Tampere by bus · Tampere by bus
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Tampere by bus
Tampere by bus
The city centre of Tampere is small enough to be covered on foot, but an extensive bus network connects the suburbs and the downtown. In the city centre, most of the bus lines pass through Hämeenkatu. All buses stop at or near the central square, and the City of Tampere operates a handy trip planner service .
Single tickets for adults (12 years and above) cost ?2.50 and children cost ?1, and allowed unlimited transfers within 60 minutes. Every paying adult can be accompanied for free by one child under the age of 7. Adults with a baby in a pushchair can travel for free. Between midnight and 4/5AM, night buses charge ?2.50 extra (except if you have a valid Tourist Ticket). Tickets can be purchased on board.
When you want to stop a bus, give a clear signal to the driver by holding your hand up: if you are just standing still, the bus will probably just pass the stop. Keep in mind that you can only enter the bus from the front door, unless you are traveling with an infant in a pushcar (and then you must use the middle doors).
You can purchase a Tampere Tourist Card for unlimited travel by bus within the Tampere city borders (?6 for the first day, additional days cost ?4 for adults; youth and children are ?4/?3 and ?3/?2 respectively). Purchase the smartcard at the railway or bus station, central square kiosk or city transportation office at Frenckellinaukio 2 B, on the northeastern side of the central square.
The tickets are also valid on most regional bus lines (lines 45-95 and even on some non-numbered routes; though not on line 54) within city limits. You'll recognize a city tariff zone bus from the "hailing driver" logo near the right corner of the front of the bus.
If you're traveling outside the city limits, for instance to Kangasala, you have to pay according to the distance of your trip, so just tell the driver where you're going and how many tickets you want.
Some interesting lines worth travelling:
1 / 11 Kalkku - Härmälä (TESC / Pirkkahalli): The line to use, if you're going to Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre (a.k.a. Pirkkahalli) or malls in Partola. You may also use the line 7, which uses a slightly different route but ends at TESC. Westbound there's nothing worth seeing except for Pispala workers' district (see line 10) and Näsijärvi lake view, and on the bus you'll miss the best parts. Departures every 10-30 min.
2 Pyynikintori square - Tammela - Rauhaniemi: A midtown line which takes you to Tammelantori market place, Lapinniemi spa (and Naistenlahti marina) as well as to Rauhaniemi beach / public sauna . Departures every 15-20 min.
3 Lahdesjärvi - Petsamo: A twisty and long line. Eastbound, it takes you to idyllic Petsamo garden suburb, with deep woods and allotments nearby. Westbound, it drives through the southern part of Hämeenpuisto avenue, then turns eastwards on Ratina bridge (with a nice view to both north (Laukontori market place) and south (Viinikanlahti bay). It then drives through Hatanpää (with lots of Nokia and other high-tech offices), and if you leave there, you may visit Arboretum, the botanic gardens with a nice lakeside esplanade, great for picnic. If you stay on the bus, it will travel through typical Finnish suburbs, nothing special except Nirva: you'll notice the steep ascent as the bus enters Nirva, and there's nice, early 20th century wooden homes all over. Lastly, the bus will arrive to Lahdesjärvi, which is a boring industrial area, nothing special to see there. The terminus is at ABC gas station with a 24/7 store and bistro. In summer 2010 the terminus will be moved to the new IKEA/Ikano mall in the area, which may be of interest for a shopping-oriented traveller. Departures every 30 min.
4 Särkänniemi amusement park - Railway stn. - Bus stn. (only during the summer, June-August): Takes you from the stations, drives through the main street, then turns right to the picturesque Hämeenpuisto avenue and finally stops at the gates of Särkänniemi amusement park. Departures every 20 min.
7 TESC / Pirkkahalli - Central Square (from June 2010 onwards to Siivikkala): See line 1 / 11 and 3. Departures every 30 min.
10 Pispalanharju - Järvensivu: A relatively short (ca. 25 min) line from the must-see Pispalanharju ridge and Pispala workers' district through nearly-untouched Pyynikki ridge with the observation tower. Then it descends through the upper-class Pyynikki with luxurous villas and palaces (and an art museum Villa Mac) and arrives to Laukontori market square / harbour, also a must-see destination. Eastbound from the Central Square, it continues under the railway station and by the university to Järvensivu, a "light edition" of Pispala. Departures every 30 min.
