Lahti's main sights cluster around the ski-jump complex on the western slope of the Salpausselkä ridge and the city centre below it. The Saarinen-designed town hall, the Church of the Cross by Alvar Aalto, and the elegant glass-and-timber Sibelius Hall are all within a short walk of the railway station. A long lakefront path runs along the southern shore of Vesijärvi.
Out of town, the surrounding lakes and forests are the point. Hiking, lake swimming, cycling and — in winter — skiing are easily arranged from the city.