Posio

Posio combines a distinctive cultural destination with nature experiences in Southern Lapland. At the Pentik-mäki Cultural Centre, ceramic art and Finnish design take centre stage; the municipality also offers hiking trails, national park scenery and Lake Livojärvi as further highlights for your trip. You can choose whether culture, outdoor activities or both will shape your stay.

Ceramics and design at Pentik-mäki

Pentik-mäki is a cultural attraction located right next to the Pentik ceramics factory. The cultural centre covers a total of 2,500 square metres. At the Anu Pentik Gallery, you can discover ceramic art and Finnish design; it also features a ceramic installation measuring eight metres high and twenty metres wide. The Pentik Home Museum displays some of Pentik’s earliest ceramics and leather products, offering a glimpse into the brand’s development.

Admission to the exhibitions and museums at the Pentik-mäki Cultural Centre is free. The centre has been designed to be accessible; it has a disabled lift and accessible toilets. These specific facilities may be useful to know about when planning how to get around during your visit.

Miki Studio is also part of Posio’s cultural offering. Since 2018, the studio has operated a combined shop, exhibition space and workplace in the centre of Posio. During a trip to Posio, you can make a ceramic snowy owl there and take it home from Lapland as a souvenir.

Riisitunturi and trails in the municipality

Riisitunturi National Park is located in Posio, in Southern Lapland. Its landscape is characterised by fells and slope mires; Riisitunturi is also known for its spruce trees laden with snow in winter. The park has more than 40 kilometres of marked hiking trails. Hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are permitted there. Cycling is permitted on the Riisitunturi Multipurpose Track during the snowy season from February to April. Posio also has numerous hiking trails and cross-country ski tracks.

Another nature destination in the municipality is the Korouoma Gorge Valley, an excursion destination open year-round. In 2018, 28,300 visits were recorded there. The Korouoma Nature Reserve is also located in Posio. At Lake Livojärvi, you’ll find sandy beaches stretching for kilometres, offering scenery quite different from the fells and slope mires of Riisitunturi National Park.

The Wilderness Farmer’s Path runs along the main road through Posio’s villages and features 35 themed information points. You can explore these points using various modes of transport; the path is suitable for the whole family. When planning your trip to Posio, you can consider this as a distinct way to explore the area, separate from the hiking trails in the national park.

Local specialities and a July event

Posio flatbread is part of the area’s culinary character. It has been baked there for centuries using barley flour and water. At the white sandy beach of Lake Livojärvi, Säikkä cottage café serves pancakes baked over an open fire. These offer different local experiences: a traditional bread classic and a sweet speciality by the lake.

The Muikkumarkkinat is Posio’s largest event and takes place in July. If you’re considering a visit that month, you can factor the market into your seasonal travel plans.

For more information on places in the area, see the pages for Nuorgam, Räisälä, Pello, Rautuskylä, Sodankylä, Kemi, Savukoski and Muonio.

For the broader travel overview: Lapland.