Aerial view of Niemenharju Travel Centre in winter on Highway 4 The Niemenharju dining hall and its timber architecture
#1 World's Best Gas Station 2017, Design Curial Magazine

The world's most beautiful service station.

A place to sleep, eat and step into nature, all under one roof by the pond, on Highway 4 in Pihtipudas.

Harjukatu 2, Pihtipudas, Finland Open 7–22 · Caravan 24/7

10hotel rooms with a pond view
44caravan pitches with electricity
6high-power charging points
7–22open every day, caravan 24/7
Dining

Eat well on the road

Breakfast buffet, à la carte, a café plus Kotipizza and ScanBurger under one roof. Open a section to see more.

BreakfastA buffet every morning, included in your stay. Joka päivä 7–10

The better way to start the day, 11,20 €. The buffet has cheeses, cold cuts, fresh vegetables, breads, eggs, fruit, yoghurt, porridge and Karelian pies. Hot dishes include scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. To drink, juices, milk and freshly brewed coffee and tea.

Breakfast is included with hotel, guesthouse and cottage stays. The selection varies by season.

À la carteSteaks, pastas and bowls from fresh ingredients. Joka päivä 11–21

Pick your steak, sauce and sides from the menu. Pasta, salad and bowl dishes are on the list too. Everything is made from fresh ingredients.

Local pike-perch fillet with lemon butter sauce
House favourite · every day 11–20

Local pike-perch fillet

Fresh pike-perch fillet with lemon butter sauce, mashed potato and roasted vegetables.

Café & bakeryFresh pastries and coffee by the pond. Joka päivä 7–22

Freshly brewed Presidentti and New York coffee with pastries baked in our own kitchen. In summer, coffee and cold drinks taste best on the terrace by the pond.

Fresh pastries in the café
KotipizzaOven-fresh pizza to eat in or take away. Joka päivä 10–21

Finland's best-loved pizza, oven-fresh, to eat in or take away. The classics and the seasonal specials are on the menu, and we are happy to build one to your own taste.

ScanBurgerBurgers and kebabs with the familiar flavours. Joka päivä 10–21

Burgers and kebabs with the familiar ScanBurger flavours. There is something for a small and a large appetite alike, and the favourite kebab with fries is always on the list.

Lunch

Lunch buffet every day 11–15

Two hot dishes every day, a generous salad and bread table, the dessert of the day and coffee. Pizza buffet at the weekend and a burger buffet on Sundays.

Weekdays Mon–Thu

Lunch buffet14,60 €
Children 7–12 yrs9,20 €

Weekend Fri–Sun

Pizza buffet Fri–Sat16,80 €
Burger buffet Sun16,80 €

Children under 7 one euro per year of age, ages 7–12 9,20 € With the loyalty card every 11th lunch is free, or −10 € off à la carte

The Niemenharju lunch buffet

This week's lunch menu

Week  From the buffet every day 11–15
  1. MondayMeatballs · Fish fingers · Chicken soup
  2. TuesdayBeef patty · Oven-baked salmon · Vegetable soup
  3. WednesdayPork in sauce · Chicken pasta · Salmon soup
  4. ThursdayKarelian stew · Fish loaf · Pea soup
  5. FridayPizza buffet · Generous salad table
  6. SaturdayPizza buffet · Generous salad table
  7. SundayBurger buffet · Generous salad table

Sample menu. Every lunch includes the salad and bread table, dessert and coffee. The list is updated weekly.

Stay

Stay the night by the pond

Hotel rooms, a guesthouse and camping cottages. Breakfast and sauna are included in room and cottage rates. The saunas are in the nearby service building.

Hotel room with a pond view

Hotel rooms

10 rooms in the main building, some with a pond view. Separate beds, a desk, a private bathroom and a TV. Breakfast and the sauna in the nearby service building are included.

  • 7 double and 3 single rooms
  • Breakfast and sauna included
  • Free wifi
Guesthouse room

Guesthouse

12 double rooms next to the main building, some take a third bed. Fridge, TV and a private bathroom. Some of the rooms are pet-friendly.

  • Breakfast and sauna included
  • Pet-friendly rooms available
  • Free wifi
The camping cottages from outside

Camping cottages

5 cottages for 2 to 4 people. A kitchenette with a fridge, two hotplates, a microwave and a kettle, plus a private shower and toilet. Linen and the final cleaning are included.

  • Own kitchenette and bathroom
  • Sauna nearby
  • Breakfast 8 € per person

Book your stay online Ask about groups and meetings

Caravan

Caravan site open all year

44 pitches with electricity, most of them drive-through, right next to all the services. The service building has a sauna, a kitchen, laundry, a chemical toilet disposal point and wifi. Tent pitches are available.

Site fee per night (incl. electricity, toilet, shower, sauna / 1 person)35 €
Additional adult per night6 €
Child 6–15 yrs per night2 €

Open 24/7, 1 Jan to 31 Dec

The caravan site at Niemenharju
Services

Everything for the journey

Fuel and high-power EV charging, a shop and souvenirs, e-bike rental and things to do outdoors.

