Tampere

Right through the middle of Tampere rushes a set of rapids that links two large lakes and once powered the city's factories. A trip to Tampere, Finland's third-largest city, takes you into red-brick industrial history, to the Moomins, up observation towers with lake views, and into the sauna capital of the world.

The Manchester of Finland

Tampere sits on a narrow isthmus between Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi, which are separated by a difference in elevation of about 18 meters. The Tammerkoski rapids supplied the energy for factories, and so in 1820 the Scotsman James Finlayson founded a cotton mill here that grew into one of the largest factories in the Nordic countries. More paper and textile mills followed, and Tampere earned the nickname the Manchester of Finland. In 1918 the city was the scene of the decisive battle of the Finnish Civil War. Today the factory buildings along the rapids have been converted into museums, restaurants, cinemas, and offices, and Tampere is a youthful university and technology city.

Sights in Tampere

In the Finlayson area, it's worth strolling among the red-brick buildings; the Vapriikki museum center, housed in a former machine works, brings together several museums, including an ice hockey museum. The Moomin Museum in the Tampere Hall convention center shows original drawings by Tove Jansson and small scenes from Moominvalley. Tampere Cathedral, built in the National Romantic style, houses the frescoes of Hugo Simberg, including the "Garden of Death" and the "Wounded Angel." The Särkänniemi amusement park on Lake Näsijärvi is overlooked by the Näsinneula observation tower, whose revolving restaurant offers views across the lake landscape. On Pyynikki, a wooded ridge, stands an old observation tower whose café is said to sell the best munkki, Finnish doughnuts, in the city.

The Sauna Capital

Tampere calls itself the sauna capital of the world, and indeed there are more public saunas here than in any other city. The Rajaportti Sauna in the working-class district of Pispala is the oldest public sauna in Finland still in operation, a wooden building where people have been sweating for more than a hundred years. At the Kaupinoja and Rauhaniemi saunas, you step out of the steam straight into the lake, in winter through a hole in the ice.

Eating in Tampere

The local specialty is mustamakkara, a black blood sausage made with rye, which you eat at the Tammelantori market with lingonberry jam. The Kauppahalli market hall offers fish, cheese, and pastries, and restaurants and pubs line Hämeenkatu, the main street. Tampere also has a lively craft beer scene, and with two storied clubs, the city is a stronghold of Finnish ice hockey.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

By train, Tampere is about an hour and a half from Helsinki; Tampere-Pirkkala Airport lies to the southwest. Since 2021, a tram line has connected the city's districts. The best time to visit is summer, with lake cruises and light nights; in winter, ice swimming and snow are the draw. In late summer, when the days are still long, festivals such as the Tampere Theatre Festival take place, and in fall the forests on Pyynikki turn brilliant yellow and red. If you have more time, take a boat trip north on Lake Näsijärvi or on Lake Pyhäjärvi toward the neighboring town of Nokia, namesake of the well-known corporation.