Planning a Trip

Getting There -- From Jyväskylä, continue driving southwest along E-4 (also E-80), which has signs directing you all the way to Tampere. If you're not driving, you can reach Tampere by air, train, or bus. Blue 1 (tel. 0600-25831; www.blue1.com) offers flights from both Copenhagen and Stockholm. Most visitors, who are already in Helsinki, fly to Tampere on one of several daily flights from Helsinki aboard Finnair (tel. 0600-140-140). A train leaves Helsinki nearly every hour for Tampere (trip time: 2 1/4 hr.); five buses a day make the 2 1/2-hour trip from Helsinki. For bus schedules and fares, call Matkahuolto Oy (tel. 0200/40-00; www.matkahuolto.fi). From June 3 to August 17, boats run between Tampere and Hämeenlinna in the south. If you're visiting Hämeenlinna, you might want to take the 8-hour boat trip to Tampere. The one-way fare is 62€ ($98). For schedules and information, contact Finnish Silverline (tel. 03/212-4804; www.hopelinja.fi).

Visitor Information -- The City Tourist Office, Verkatehtaankatu 2 (P.O. Box 487), FIN-33101 Tampere (tel. 020/716-6800), can help arrange sightseeing tours, provide maps, and offer miscellaneous information. The office is open June to August Monday to Friday 8:30am to 8pm, Saturday 8:30am to 6pm, and Sunday 11am to 6pm; September to May Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm.

Special Events -- The Tampere Choir Festival has been held in alternate years during the second week in June since 1975, while the Tampere International Theater Festival has been Finland's only festival of professional theater, held during the second week of August, since 1969. The Tampere Jazz Happening, Finland's best modern jazz festival, opens the first week of November. Consult the tourist office for specific dates, which vary from year to year.