Fuel & EV chargingNeste fuels and high-power charging, 24 h. Auki 24 h

Neste fuels from the automated pumps around the clock: Futura 95 E10, Futura 98 E5 and Diesel. High-power EV charging has 6 points with a CCS2 connector, up to 300 kW per point, and a total of 600 kW shared dynamically between users.

Pay with the Neste app, a debit or credit card, a company card or a gift card.

Shop & souvenirsEveryday groceries and Pihtiputaan Mummo treats. Auki 7–22

The shop carries everyday groceries, drinks and products from our own bake-off point. For souvenirs there are local treats such as Pihtiputaan Mummo products.

In season we also sell beef and lamb from nearby farms, and pike-perch and lake fish from a local professional fisherman.

E-bike rentalHelkama SE10 bikes with helmet and lock. Collected from reception

Helkama SE10 e-bikes suit riders of every level. A helmet, a lock and a tracker are included. Bikes are picked up at reception.

2 hours25 €
4 hours40 €
Full day80 €
Helkama SE10 e-bikes
Things to do & natureFishing, a swimming beach, and dogs are welcome. Dogs welcome

Fishing and guided fishing trips, a swimming beach, a barbecue shelter, a playground, a ball court and meeting rooms. Dogs are welcome on the site.

Salamajärvi National Park is about an hour's drive away and Pihtiputaan Mummonmökki is right next door.

Aerial view of Niemenharju Travel Centre
Architecture

A forest under one roof

The main building was completed in 2016 and designed by Studio Puisto Arkkitehdit Oy. The guiding idea is a forest: inside, 24 tree-shaped glulam columns rise up to carry the wide projecting canopy. The pond and the surrounding ridge landscape were the inspiration.

A CLT timber structure and large windows bring the forest and the pond indoors. The camping buildings are stained black so that they blend into the surrounding woods. In 2017 the result was named the world's most beautiful service station and won the Finnish Wood Award.

Read more:

The world's most beautiful service station

A British architecture magazine named Niemenharju the most beautiful service station in the world in 2017. The panel praised the high standard of Finnish timber architecture, in which the building and the landscape merge. The same year it won the Finnish Wood Award.

The building and its scale

The main building of roughly 1,100 square metres holds a 120-seat restaurant, rest facilities for travellers and ten hotel rooms. The grounds add five camping cottages and the caravan site. The timber columns rise to about eight metres.

Part of a family business

In spring 2019 Niemenharju passed to the Majala family, as did Matin ja Liisan Asema. The family now serves travellers on both Highway 4 and Highway 5, with the same attitude and heart as since 1981.

Reviews

What guests say

★★★★ 4,0 / 5 · over 2000 Google reviews · Booking 8.2 / 10

★★★★★
A very pleasant visit. Real care had gone into the food (meatballs and mash, and a goat cheese salad) and into the salad table. The service was genuinely friendly.
TTiina Takala
★★★★★
Good location and tidy facilities. Everything a motorhome or caravan traveller needs is here. A good stop if you travel with dogs, since there is a dog park on the site.
HHarri Siuro
★★★★★
The food is a full five stars. You rarely get home cooking of this taste and quality at a service station. I cannot comment on the rooms, but the food was better than usual.
KKirsi Laakkonen
★★★★★
Excellent lunch. Special mention and thanks for the oranges peeled right down to the flesh and for the pancakes baked in house.
AAnsku Heino
★★★★
A travel centre with a service station, a hotel and a camping area. The rooms are tidy and quiet. Breakfast was service-station level, the basics were there. Good value for money. A lake right next door for a swim.
JJarmo Nyman
★★★★★
Familiar and dependable. We use it often travelling down from the north, with the dog. Good pizzas and burgers.
PPetri · Booking
★★★★★
Excellent. Good breakfast, with plenty of gluten-free options too.
HHuppunen · Booking
★★★★
A good place to stop overnight on the way north. Breakfast is excellent and varied, the room is basic but perfectly fine. Points for thinking about pets. A fine spot in summer, with a big dog park.
SSami · Booking
★★★★
It works. No glamour, but an excellent place to sleep the night. Breakfast exceeded expectations.
HHansson · Booking
★★★★★
Very easy to reach. Friendly staff. A clean and quiet room with a comfortable bed. Sauna, restaurant and an electric post for the car. A generous breakfast.
TTeresa · Booking
★★★★★
An excellent location on the way north. Not luxury, but good value. Breakfast was very good and the staff were really friendly.
KKaarin · Booking
Find Us

Harjukatu 2,
Pihtipudas

Right on Highway 4 (E75) in Pihtipudas, by the pond. An easy stop between the south and Lapland, with large parking areas for coaches and trucks too. Pull in and come inside.

Restaurant & caféJoka päivä 7–22
BreakfastJoka päivä 7–10
Lunch buffetJoka päivä 11–15
À la carteJoka päivä 11–21
Kotipizza & ScanBurgerJoka päivä 10–21
Fuel & caravan site24/7
Harjukatu 2, Pihtipudas, Finland
Contact

Book or ask us

Room bookings, groups and coaches, meeting rooms or anything else: send us a message and we will reply soon.

We usually reply within one business day.

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Welcome!

See you on Highway 4, in Pihtipudas.