Lahti

Named the European Green Capital of 2021, Lahti is a Finnish lakeland city in Päijät-Häme sitting on the southern shore of Lake Vesijärvi, with good rail connections from Helsinki. The city serves as headquarters for the Salpausselkä UNESCO Global Geopark, designated in 2022, and the surrounding ridge terrain offers scenic viewpoints across the lakes. The walkable centre has a café scene noted for its low-key character, and the city has a long record in environmental sustainability stretching back to at least 1990.

• Population121,622
• Nearest water from center1.6 km
• Nearest mountain from center0.9 km
• UNESCO within 50 km1