Tampere
Where To Stay
add to Travel Bag (NEW)
Tampere was established on the isthmus of two major lakes in the region, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. It is an easy place to visit as there are some very distinct landmarks in the city centre to guide visitors wherever they are headed. Accommodation services are mostly located in the centre.
Tampere is a rapidly growing centre especially in the fields of information technology and other high-tech applications. Furthermore, Tampere is a well known university and congress city. Tourism in its various forms is an important industry, too. As a consequence, a substantial service network has been developed to facilitate a pleasant stay to every visitor.
Accommodation plays a key role in Tampere's service structure. Most of the hotels can be found in the centre, within an area of 1-2 square kilometres, but there are some very nice ones also at a reasonable distance from the city.
Approaching Tampere from the east leads us conveniently to Hotel Kauppi. Hotel Kauppi is a cosy family hotel in Kaleva, a district close to the city centre. A few minutes additional driving brings us to Hotelli Victoria. Casting a glance from Victoria, we'll see the Tampereen Rautatieasema and Tullintori shopping centre. In conjunction with Tullintori there is Sokos Hotel Villa. The Hotel Villa building used to be a granary some 100 years ago. Villa offers nice facilities for both business and private visitors. Ramada Hotel Tampere is very much of deluxe caliber, located close to the Tampereen Yliopistoand Tampere-talo (Tampere Hall) opposite to the idyllic Sorsapuisto park.
Tampere's eastern landmark, with regard to the centre, is undoubtedly the railway station. Next to it, there is Scandic Hotel Tampere, a modern cityhotel in connection with Galleria shopping centre. Stockmann department store stands accross Hämeenkatu, the main street of Tampere. Hämeenkatu actually begins from a triangle formed by the railway station, Scandic Hotel and Stockmann.
The area between both ends of Hämeenkatu is the real heart of the city. YWCA Hostel on Tuomiokirkonkatu offers inexpensive accommodation on a peaceful spot beside the imposing Tampereen Tuomiokirkko. Art Nouveau-style Hotelli Cumulus Pinja on Satakunnankatu is located in the same quarter too.
After a few hundred meters west along Hämeenkatu we arrive at the banks of Tammerkoski Rapids and Koskipuisto. Koskipuisto is sometimes called the green lungs of Tampere. It covers a large area on both sides of Hämeenkatu. Koskikeskus shopping centre and business class Sokos Hotel Ilves are located on the edge of Koskipuisto. The same applies to Hotelli Cumulus Koskikatu, as well as to Sokos Hotel Tammer, a distinguished piece of pre-war period elegance and splendour.
Moving along Hämeenkatu from Koskipuisto we get to the Keskustori, after first crossing the Tammerkoski. Fortunately there is the architectonically impressive Hämeensilta we can use—you could say it is like leaving Pest for Buda, in a much smaller scale!
Central Square is surrounded by a number of important places and buildings. The Vanha Kirkko from the eighteenth century stands in the middle of it. A plethora of cafés, restaurants, cinemas, department stores and boutiques can be found near Central Square. The magnificent Raatihuone (City Hall) is there too. There is also a whole network of pedastrian streets to enable everyone to move comfortably in city centre. A paradise for indolent people!
Our trip on Hämeenkatu from one end to the other ends at Hämeenpuisto, a beautiful boulevard with a park in the middle. Hämeenpuisto connects the two big lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, to each other. In the southern end of Hämenpuisto we find the good-quality Hotelli Cumulus Hämeenpuisto for
comfortable accommodation. The area has many sights, among others the famous, and most imposing, main library Metso (Wood Grouse), which houses the Muumilaakso—also the world's only Lenin-Museo happens to be situated in Hämeenpuisto. Very interesting for people keen on political history. The northern end of Hämeenpuisto is of particular significance as far as children are concerned. Särkänniemen Elämyspuisto is only a stone's throw away. Seen from this angle, the closest accommodation alternative is Hostel Uimahallin Maja, which provides inexpensive basic accommodation for low budget travellers. Uimahallin Maja is located by Pyynikintori, right next to Tampereen Taidemuseo. A couple of kilometres further there is business hotel Scandic Hotel Rosendahl Tampere, located by Lake Pyhäjärvi. Rosendahl stands in absolutely stunning surroundings with great views over the lake.
As we can see, most of the accommodation facilities can be found in the city centre. There are some nice hotels in the suburban areas, too. Lapinniemi area by Lake Näsijärvi, 2 kilometres from the centre, has two hotels at your disposal. Holiday Club Tampere Spa Hotel is a first-class hotel and holiday resort in a former cotton mill. It provides a wide variety of treatments and
therapies in addition to hotel services. Hotelli Lapinkaari near the Spa is an inexpensive hotel but of very good quality offering excellent value for the money.
Hervanta district is the technological centre of Tampere. Hotelli Hermica is conveniently located there, close to the Tampereen Teknillinen Korkeakoulu and other high-tech organisations and companies. In Härmälä you can find a Tampere Camping Härmälä and Härmälän Kesähotelli. These are only 4 kilometres from the centre.
Tampere International Airport is located in Pirkkala some 12 kilometres from Tampere. There are no accommodation facilities nearby, but connections by bus or taxi to Tampere are very good. For instance, approaching Tampere from Helsinki leads us directly over to the versatile accommodation offerings of the city.
