City centre
First-timersAround the station and Hämeenkatu: the rapids, the mills, the market hall and most beds.
Tampere city guide
Things To Do In Tampere
A red-brick mill town between two lakes, with more public saunas than any city on earth and a set of rapids running through the middle of it.
1
Hostels in the city
9.4
Average, from 1,114 reviews
18 m
The drop of the Tammerkoski rapids through the centre
1906
Rajaportti, the oldest working public sauna in Finland
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Lakes, one either side of the city
The sauna capital, in a former factory town
Tampere sits on an isthmus between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, with the Tammerkoski rapids dropping eighteen metres between them straight through the centre.
That drop is why the city exists. Nineteenth-century mills were built along the water to use it, and the red-brick Finlayson cotton works and the Tampella complex are now cinemas, restaurants, museums and offices — a conversion the city did early and did well.
It calls itself the sauna capital of the world and has the public saunas to back the claim, including Rajaportti, which has been in continuous use since 1906 and is the oldest working public sauna in the country.
Finns will also tell you Tampere has the best food in Finland, and the second thing they will tell you is about mustamakkara, a black sausage eaten with lingonberry jam, which is an acquired taste honestly acquired.
Two days.
Where to stay
A compact centre on the isthmus, with the lakes ten minutes either side.
Finlayson and Tampella
Mills and cultureNorth along the rapids: converted red-brick factories holding museums, cinemas and restaurants.
Pispala
Views and saunasWest on the ridge between the lakes: wooden houses, the best views in the city and Rajaportti sauna.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 1 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Tampere
Take a public sauna, and take the old one. Rajaportti in Pispala has run since 1906, is wood-fired, costs about €10, and is a working neighbourhood sauna rather than anything built for visitors. Kaupinoja and Rauhaniemi on the lakeshore let you go straight into the water, ice hole included in winter.
Walk the Tammerkoski rapids through the centre, with the mill buildings on both banks and bridges over the drop.
Climb the Pyynikki observation tower, about €5, for the view over both lakes from the highest gravel ridge in the world — and eat a doughnut at the café underneath it, which is a genuine local institution.
The Moomin Museum at about €15 holds the original Tove Jansson illustrations and is better than a childhood-nostalgia visit implies.
Vapriikki, in an old engineering works, packs several museums into one ticket at about €15.
Free things
Free things to do in Tampere
The rapids and the mill district are free to walk, and the Finlayson and Tampella courtyards are open.
Pispala ridge is free and has the best views in the city — wooden houses down both slopes, a lake at either end.
Both lakeshores are free, with swimming spots, walking paths and public grills in summer.
The Pyynikki ridge forest, the highest esker in the world, has free marked trails through pine woods above the city.
Everyman's Right applies here as across Finland: you may walk, swim and pick berries and mushrooms on most uncultivated land whoever owns it, which makes the forests and lakeshores genuinely open.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Tampere
Finns rate Tampere's food highly and the weekday lunch buffet is the way to test it cheaply — €11 to €15 between about eleven and two.
The market hall, the largest in the Nordics, is the best cheap lunch in the city at €8 to €14, and it is where mustamakkara is sold: a black sausage eaten with lingonberry jam, sold by weight, and the local thing you are expected to try.
The Finlayson and Tampella complexes hold most of the good restaurants, in converted mill rooms.
The Pyynikki tower café's doughnuts are an institution and cost a couple of euros.
A beer is €6 to €8, and anything above 8% comes from Alko, which shuts at 9pm on weekdays and 6pm on Saturdays.
Nightlife
Going out in Tampere
Busier than the size suggests, because of the students and because Tampere is a proper night-out city by Finnish standards.
The bars cluster along Hämeenkatu and in the side streets around it, with the mill complexes holding the more interesting rooms.
A beer is €6 to €8 and cocktails €10 to €14, below Helsinki.
Finns buy from Alko before going out — the state shops close at 9pm on weekdays and 6pm on Saturdays.
Ice hockey is close to a civic religion here and matchdays at the arena fill the centre. The rivalry between the city's two clubs is taken seriously enough that it is worth knowing which bar you are drinking in.
Getting around
Getting around Tampere
Walk. The centre sits on a narrow isthmus and both lakes are about ten minutes from the middle.
Trams and buses cost about €3 with day tickets, and the tram line runs along Hämeenkatu through the centre.
Trains reach Helsinki in an hour and a half for €15 to €30, and Turku in about two hours. Book ahead for the cheap fares.
The overnight sleeper to Rovaniemi and Lapland stops here, which makes Tampere a natural break on the way north.
Pispala is a climb from the centre — the ridge is steep, and the bus is worth it on the way up.
Costs
What Tampere costs
Cheaper than Helsinki. Dorms are €25 to €38, a main €16 to €24, and a beer €6 to €8.
A day is €50 to €90.
Public saunas at €10 to €15 are the cheapest genuinely Finnish thing you can do anywhere in the country, and Tampere has more of them than anywhere.
