- Population
- 3,583
- 3.6K
- Elevation
- 111 m
- above sea level
- Local time
- UTC+02:00
- Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
- Places inside
- 2
- listed under Sysmä
- Airports
- JYV Jyväskylä Airport100 km
- TMP Tampere-Pirkkala Airport115 km
About Sysmä
Sysmä is a municipality. Location: Lahti, Paijat-Hame. Population: 3,583. Elevation: 111 m.
Sysmä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsysmæ]) is a municipality of Finland. It is situated in the Päijät-Häme region. The municipality has a population of 3,367 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 936.18 square kilometres (361.46 sq mi) of which 269.14 km2 (103.92 sq mi) is water. The population density is 5.05 inhabitants per square kilometre (13.1/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Asikkala, Hartola, Heinola, Kuhmoinen, Luhanka, and Padasjoki. The municipality speaks Finnish.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel notes for Sysmä
From Wikivoyage
Sysmä is a municipality in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. By the shore of Päijänne, it is a popular place to spend summer vacations, with associated events.
Understand+
The first settlers in the area came from Sääksmäki (in modern Valkeakoski); later the Tavastian population was mostly replaced by Savonians. According to historians, the word sysmä means either a "dark forest" or an "uninhabited wilderness." The oldest known mention of Sysmä is from 1442, when it was already a separate parish. Sysmä was a large parish, though most of its northern lands lacked a permanent population. Many parishes and, later, municipalities, have been formed partly or wholly in the area of former Sysmä, such as Jämsä and Hartola.
Today, Sysmä is well known for its many alternative homes, used principally as holiday homes.
Get in+
Sysmä centre is 16 km west of Highway 4, 165 km north-north-east from Helsinki. By road it is 175 km east of Tampere, 100 km south of Jyväskylä and 65 km north of Lahti.
By train:
The nearest railway station, in Lahti, has good train connections, especially from Helsinki.
By bus:
In winter, there are one or two connections from Lahti or Heinola in weekdays, none in Saturdays, one in Sunday evenings. The many coaches along Highway 4 stop in Hartola, 20 km away. There is an on-demand taxi service (kutsutaksi) between Hartola and Sysmä that provides a connecting link from coach services.
By boat:
The waterways via Päijänne extend from North Savonia to Kymenlaakso. Päijänne itself is Finland's second largest lake, at 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi) plus 330 km2 of islands, 2,800 km of shoreline, 120 km (75 mi) end to end. Across Päijänne to the west is Padasjoki, which shares Päijänne National Park with Sysmä. Cruises between Lahti and Jyväskylä often stop at Kalkkinen, 7 km south of the border to Sysmä, 30 km from the centre.
Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged
Places bordering Sysmä
- Asikkala
- Hartola
- Heinola
- Kuhmoinen
- Luhanka
- Padasjoki
Twin towns and sister cities of Sysmä
- Birštonas· Lithuania
Source: Wikidata. Only places with a page on this site are shown.
Population of Sysmä over time
| 2007 | 4,578 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4,509 | |
| 2009 | 4,391 | |
| 2010 | 4,305 | |
| 2011 | 4,261 | |
| 2012 | 4,178 | |
| 2013 | 4,139 | |
| 2014 | 4,146 | |
| 2015 | 4,040 | |
| 2016 | 3,953 | |
| 2017 | 3,859 | |
| 2023 | 3,496 |
Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.
Climate of Sysmä
Best months for sightseeingBest months for sightseeing: June–August.
This month · November
A cold month
Day 1° · Night -4° · Rain 53 mm
- Hottest month
- July (day 21°)
- Coldest month
- February (night -12°)
- Wettest month
- August (82 mm)
- Driest month
- February (28 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) | -5° | -5° | 1° | 7° | 15° | 20° | 21° | 19° | 13° | 7° | 1° | -3° |
| Average low (°C) | -11° | -12° | -7° | -2° | 4° | 10° | 12° | 10° | 6° | 2° | -4° | -9° |
| Precipitation (mm) | 39 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 53 | 80 | 82 | 59 | 59 | 53 | 46 |
How to get to Sysmä
The nearest airport is Jyväskylä Airport (JYV), 100 km to the north as the crow flies. For international flights: Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (TMP) (115 km). The nearest large city is Tallinn, 236 km to the south.
Airports
- Jyväskylä Airport (JYV) Jyväskylän Maalaiskunta 100 kmnorth
- Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (TMP) Tampere / Pirkkala 115 kmwest
- Lappeenranta Airport (LPP) Lappeenranta 138 kmeast
Nearby large cities
- Tallinn Population: 394K 236 kmsouth
- Umeå Population: 130.2K 383 kmnorthwest
Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.
Day trips from Sysmä
Within 100 km: 3 historic and cultural sites, 5 natural sites, 60 lakes, rivers and coasts.
0–25 km5 places
- Lake Päijänne Lake 16 kmNW
- Haukkasalo Island 25 kmSW
- Jääsjärvi Lake 22 kmNE
- Päijänteen Kansallispuisto Natural site 22 kmSW
25–60 km27 places
- Rutajärvi Lake 53 kmN
- Vesijako Lake 42 kmW
- Vehkajärvi Lake 46 kmW
- Lummenne Lake 39 kmW
60–100 km36 places
- Kuorevesi Lake 75 kmNW
- Leppävesi Lake 89 kmN
- Karikkoselkä Lake 85 kmN
- Kernaalanjärvi Lake 93 kmSW
Straight-line distances.
Places in Sysmä
2 placesBar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.
Cities & villages1
- Joutsmatka · Village
Nearby attractions & nature
Everything nearby-
Päijänteen Kansallispuisto Natural site, Paijat-Hame22 km SW
-
Jääsjärvi Lake, Finland22 km NE
-
Lake Päijänne Lake, Finland16 km NW
-
Haukkasalo Island, Padasjoki25 km SW
-
Rautavesi Lake, Paijat-Hame20 km NE
Sources & licences
Data last updated: · 2 independent sources