Vyborg has been Swedish, Russian, Finnish and Russian again, and you can read every one of those layers in its stones. The Swedes founded a castle here in 1293 on a small island at the head of a long bay, as an outpost against Novgorod, and its tall grey tower of Saint Olaf still stands over the water, the oldest landmark in town. Peter the Great took the city in 1710, Finland made it its second city in the early twentieth century, and the Soviet Union took it in the wars of 1940 and 1944, when most of the Finnish population left.
The old town is a maze of narrow streets, some still cobbled, with medieval towers, Swedish-era merchant houses, Russian imperial buildings and fine Finnish art nouveau, much of it in a state somewhere between restored and crumbling. The Round Tower on the market square is a sixteenth century artillery tower, and the Clock Tower is a short walk away. On the edge of town the Alvar Aalto library, a landmark of modernist architecture built in the 1930s, has been carefully restored and is worth seeing. Just to the north lies Monrepos, a romantic landscape park of granite rocks, pine woods and pavilions above the bay.
As the finish of the coastal ride from St Petersburg, Vyborg is a satisfying end. The final approach through forest and past lakes is pleasant, and the first view of the castle tower across the water tells you that you have arrived. In town, take care on the cobbles, especially in the wet, and watch for tram lines and pedestrians who wander freely in the old streets. Parking is easy enough near the castle or the market square.
Vyborg has around eighty thousand people and every service: fuel, workshops, hotels, restaurants and cafes. The local speciality worth trying is the Vyborg pretzel, a sweet, cardamom-scented ring that has been baked here since Swedish times. Allow a few hours to explore the old town and the castle, and if you can, stay the night. The evening light over the bay, with the tower reflected in the still water, is the perfect close to a day on the coast.