21 Tahmela - Hatanpää - Turtola: A devious and long line. Western terminus near to line 10 Pispalanharju terminus, but dozens of meters below. It curves through picturesque lower Pispala, or more specifically Tahmela and continues along a narrow road made in the ridge wall, just like in Monaco. The line goes by Rosendahl hotel and the Pyynikki summer theatre and passes some nice villas and palaces like the line 10. You may use also this line to the Pyynikki Tower, but the walking distance is somewhat longer. From Central Square the line continues southbound to Hatanpää (see line 3), and then all the way through some boring suburbs to Turtola hypermarket area. There's however a nice pasture with cows, owned by Ahlman farming school along Veisunkatu road, just between the apartment blocks. You can buy raw milk and other rustic food products from Ahlman. Departures every 30 min.
28 Pyynikintori square - Sorila: An eastbound line with nothing special to see until Nurmi and Sorila villages, which is pure Finnish countryside well within the city bounds. The most rural city bus line of the city. Departures every 20-30 min.
39 Pyynikintori square - Hervanta (travels only during Mon-Fri during the winter season): A line for architecture enthusiasts. It goes by every (post)modern buildings of Tampere designed by the famous architect couple Reima and Raili Pietilä. When the bus leaves Pyynikki square, the next stop is at Metso, the city library resembling a capercaillie above . Then at the end of Itsenäisyydenkatu street (which begins from the railway station tunnel) is a very prominent Kaleva church, also known as the "silo of the souls". From Kaleva the line continues along a boring highway to Hervanta. In Hervanta the whole central axis is planned by Pietiläs, namely from the old part of Duo mall and the public buildings surrounding the "bazar" and "piazza" west from the mall. The line proceeds then to its terminus with nothing worth seeing, chiefly 1970s "commieblocks". The line departures only during the peak hours on winter season working days, so using the line might be challenging. The nearest equivalent is the line 20 (Central Square - Hermia - Hikivuori), which shares the same route from the central square to Hervanta. If you wish to see Metso, you'll have to change to another line or walk the few clicks there.
61 Pyynikintori square - Airport (travelling to airport crosses the city border, so you need to buy a specific ticket onboard (4.30 €). Traveling within the city limits is possible with the Tourist Card). The line to use to and from the airport. Departures every "now and then", about once an hour . Much cheaper than taking a cab (which can easily exceed 30€ to city center).
70 Nokia - Central Square - Kangasala (travelling to Nokia or Kangasala crosses the city border, so you need to buy a specific ticket onboard. Traveling within the city limits is possible with the Tourist Card). If you are eager to see a town called Nokia, use this line (or lines 71 and 79) westbound. There's nothing special or worth to see. The paper mills along Nokia river are the origin of the contemporary Nokia corporation, but the mobile phone firm has no longer any activities in Nokia town. Nokia manor is however still owned by the corporation. Eastbound to Kangasala, there's much more to see. The line passes the long Kaukajärvi lake, which has served as a world-championship paddling stadium. There's two well-equipped and popular swimming beaches along the line, particularly in the west end of the lake (Kaukajärvi swimming stadium) and in the east end (Liuttu beach a half kilometre from the bus stop). The lake offers also some great views to Kaukajärvi suburb, with "recumbent skyscraper" apartments on the opposite shore. They are of wow especially at night, when the windows are lit. The line then proceeds to Kangasala with some ordinary industrial and residential areas and then the bus arrives to Kangasala bus station. There's a small market place at the bus station, some local cafés and very nice hiking routes along the roads or the ridge. Further away there's some observation towers which offer great views. One of them has inspired the 19th century poet Z. Topelius, who wrote the poem A Summer's Day in Kangasala. Departures every 20-60 minutes.
90Y Pyynikintori square - various termini in Aitolahti/Teisko area. The bus routes to various parts of the vast rural areas incorporated in the city of Tampere, with city fares. The ultimate experience available with your Tourist Card. The common route for all the variations is the same as for the city line 28, from Pyynikintori square to Sorila. From there the line splits to west (Aitoniemi), north (Kämmenniemi - Terälahti - Kaanaa) and east (Viitapohja). Recommended for adventurous backpackers. If you want to see some oldest fossiles on Earth, the 2 billion years old "carbon bags" (hiilipussit), take the Aitoniemi-bound bus. If you want to experience the hillbilly scene of Tampere, take the northbound bus and leave at Kämmenniemi (the first proper village after Sorila). There's somewhat legendary Kessan baari, the local pub. If you proceed even norther, there's Terälahti, the last village with any services. There's though only a small grocery store and a library with irregular opening times, so it's more for hikers than shoppers. The final terminus within city limits is in Kaanaa, and there's practically nothing there. Some buses continue even norther to Virrat municipality, but the city ticket is not valid there. Viitapohja-line takes you to deep woods. The bus service without 'Y', line 90 is operated less frequently, and the city terminus for it is at the bus station. It uses the Jyväskylä highway instead of the old road, and the brief views in the Aitolahti archipelago are stunning. Both "lines" departure irregularly.
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Tampere Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.