Things to see and do Western Finland Province

At the very top of the tower, you'll have a superb panoramic view! After taking the elevator to the top of the 122-meter tower, feel free to climb a little and take the steep stairs to the tower's terrace. From here, the view is unobstructed over Tampere, a highly industrial city seen from above. To reward you for your climb, a café welcomes you on the first floor with hot drinks and delicious doughnuts.

Craft Museum or Luostarinmäki. In 1827, the town was almost completely destroyed by fire with 2,500 houses going up in smoke. Only a modest craftsmen's quarter on the Luostarinmäki hill was spared, which has since been converted into an open-air museum and has been a national heritage site since 1940. More than 30 workshops with their signs, furniture and tools are perfectly preserved there. The whole village offers a vivid picture of the customs and shops of the 18th and 19th centuries. In summer, folk dances and concerts.

Aboa Vetus (literally "Old Turku" in Swedish) is an ingenious and relevant portrayal of a medieval district. Renovation work in the early 1990s uncovered period streets and the foundations of medieval houses. A successful reconstruction that plunges us into the everyday world of the inhabitants. Opened in 1995, the museum is still evolving as excavations continue. The Ars Nova focuses on contemporary art.

More than just an amusement park, Särkänniemi is in fact a vast area featuring an art museum (with beautiful temporary exhibitions), an observation tower (Näsinneula and its panoramic restaurant), an aquarium, a planetarium and a farm (open only in summer). The park itself offers no fewer than thirty attractions, suitable for young and old alike. A very popular outing for Tampere families!

This natural reserve covers 544 km ² and includes a good number of coastal islands. Since the withdrawal of the glaciers 10 000 years ago, the rise of the east coast is 285 m, which corresponds to the most important rebound ever observed and has earned the reserve to be inscribed in World heritage by UNESCO. The result is an exceptional coastal landscape of 5 600 islands and flush islets. New islands emerge continuously. The archipelago has a few major lighthouses (Ritgrund, Valsörarna, Norrskär and Strömmingsbada), reflecting the route of the boats. The reserve has the usual logistics (forest houses and huts), to be travelled on foot or in canoe, between the islands of Björköby and Replot.

It is housed in former ceramic factories. There are several permanent exhibitions devoted to innovations, the Tammerkoski waterfalls and the civil war that raged in Tampere in 1918 (the exhibition is not recommended for children under 13). You'll also find the Post Museum, the Toy Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Finnish Hockey Museum, where you can test your aiming skills with the goal simulator. A must-see!

Original idea and very fun museum where you can discover the techniques and other tricks to introduce yourself with the life of a Mata Hari or a James Bond. Discover their methods of phone-tapping and the lie detector, their weapons and pass the test of secret agent (€5 extra)!

This museum devoted to local history and folk art is well worth a visit, offering the most comprehensive cultural panorama of the region. Rose-painted clocks and cupboards, troika sledges, kantele, old weaving looms... Three rooms are dedicated to Vaasa. The Hedman collections are housed in 12 closed rooms. This is the most astonishing part of the museum, as the collection abounds in masterpieces. Ask at the cash desk for a guide to accompany you. On the first floor, you'll find the Terranova center dedicated to the Kvarken archipelago.

The oldest building in the city of Turku is the seat of the evangelical archbishopric. Its construction, begun in 1280, was not completed until 200 years later. Originally it was built only of wood. For centuries it was one of the most important places of northern Christianity, together with Lund, Nidaros and Roskilde. At the time, it radiated on the terra incognita that was, beyond Turku, the immense Finnish territory covered with lakes and forests: from Lapland to the Russian Orthodox border. The cathedral houses a monument to the Finnish reformer and Luther disciple Michael Agricola, who later became Bishop of Turku. It was he who made Finnish a written language when it was only spoken. Today the organ concerts are impressive, don't hesitate to ask at the tourist office for the dates. The whole cathedral quarter is a magnificent neoclassical ensemble. The most imposing of its buildings, the former Academy, has a superb village hall with granite columns. The Turku Academy was for a long time the only relay of European humanism in Finland, until the change of capital in 1812 on the orders of the Russian Tsar Alexander I. From the heights of the city, there is a beautiful view of the Aurajoki River and its banks, which border the Sibelius Museum, the cultural centre, the library and the municipal theatre. The cathedral is considered one of the most remarkable historical monuments of the country.

A rather intriguing museum located on the second floor (and a half) of a well-built building (with beautiful stained glass windows in the hall). Organized into different sections, it focuses as much on Lenin's history as on that of the USSR in general, with a particular emphasis on its links with Finland. There are numerous historical documents, a small store and original period archives. A special mention for the checkroom, which is well worth a visit. A pleasant visit, if not compulsory!

Tampere, Finland, is the country's most attractive city, according to the Finns! Its secret is its originality and ability to surprise again and again: there's always something new going on! A practical and reasonably-sized city, it's situated between two lakes and offers a wide variety of activities in both the natural and urban environment, and is even perfect for walking! As the sauna capital of the world, you absolutely must try one of the 60 public saunas in the region during your visit.

Inaugurated in 2005, Turku's magnificent ecumenical chapel is located in the Hirvensaloet district and was designed by Matti Sanaksenaho. The altarpiece, doors and pews are the work of Kain Tapper while the stained glass windows were painted by Hannu Konola. Initially built for patients of the nearby hospital, it eventually became ecumenical. Thus, Lutherans, Catholics, Orthodox, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, the Free Church and the Salvation Army can use it. Art exhibitions, concerts and other events.

In the heart of Vaasa, the Tikanoja Museum is an art museum with many surprises in store for you. Paintings by Gauguin, Daumier, Degas, Picasso but also by famous Finnish painters... These are some of the superb pieces in the collection of businessman Frithjof Tikanoja. This art collector has collected no less than 1,000 pieces by Finnish and international artists. They are now on display in the museum named after the famous Vaasa business man. In addition, the museum organises many events and activities.

Opened in 2007, this beautiful two-storey design museum of modern art is well worth a visit. Well located in the town of Vaasa, it is only a few steps away from the market square and the seafront. The museum is named after art collector Simo Kuntsi (1913-1984) and the art collection he created - and which can be seen here - is considered one of the most important collections of modern and contemporary art in the country. The temporary exhibitions are always very interesting.

Guides who speak all languages are available through this association if you wish to take a walking tour. Ask at the tourist office, and they'll organize a tour with one of the English-speaking guides. We recommend Anu Salminen, who speaks perfect French, knows Turku by heart and, as her husband is a pastor, will teach you a lot about the religious history of the city (and of Finland in general).

In a bourgeois house built in 1700, a pharmacy preserved in its original state was set up in part of the building in the 19th century with two period laboratories. It is the oldest pharmacy in Finland and well worth a visit. At the same place, there is also the Qwensel House Museum. In it you can follow the history of the family of Joseph Pipping, a professor of medicine who lived in the building in the 18th century.