Hämeenlinna

Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) is a city in Tavastia Proper, Southern Finland. Hämeenlinna is the oldest inland city of Finland, and was one of the most important Finnish cities until the 19th century. The medieval Häme Castle is located in the city. The municipality of Hattula, just to the north is also handled in this article.

By car
Exactly 100 km north from Helsinki along the road 3 (E12), which is a motorway on this leg (with the parallel older road designated 130). The nearest major city (and airport) is Tampere, about 75 km to the north by the same roads. Road number 10 between Turku and Lahti, adjacent to it the historical Hämeen Härkätie, also passes by the centre.

By train
As Hämeenlinna is on the most important railway line of Western Finland, the city is well connected with Helsinki and Tampere as well as cities further north, like Vaasa, Oulu and Rovaniemi.



By bus
Buses from Helsinki to Tampere and from Turku to Lahti stop in Hämeenlinna.

The local public transport system extends to Lahti (line 802).

Coming via Tallinn or Stockholm, there may be coach connections from the ports of Helsinki with arranged transfer, mostly via Kamppi. Coming via Turku harbour, there may be a direct service from the ferry terminal to Hämeenlinna.

By boat
Yes, there is a waterway between Tampere and Hämeenlinna. In summer it can be the most enjoyable way to travel, while the views on the lake Vanajavesi are at their best. The trip can be quite long though. Hopealinjat offers cruises, which take 8 hours one way (see Do below). Guest harbours: Vaakunanranta in the centre ([tel:+358201234636 +358 20-123-4636]) and Virvelinranta a kilometre to the south ([tel:+358400484172 +358 400-484-172]).

Get around
You can get around by car, by bus or by foot. For driving around, the city center is quite an irritating experience, with its tight intersections and numerous one-way streets. The services in the city centre are within a few minutes walk, so a car is hardly necessary there.

By bus
Hämeenlinna has a good system of public transport, information online in English.

Tickets in 2020 for the city itself (zone A, including to Aulanko) €3.40/1.70, valid for 80 minutes, children 7–16. For a longer stay the smartphone app Waltti is useful, giving reduced adult fares. You can also use NFC payment with Visa, Mastercard or Eurocard (Diners Club and American Express do not work) or a mobile device with Apple Pay, Pivo or Google Pay: the payment card or mobile device is displayed to the reader device, which then says "Lähimaksu hyväksytty" ("Proximity payment accepted").

Many bus lines go in both directions from the centre. You can use an interactive route planner to find bus routes.

Matkahuolto Routes and Tickets app is able to first plan the route and after it sell the right ticket for it.

The bus station is the centre of Hämeenlinna's public transport system. Many bus lines go in both directions from bus station.

By scooter
You can rent electric kick scooters for use in the centre from American Bird and Finnish Joe Scooter.

By taxi

 * Taksi Häme, iTaksi: see Tavastia_Proper
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Uber
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Uber

See




Do




Festivals




Budget
There aren't many regional specialities available, if one doesn't count hotsi, a local version of hot dog, which is sold in grill kiosks. For cheap meal (€10 or less for one person, even as low as €5 in the lunchtime) you can always find some fast food. In city centre you can hardly miss a pizza/kebab place. There are also Subway, McDonalds, and Hesburger outlets. Golden Rax pizzabuffet offers its megabuffet for €8. There is a list of lunch offers for each day.

Mid-range

 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.
 * For some ethnic food, other than kebab, you can go to the first blocks of Raatihuoneenkatu (from market square to the church's direction and on) and find couple of Chinese restaurants.

Bars and pubs
You might not want to go bar-hopping in the suburbs, though it's not necessary, as most of pubs, rock-bars, nightclubs etc. are located around market square area.



Go next



 * Padasjoki to the north-east, by the lake Päijänne
 * Tampere to north-west
 * Forssa to west
 * Lahti to east
 * Akaa to north-northwest