ISSP 2014 Annual Meeting - Travel Information
Tampere is located in Southern Finland, 175 km north of Helsinki. In general, transport connections in Finland are very good. The main roads are good, and public transport is punctual and comfortable.
Conference venue is located in the centre of Tampere. Once there, everything is within walking distance. For the sightseeing tour and lakeside evening on Saturday bus transportation has been arranged. Scroll down for a map of the area and key locations. Participants will receive printed maps on arrival.
By Air
From Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
There are direct flights to the small but efficient Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. Finnair (One World), SAS (Star Alliance) and Ryanair operate flights to Tampere and you can fly there from Helsinki, Stockholm, Alicante, Barcelona/Girona, Bremen, Budapest, Frankfurt/Hahn, London/Stansted, Milan/Bergamo, and Malaga. During off-season flight options are more limited. It is also possible to fly to Tampere via Helsinki. See Tampere Convention Bureau's website for more information about flight routes.
The easiest way to reach the city centre from Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is to take an Airport taxi which will take travellers straight to their requested hotel in Tampere. The fee is 19 euros. You can also catch a taxi from the taxi line in the front of the terminal; a regular taxi costs about 30-40 euros and the journey takes about 20 minutes. The local Paunu bus no. 61 runs between Terminal 1 and the city centre, one-way ticket is 4,70 euros and can be bought from the driver. There is a bus stop near Hotel Cumulus Koskikatu.
Tampere-Pirkkala is a small airport and it is enough to be there 50-60 minutes before the flight. Taxi ride from Hotel Pinja takes about 25-30 minutes, depending on the traffic. Flight companies often allow you to check in online the previous day or evening.
From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
There is a direct and inexpensive bus connection to Tampere from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Travel time is between 2h 10 min to 2h 45 min, and buses leave at regular intervals at all hours. Express buses leave from platform 13-14 outside the Arrivals Hall at the Terminal 2 and from Platform 5 outside Terminal 1. There may be a bus change at Keimolanportti, about 15 minutes after leaving the airport. Keimolanportti is a layby and there is only the bus you are leaving and the bus you are boarding, so you cannot get lost. Bus drivers help transfer the luggage.
You can save up to an hour of your travel time if you take a taxi (or a shuttle bus) from the airport to Tikkurila train station and take a fast train from Tikkurila to Tampere. See VR (Finnish Railways) website for more information about timetables, tickets and rates. Trains run approximately every hour and are generally punctual but disruptions in traffic do occur on rare occasions. When returning home, take into consideration that your train may arrive at Tikkurila somewhat later than expected.
Getting around in Tampere
Getting around in Tampere is easy. Most hotels, shops and interesting attractions as well as the University are located within walking distance of each other. Hotels Pinja and Cumulus Koskikatu are about 500 meters from the railway station and 1,3 - 1,6 km from the bus station.
The public transportation system of Tampere includes bus and taxi services. The blue and white buses of Tampere City Transport offer an extensive service network covering almost the entire city. A single ticket of 2,60 euros is valid for one hour inside the Tampere city limit. Tickets can be bought from the driver on the bus though please note that they may not have sufficient change for large banknotes. A Tourist Ticket provides a simple and convenient way of paying the fare.
Taxis can be hired from taxi stands or booked by telephone. There's a meter indicating the fare and tips aren't expected. See Tampereen aluetaksi (Tampere area local cab). There is a taxi stand both outside the railway station and the bus station. Hotel reception can help to book a taxi.
More Information
For more information, see the official Tampere Region visitor website or visit the Tampere Tourist Information Office at the Railway Station.
Citizens of Nordic countries and citizens of Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Schengen Agreement countries can enter Finland with a valid passport or a valid identity card. All other nationalities require a valid passport. Visa is generally not required. Check the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland site for further information: Foreign nationals arriving in Finland.
Map
Please note that for the time being map may not work in Google Chrome browser. Google is working on it. Sorry for the inconvenience.
