Thorn Tree travel forum
Tampere, Finland
Hi, I am flying from Dublin to Tampere, Finland over Easter this year, and was wondering if anyone has made this trip before, and what suggestions they might have. We should have 2 full days there, and 2 short days (due to flight times). I would love to go ice fishing for a couple of hours, and maybe a train down to Helsinki... Any suggestions welcome!SPR
1
It may be too late for ice-fishing, but the countryside around town is nice, maybe there are already some boats running on the lakes nearby. And you should definitely try to get to Helsinki. Tampere itself is ok, but not a real travel destination in its own right and a rather ugly city. The train ride to Helsinki is nice and on your way you could stop at Hämeenlinna to admire the stunning castle there. For train times and prices, check vr.fi (note that regional trains to Helsinki are a lot cheaper than other services and not much slower).
2
ice fishing in april?:) what do you imagine how finland is?:) its not greenland:) ok,its somewhat colder than many other places in europe,but not the whole year:)
3
Tampere is worth maybe half a day or one day, and some of the surroundings also are nice but tend to be low-key. Between Tampere and Helsinki it's possibly the dullest railway in Finland but Häämeenlinna Castle is worth a visit if you are in the area. Helsinki has much more to offer. Ice-fishing certainly has been done in the area in April, but can be hazardous without proper gear since it's late in the season.
4
well,it might be done perhaps if the winter was properly cold,etc..but this winter wasnt good.
5
Tempere isnt ging to hold your attention for long. The mumin museum, Spy Museum, and Lenin Museum are all worth a vist but can easly be covered in half a day.
'My rule of life.... the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. '
Winston Churchill
6
The weather around Easter might not be too pleasant. I still think it is worth spending two days in Tampere, if you dont want to rush to Helsinki and back in a day. Tampere has some great museums. I especially love Vapriikki which has great photo exhibitions, as well as the art museum. Tampere is beautifully located between two lakes. You can get a great panoramic view from one of the observation towers. Take a walk in Pispala, walk through the Pyynikki park, go up the tower and take a rest in the cafe. My favourite place to spend the evening is Telakka. It is a theater place, with sometimes excellent live bands and good beer.
7
If you want ice fishing, and you're lucky with pakkanen, (below freezing weather) you might want to go to Ivalo, but if you're only in the country for 2 full days, it's foo far to go.
8
I've been there once. It's a medium-sized city between two lakes, but the lakes aren't in the immediate centre of town so I never saw them, that's a pity but maybe I should have allowed more time...www.wikipedia.org
9
There isn't that much to do in Ivalo itself, except for visiting some cultural attractions of the Sami. I'm going up to Kilpisjaervi and Treriksr in less than 3 weeks. I just hope it isn't thaw weather; that really sucks. It usually doesn't start until well into May, but with the winter we've had this year, who knows.
10
This is central Tampere...
11
Yeah... but I imagine I actually saw the entire city centre during the 90 minutes I spent there. I swear I didn't see the lakes, as they were located a bit off the inner city.www.wikipedia.org
12
...obviously.www.wikipedia.org
13
Just a follow up to this.SPR
Posted By: VenessaP -- 28-Jan-2010 15:01
Posted By: VenessaP -- 09-Dec-2009 17:01
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