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Tampere

Introduction

Tampere from Näsijärvi

Tampere is a charming city of over 200,000 thousand people located in the inland area of southern Finland. The city is actually the largest inland city in all of the nordic countries! Located between the two lakes of Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, which are only connected by the narrow rapids of Tammerkoski, Tampere is truly pretty. The Tammerkoski rapids have been an important power source for most of the city's history and today still produced hydro power. Because of these rapids Tampere was an industrial centre for Finland and was considered the Manchester of Finland. With a nice city centre, a good night life, beautiful scenery and a good theme park Tampere is a great place to spend a day or two. If a few more days are available the countryside around Tampere is amazing with rolling hills and stunning lakes with little cottages and saunas on their shores.

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Sights and Activities

Tammerkoski

Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi are great places for relaxing, swimming and boating in the summer. While in the winter months other activities can be enjoyed.
Tammerkoski is now an old school power station and several bars and restaurants are located around it
Tampere Cathedral
Nightlife - Tampere has a very fun nightlife because of the large student population. Fun times can be found any night of the year, especially in the endless days of the summer.

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Events and Festivals

Tammer Fest in early July is when Tampere comes to life. Stages are set, pubs are filled and local and national artists perfom on stages on in bars. Around 80,000 guests arrive to Tampere, and as July is the most common holiday month in Finland, locals join in. Tammerfest opens the summer season, followed by what is called the Flower Week, when Tampere blooms and sets a big ferriswheel and a market in the city's central square. Various art exhibitions, performances and concerts take place until the beginning of August.

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Weather

Summers are warm, around 21 °C during the day on average from June to August, and days above 30 °C are possible. Winters are cold with snowfall. Average maximum temperatures are around -5 °C while nights average around -10 °C. Occasionally, when the winds blow east from Siberia, temperatures can plummit way below -25 °C. Precipitation is fairly even throughout the year, but winters and spring tend to be a bit drier. On average, there are between 10 and 15 wet days with around 50 mm of rain or snow a month.

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Getting There

Cathedral in Tampere

By Plane

Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (IATA:TMP, ICAO:EFTP) is and international airport about 17 kilometres southwest of the city. It is the third busiest airport in Finland. Its popularity has been growing in recent years especially due to direct flights with Ryanair to many cities in Central and Western Europe. The airport has two terminals with Ryanair in Terminal 2 while other airlines use Terminal 1. There are daily flights to Helsinki, Turku, Oulu, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London Stansted, Milan, Frankfurt-Hahn, Dublin, Bremen and Riga.

Bus Number 6 runs every hour from Pyynikintori Square in the city centre to the airport, this bus also stops at Keskustori and outside the bus station. It roughly takes 40 minutes and costs €2. Tokee operates a bus for Ryanair flights, they run between the Tampere railway station and Terminal 2, which takes about 30 minutes.

By Train

The train station is located in the centre of town and has connections to every city in Finland.

By Car

If driving, Tampere lies within easy access to Turku, Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Vaasa. The routes are clearly signposted even from the town centre.

By Bus

The bus station is next to the large shopping centre, Koskikeskus, on Hatanpään valtatie. Anyone in town will be able to direct you there. Buses are sometimes cheaper than trains, and just as reliable, and they also serve smaller towns. Check timetables from Matkahuolto. Remember to show your student ID as you will get 50% off on buses and trains in Finland.

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Sleep

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
Mango Hotel	Hatanpään Puistokuja 36	hotel	92
Tampere Dream Hostel	Akerlundinkatu 2	HOSTEL	95

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Keep Connected

Internet

You can use the internet for free at the libraries. The main library, Metso, is in Pirkankatu 2, which is pretty much at the top of the main street, Hämeenkatu. The library is open usually until 7:00pm, but opening and closing times usually change during the summer period (June to August).

Phone

Post

Post is fast and reliable in Finland. You can receive mail simply by marking it Poste Restante, and the postal code of the town (check with the particular post office). First class stamps can be bought from machines or inside the office, and the fare is the same anywhere in the world up to 20 grams, so your postcards will be fine. The current rate for a stamp is €0.75. Heavier letters and postcards have different prices though, you can check them online at the Posti Website. There is also a 'track and trace' system available. Stamps are widely available and sold with the postcards, in kiosks, stationary shops and souvinier shops. Parcels abroad are expensive. You can buy all the packing from the post office, including boxes, tapes etc.