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Geonivora
Municipality

Nurmes

Located in Pielisen Karjala, North Karelia Coordinates: 63°34′41″ N 29°08′44″ E

Map showing the location of Nurmes Nurmes
Location in Finland
Population
9,419
9.4K
Elevation
108 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+02:00
Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
Places inside
1
listed under Nurmes
When to go
June–July
See the climate
Airports
KUO Kuopio Airport93 km
JOE Joensuu Airport105 km

About Nurmes

Nurmes is a municipality. Location: Pielisen Karjala, North Karelia. Population: 9,419. Elevation: 108 m.

From Wikipedia

Nurmes is a town and municipality of Finland, located in the county of North Karelia. The town has a population of 8,760 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 1,854.78 square kilometres (716.13 sq mi) of which 253.7 km2 (98.0 sq mi) is water. The population density is 3.65 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.5/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Juuka, Kuhmo, Lieksa, Rautavaara and Sotkamo. Nurmes railway station is the northern terminus of a twice-daily VR passenger train service from Joensuu.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built
1810
Area
2,401 km²
Official website
nurmes.fi

Source: Wikidata

Travel notes for Nurmes

From Wikivoyage

Nurmes is a town in North Karelia.

Understand+

Nurmes is a town of 8,000 inhabitants situated at the northern end of Lake Pielinen.

In the Middle Ages, Nurmes was part of the Novgorod Empire, and the area was the scene of several battles with Sweden. In the 17th century, Nurmes was incorporated into the Swedish Empire, but in 1721 it became part of Russia.

In the 19th century Nurmes developed rapidly with industry. Several sawmills, mills and iron foundries were established in the area, bringing new residents and prosperity to the town. Later, Nurmes also developed as a tourist town, attracted by its magnificent nature.

Get in+

By car:

Being pretty much off the beaten track, the easiest way to travel to and from Nurmes is by car.

By train:

The national railway operator VR runs a twice-daily train from Joensuu, the trip takes a little less than two hours. 1 Nurmes railway station is centrally located.

By bus:

There are coach connections from Joensuu, Kuopio, Oulu and Kajaani. Timetables from Matkahuolto.

By boat:

This is (besides Iisalmi) as far north as you get with a yacht via the Saimaa waterways. Welcome from anywhere! (10.5 or 12 m height restriction at Joensuu, though).

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Places bordering Nurmes

  • Juuka
  • Kuhmo
  • Lieksa
  • Rautavaara
  • Sotkamo

Population of Nurmes over time

Population of Nurmes over time
2007 8,816
2008 8,674
2009 8,573
2010 8,508
2011 8,359
2012 8,308
2013 8,191
2014 8,191
2015 7,996
2016 7,885
2017 7,765
2023 9,130

Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.

Climate of Nurmes

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: June–July.

This month · November

A cold month

Day -1° · Night -6° · Rain 55 mm

Hottest month
July (day 21°)
Coldest month
February (night -15°)
Wettest month
August (79 mm)
Driest month
February (33 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
Climate of Nurmes
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)-7°-6°0°5°13°19°21°18°12°5°-1°-5°
Average low (°C)-15°-15°-9°-4°2°9°11°9°4°0°-6°-12°
Precipitation (mm)393334334267727965575546

Other places to visit in this season: June July

How to get to Nurmes

The nearest airport is Kuopio Airport (KUO), 93 km to the southwest as the crow flies.

Airports

  • Kuopio Airport (KUO) Kuopio / Siilinjärvi 93 kmsouthwest
  • Joensuu Airport (JOE) Joensuu 105 kmsouth
  • Kajaani Airport (KAJ) Kajaani 106 kmnorthwest

Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.

Day trips from Nurmes

Within 100 km: 4 natural sites, 29 lakes, rivers and coasts.

25–60 km8 places

  • Tiilikkajärvi Nationalpark Natural site 44 kmW
  • Jonkeri Lake 48 kmNE
  • Iso Tipasjärvi Lake 40 kmN
  • Hiidenportti Nationalpark Natural site 33 kmN

60–100 km25 places

  • Nuasjärvi Lake 84 kmNW
  • Vuotjärvi Lake 62 kmSW
  • Patvinsuon Kansallispuisto Natural site 93 kmSE
  • Juurusvesi Lake 91 kmSW

Straight-line distances.

Places in Nurmes

1 place
  1. 1 Nurmes 8.9K

Bar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.

Sources & licences

Data last updated: · 2 independent sources