The lunch buffet, the market hall and the free rapids, ridge and forest trails cover most of a day.
The museums are the real spend — Vapriikki and the Moomin Museum at about €15 each.
Safety
Staying safe in Tampere
Tampere is a safe city and crime against visitors is rare.
Winter brings ice on pavements, roof ice falling into the street and about six hours of daylight around the solstice.
The lakes freeze and people walk, ski and cut swimming holes in them. Ice thickness varies and there is current near the rapids — do not go out on it without local knowledge.
In the sauna, drink water, leave when you have had enough, and be careful combining heavy drinking with heat and a cold plunge. Avanto — the ice hole — is safe when done properly and among people, and unwise alone or drunk.
Ticks are present in southern Finland from spring to autumn. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Tampere
Lakes in every direction, and a medieval church across the water.
Hämeenlinna
A medieval castle on a lake shore, and Sibelius's birthplace in the town.
Helsinki
The capital, easy in either direction.
Turku
The old capital and the gateway to the archipelago.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A film festival in March and lake festivals through the summer.
Staff pick
5–13 December
Men's World Floorball Championships
The Men’s World Floorball Championships bring together top national teams from around the globe to compete for the sport’s highest honor in Tampere, Finland.…
Staff pick
29 Oct – 1 Nov
Tampere Jazz Happening
Tampere Jazz Happening in Tampere, Finland, is a renowned international jazz festival that has brought together top artists and jazz enthusiasts since 1982. Spanning…
23 October
Kaija Koo
Kaija Koo, a legend of Finnish pop music, celebrates 40 years of her artistic career with a massive arena tour starting at Nokia Arena…
24 October
Mansen Tähdet
Nearly twenty top artists from Tampere will gather on the Nokia Arena stage for a special concert event. The show features personal stories behind…
6–7 November
Lauri Haav
Lauri Haav is set to perform his largest concert to date at Nokia Arena in Tampere with two sold-out shows. The event includes a…
14 November
Isac Elliot
Isac Elliot returns to Nokia Arena with The Mansion, a large-scale show following his sold-out Stadin Yö concert. The performance will feature hits from…
10 October
Nyrkkitappelu
Nyrkkitappelu is a punk rock band that has claimed the title of Finland’s biggest rock band since their first show. Their music features catchy…
17 October
Tavara-asema Second Hand
Tavara-asema Second Hand is a flea market event where you can find recycled high-quality clothes and vintage treasures. Both private individuals and businesses sell…
Hostels
Where to stay in Tampere
A modest scene at below-Helsinki prices, mostly in and around the centre. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
June to August for the lakes. Winter for saunas and ice holes, which is a fair trade.
Jan
Cold and dark. Ice holes at the lakeshore saunas
Feb
The coldest month. Lakes frozen solid
Mar
Cold, bright, and skiing on the lakes
Apr
Thaw and mud. Quiet
May
Good. The city comes outdoors
Jun
Excellent. Long light and midsummer at the end
Jul
The warmest month. Lake swimming and festivals
Aug
Superb. Warm water and long evenings
Sep
Good value. Term restarts and the city refills
Oct
Autumn colour on the ridges. Dark by six
Nov
Dark and grey. The hardest month
Dec
Cold and dark, with Christmas lights along the rapids
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Tampere is inland and runs colder than coastal Helsinki in winter — the lakes freeze hard enough to walk and ski on for several months.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
The food line assumes the weekday lunch buffet. A public sauna at €10 to €15 is the best-value thing in the city.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Tampere travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Which sauna should I go to?
Rajaportti in Pispala, about €10 — wood-fired, running continuously since 1906, and a working neighbourhood sauna rather than a visitor attraction. Kaupinoja and Rauhaniemi are on the lakeshore if you want to go straight into the water, ice hole and all in winter.
What do I need to know about sauna etiquette?
Public saunas are usually gender-separated and used naked, you wash before going in, and you sit on a towel. Nobody minds a beginner. Drink water, leave when you have had enough, and do not combine heavy drinking with the heat and a cold plunge.
Is it really the sauna capital of the world?
It has more public saunas than any other city, and the claim is one Tampere makes loudly and can back up. Whether the title is official is beside the point — the practical version is that here you can walk into a good public sauna for about €10.
What is mustamakkara?
A black sausage, sold by weight at the market hall and eaten with lingonberry jam. It is the local speciality, it divides opinion sharply, and you are expected to try it.
Is Tampere worth a stop between Helsinki and Lapland?
Yes, and the overnight sleeper north stops here. It is an hour and a half from Helsinki, the mill district conversion is genuinely well done, and two days covers it.
What is the Pyynikki tower?
An observation tower, about €5, on the highest gravel esker in the world, with a view over both lakes. The café beneath it sells doughnuts that are a local institution in their own right.
When should I go?
June to August for the lakes and the long light. Winter is a fair trade if you like saunas — the lakes freeze, the ice holes open, and the city is built for the dark.
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