Lahti is a city of about 120,000 people in southern Finland, roughly 100 km north of Helsinki — an hour by the fast train. It sits at the southern end of a lake system and at the foot of the Salpausselkä ridge, which gives the city its identity as a winter sports hub.
The Lahti ski jumps are visible from across the city and host the annual Lahti Ski Games, one of the biggest Nordic skiing events on the calendar. The Sibelius Hall, an architecturally striking concert venue built mostly of glass and timber, hosts the Sinfonia Lahti orchestra. The town hall by Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto's Church of the Cross add a small but well-curated trail of 20th-century architecture. For city breaks, Lahti is less compelling than Tampere or Turku, but as a base for the lake district it's practical and easy to reach.