Tampere Overview

A striking example of successful urban renewal, the city of Tampere (pop. 205,000) has converted its old brick factories into innovative museums and attractive new spaces for restaurants and housing. As telecommunications and information technology edge out textile and metal plants, an attractive city has emerged to give Turku a run for its money as Finland’s second capital.

Transportation And Practical Information.  Trains go to Helsinki (2hr., 1-2 per hr., €26-32), Oulu (5hr., 9 per day, €55-65), and Turku (less than 2hr., 1 per 2hr., €22-25). Most city buses (€2) run through the main square on Hämeenkatu. Ryanair (☎0200 39000; www.ryanair.com) flies to Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (TMP). The tourist office is in the train station. (☎5656 6800; www.gotampere.fi. Open Jan.-May M-F 9am-5pm, June-Aug. M-F 9am-8pm and Sa-Su 9:30am-5pm, Sept. M-F 9am-5pm and Sa-Su 9:30am-5pm, and Oct.-Dec. M-F 9am-5pm and Sa-Su 11am-3pm.) Postal Code: 33100.

Accommodations And Food. Newly renovated Hostel Sofia (HI) , Tuomiokirkonkatu 12A, has comfortable, brightly colored dorms. (☎03 254 4020. Breakfast €6.50. Linens and towels included. Free Wi-Fi. Reception 8-10am and 4-11pm. Dorms €24-25; singles €45; doubles €65. €2.50 HI discount. MC/V.) Bus #1 (€2) goes to Camping Härmälä , Leirintäkatu 8, where tightly packed cabins sit on the shore. (☎03 265 1355; www.lomaliitto.fi. Open from May to late Aug. €2-4 per person, €10-12 per tent site. Cabins €30-69. Electricity €5. In summer Härmälä also offers a hotel. MC/V.)

Restaurants fill the center of the city, lining Hämeenkatu and Aleksanterinkatu. The city’s oldest and most lauded pizzeria, Napoli , Verkatehtaankatu 7, serves customized stir-fry for under €9. (☎050 559 7483. Open M-Th 11am-9pm, F 11am-11pm, Sa noon-11pm, Su 1-9pm.)

Sights. The delightfully haphazard Vapriikki Museum Center, Veturiaukio 4, has collections that run the gamut from shoe history to Finnish hockey. (☎5656 6966; www.tampere.fi/english/vapriikki. Open Tu and Th-Su 10am-6pm, W 11am-8pm. €5, students €1. Special exhibitions €6-8, students €2-3; includes museum admission. AmEx/MC/V.) The Finlayson Complex, named for Scottish cotton magnate James Finlayson, houses the Media Museum Rupriikki, with interesting exhibits on the history of mass communication and news. (☎5656 6411; www.tampere.fi/mediamuseo/english. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm. €5, students €1. AmEx/MC/V.) The complex also houses the world’s oldest Spy Museum, Satakunnankatu 18, where you can relish Cold War espionage. (☎03 212 3007; www.vakoilumuseo.fi. Open June-Aug. M-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11am-5pm; Sept.-May daily 11am-5pm. €7, students €5.50. Cash only.) The frescoes of the Tuomiokirkko, Tuomiokirkonkatu 3 (open daily 9am-6pm), and its gorgeous stained glass windows, are unmatched in beauty across the city—except by the vaulted wood ceiling of the Aleksanterinkirkko, on Pyynikin kirkkopuisto. (Open daily June-Aug. 10am-5pm; Sept.-May 11am-3pm.) Take a short hike past Aleksanterinkirkko to Tampere’s western edge and the Pyynikki Observation Tower, which offers views of the city and the surrounding nature preserve. Enjoy a traditional munkki, a doughnut-like pastry (€1.40), at its cafe. (☎212 3247. Open daily 9am-8pm. €1 to go to the top. Cash only.) The city’s northern lakefront is home to Särkänniemi theme park, which has an observation tower of its own. (☎713 0200; www.sarkanniemi.fi. “Adventure Key” grants admission to all attractions, including rides €30, online €28 (winter €20). Hours vary; check website. MC/V.) Off the southern shore is Viikinsaari Island, a popular spot for picnics, short hikes, or just relaxing on the beach. Ferries depart from Laukontori harbor every hour on the hour (June-Aug. Tu-Th 10am-10:30pm, F-Sa 10am-12:30am, Su noon-7:30pm; some M in July 10am-10:30pm) and return every hour on the half-hour (20min., €8, students €7).

Festivals And Nightlife. Tampere’s Short Film Festival draws international entries (www.tamperefilmfestival.fi; early March). Mid-July’s Tammerfest (www.tammerfest.net) fills the city with music, while August’s International Theater Festival puts on Finnish works (www.teatterikesa.fi). For nightlife, Hämeenkatu, Aleksanterinkatu, Itsenäisyydenkatu, and the surrounding streets bustle with energy.   Cafe Europa, Aleksanterinkatu 29, is in a bohemian lounge. (☎223 5526; www.cafeeuropa.net. Beer €3.50-5.50. Cider €4.50-6. ISIC discount. Open M-Tu and Su noon-1am, W-Th noon-2am, F-Sa noon-3am. AmEx/MC/V.)