Piparkakkutalo

Top choice in Häme


This fairytale-style ‘gingerbread house’ was built in 1907 for merchant August Skogster, whose department store was next door, and it is now home to the town's best restaurant. The interior still has a warm, domestic feel. Food includes Finnish classics, a few vegetarian choices and burgers, all made using fresh local produce. The cosy pub downstairs is open between Wednesday and Saturday.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Häme attractions

1. Museo Skogster

0.02 MILES

The ground floor of this newly opened museum in the former Skogster Department Store has a small theatrette where an excellent short film about the…

2. Hämeenlinnan kirkko

0.03 MILES

Dating from 1798, this church in the town centre was designed by Louis Jean Depréz, court painter for King Gustav III of Sweden, and is modelled on the…

3. Sibeliuksen syntymäkoti

0.18 MILES

Composer Johan Julius Christian (Jean) Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna in 1865 and was schooled here, but the town makes surprisingly little fuss about…

4. Palanderin Talo

0.19 MILES

Finland loves its house-museums and this is among the best, offering a wonderful insight into well-off 19th-century Finnish life, thanks to excellent…

5. Hämeenlinnan Taidemuseo

0.28 MILES

Housed in a former granary designed by CL Engel, the town gallery holds an interesting collection of Finnish art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Notable…

6. Vankilamuseo

0.51 MILES

Häme Castle's old cellblock, last used in 1993, has been converted into a prison museum where you can visit a solitary confinement cell or see graffiti…

7. Hämeenlinna

0.54 MILES

Hämeenlinna means Häme Castle, so it’s no surprise that this bulky, twin-towered, red-brick fortress is the town’s pride and most significant…

8. Museo Militaria

0.62 MILES

There are numerous museums devoted to Finnish involvement in WWII, but this takes the cake. It’s huge. There are three floors packed with war memorabilia,…