis website has information about coaches from Joensuu and Savonlinna.
Kitee belongs to JOJO Waltti fare zone D.
Waltti line 500 from Joensuu and Joukkis line between Joensuu and Savonlinna serve Kitee centre, but Onnibus line between Helsinki and Joensuu stops at road 6 junction, 8 km from the centre.
By plane:
The nearest airports are Joensuu (70 km (43 mi)) and Savonlinna (85 km (53 mi)).
Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged
Places bordering Kitee
- Parikkala
- Rääkkylä
- Savonlinna
- Tohmajärvi
Population of Kitee over time
| 2008 | 9,477 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 9,401 | |
| 2010 | 9,263 | |
| 2011 | 9,153 | |
| 2012 | 11,341 | |
| 2013 | 11,197 | |
| 2014 | 11,143 | |
| 2015 | 10,832 | |
| 2016 | 10,719 | |
| 2017 | 10,486 | |
| 2022 | 9,727 | |
| 2023 | 9,689 |
Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.
Climate of Kitee
Best months for sightseeingBest months for sightseeing: June–August.
This month · November
A cold month
Day 1° · Night -4° · Rain 52 mm
- Hottest month
- July (day 22°)
- Coldest month
- February (night -14°)
- Wettest month
- August (81 mm)
- Driest month
- May (31 mm)
Bars: average monthly low and high temperature. Below: precipitation. Monthly averages for 1970–2000 at about 18 km resolution, adjusted for elevation. Highlighted months are mild and relatively dry. Source: WorldClim 2.1 (CC BY 4.0).
Show values as a table
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°C) | -6° | -6° | 0° | 6° | 14° | 20° | 22° | 19° | 13° | 6° | 1° | -4° |
| Average low (°C) | -13° | -14° | -9° | -3° | 3° | 9° | 12° | 10° | 5° | 1° | -4° | -10° |
| Precipitation (mm) | 41 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 59 | 68 | 81 | 62 | 59 | 52 | 51 |
How to get to Kitee
The nearest airport is Savonlinna Airport (SVL), 52 km to the west as the crow flies. For international flights: Lappeenranta Airport (LPP) (143 km).
Airports
- Savonlinna Airport (SVL) Savonlinna 52 kmwest
- Joensuu Airport (JOE) Joensuu 74 kmnorth
- Lappeenranta Airport (LPP) Lappeenranta 143 kmsouthwest
Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.
Day trips from Kitee
Within 100 km: 3 natural sites, 26 lakes, rivers and coasts.
0–25 km3 places
- Puruvesi Lake 25 kmSW
- Kuha Island 23 kmNW
- Kiteenjärvi Lake 17 kmNE
25–60 km9 places
- Pyhäselkä Lake 58 kmN
- Oravisalo Island 44 kmNW
- Vuokalanjärvi Lake 58 kmNW
- Särkijärvi Lake 38 kmN
60–100 km17 places
- Viiksinselkä Lake 82 kmNE
- Suurijärvi Lake 67 kmNW
- Kermajärvi Lake 81 kmNW
- Höytiäinen Lake 86 kmN
Straight-line distances.
Places in Kitee
3 placesBar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.
Lakes, rivers & coasts1
- Kuha · Island
Nearby attractions & nature
Everything nearby-
Kiteenjärvi Lake, North Karelia17 km NE
-
Puruvesi Lake, South Savo25 km SW
Sources & licences
Data last updated: · 2 independent sources