The town

The municipality is unilingually Finnish (only 0.15% of Mikkelians speak Swedish as their first language).

The centre of Mikkeli is located on a low rise, set back about 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the shore of a bay of Lake Saimaa. There are several small lakes in and around the town. The lakes of the eastern parts of the town belong to the water system of River Vuoksi. In the west the town reaches Lake Puula that belongs to the water system of River Kymijoki. The town centre is built around a large market place, where markets are held twice each week.

There is an observation tower on Naisvuori Hill which visitors are allowed to climb for a small fee. The hill is a rocky outcrop to the North of the town centre and the tower was built as part of a wartime communications and observation network.

Mikkeli town centre

Mikkeli has its own airport (domestic flights only), railway station (five trains to and from Helsinki, daily) and a concert hall. The latter is a genuinely world class facility, built in 1988 to commemorate Mikkeli's 150th anniversary as a town. The concert hall is the home of St. Michel Strings chamber orchestra, and also provides the main venue for the annual Mikkeli International Music Festival, which attracts musicians and audiences from across Europe. For example Mariinsky Opera led by Valery Gergiev performs there regularly.

The University of Applied Sciences is now the largest single employer in the town. It employs around 400 full-time teaching staff plus around 900 support and services staff. Other local employers operate in the forestry, paper, printing, farming and light manufacturing sectors. The Mikpoli complex houses many local companies. Mikkeli is also a major holiday resort within the Finnish lakeland area.

Mikkeli is famous for its nightlife. There are a plenty of bars, pubs and clubs in it. The most popular clubs are Lounge Bar Kharma, Vaakuna, Wilhelm Club & Bar and Amarillo.