Contents
Local buses
Night buses and taxi
Bicycles
Restaurants and cafeterias on campus and off campus
Shopping
News in English
Postal services
Calling in Finland
Libraries
Cinemas
Theatre
Museums
TV and radio
You can pay for a single ticket in cash when boarding the bus but it is cheaper to obtain a travel card from Tampere Public Transport Office (EUR 5 card fee).
Students under 25 years of age can obtain a personal Young Person's Travel Card. If you are a degree student over 25 and have a Finnish social security number you can obtain a personal travel card with a student discount. Unfortunately exchange students over 25 years of age need to pay for the adult ticket. You can load money onto your travel card at R-Kiosks and at the bookstore on campus.
The route number and destination are displayed at the front of each bus. You need to signal the bus driver to stop at the bus stop by waiving your hand. The journey planner on the website of Tampere Public Transport helps you find the best public transport connection.
For more information on prices, tickets and timetables, please visit the Tampere Public Transport website.
Tampere Public Transport (Tampereen Joukkoliikenne)
Frenckellinaukio 2 B, FI-33100 Tampere, FINLAND
Open Mon-Fri 8:30 – 17:30, Sat 10:00 – 15:00
http://www.tampere.fi/joukkoliikenne/ > In English
Journey planner: http://www.tampere.fi/joukkoliikenne/ > In English > Online services > Journey planner
Night buses usually run between 24.00 and 04.40. The routes may slightly differ from normal bus routes, but as a rule night buses leave from Tampere Central Square (=Keskustori). Night buses are marked with the letter ‘Y’ in front of the bus number. You will be charged the normal fare plus EUR 2.5 as an extra night fare. You can check the schedules and routes on the Tampere Public Transport website:
http://www.tampere.fi/joukkoliikenne/ > In English > Timetables > Late Night Buses
Call a taxi by dialling 10041, or 0100 4131 if calling from a mobile phone. Taxis are quite expensive in Finland, especially at night time, so it may be a good idea to share the taxi with someone (if possible), if you have to use one. At night time the easiest way to get a taxi in the city centre is to go to a taxi stand.
Cycling is an excellent way of getting around Tampere. If you want to buy a used bike, you can, for exampel, leave your own advertisement to buy a second-hand bike to the discussion forum of the student intranet POP.
The Police Station holds an auction twice a year to sell all the lost and found bikes that no one has claimed for a year. The auction will be advertised in the local newspaper (Aamulehti).
There are three student restaurants (Edison, Newton and Zip) and four student cafeterias (Café Motivaattori, Café Voltti, Café Rom and Café Joule) on the TUT campus. Students can have lunch at the restaurants at a reduced price by showing their student card. Your student card entitles you to discounts at the campus restaurants of all Finnish universities. You can also pay for meals and drinks with you student card by loading money onto the card (the minimum amount is five lunces/coffees/teas).
To see more information, weekly menus and opening hours of the Juvenes restaurants at TUT, go to: http://www.juvenes.fi > In English > Restaurants and Cafeterias.
Tampere has a wide selection of restaurants and finding a place to dine and wine or just to have a quick snack is easy. Please look for more details at:
http://www.huviopas.net/tampere/restaurants_1.php
In Finland, the minimum age for buying alcoholic beverages with over 21 percent of alcohol is 20 years. For beverages with less alcohol than that the limit is 18 years. You may be asked to present official ID when buying alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages, such as wine and spirits, are only available in state-owned Alko shops. Beer and cider are sold in supermarkets and foodstores.
The use and possession of and trafficking in drugs is against the law and carries heavy penalties.
Most shops (=kauppa) are open Mon – Fri 9.00/10.00-17.00/18.00, Sat 9.00/10.00-15.00. Department stores (=tavaratalo) are open Mon - Fri 9.00-21.00, Sat 9.00-18.00. Kiosks and small foodstores are also open on Sundays. On national holidays (please see the Academic Calendar in this guide for exact dates), shops and department stores are closed, except for some kiosks.
You can buy kitchenware, towels, bedclothes and desk lamps at an affordable price, for example, from Vapaa Valinta, Hemtex, Halpa-Halli, Anttila and Kodin Ykkönen.
Here are some shops to begin with:
Shops in Hervanta at the Duo shopping centre (Kauppakeskus Duo, address Insinöörinkatu 21):
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groceries |
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Vapaa Valinta |
home, health & beauty, clothes |
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S-Market |
groceries |
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Lidl |
groceries |
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Seppälä |
clothes |
Shops outside Hervanta:
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Sotilaankatu 11 |
home & furniture |
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Anttila |
Puutarhakatu 10 |
home & furniture, health & beauty, clothes |
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Halpa-Halli |
Sammon valtatie 2 |
home, health & beauty, clothes |
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Kauppahalli |
Hämeenkatu 19 |
market hall |
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Koskikeskus |
Hatanpään valtatie 1 |
shopping centre |
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Tullintori |
Tullikatu 6 |
shopping centre |
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Al Niil Oriental Food |
Hämeenkatu 30 |
oriental foodstore |
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UFF |
Hämeenkatu 9 and Insinöörinkatu 21 (in shopping centre DUO) |
second-hand shop |
The most common western newspapers can be bought in Finland or read in the libraries. A wide variety of foreign newspapers can be found at railway stations from R-kiosks and bookstores.
The local newspaper in Tampere area is Aamulehti. It is published only in Finnish. The largest circulation newspaper in Finland, Helsingin Sanomat, also has an English-language website (http://www.hs.fi/english/).
Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has an excellent newsroom on the Internet (http://virtual.finland.fi/news) that provides information on both Finnish and international affairs.
YLE/TV1 provides a news bulletin in English in the morning show. You can also view it on the Internet.
You can find post offices in almost every suburb in Tampere. Mailboxes (orange) are around every corner and there is one on campus next to the Main Building. You can buy stamps from post offices, the campus bookstore and most kiosks.
►Hervanta Post Office
Kauppakeskus Duo, Insinöörinkatu 21
Tel. +358 3 318 1311
►Tampere Main Post Office
Rautatienkatu 21
Tel. +358 3 920 4511
http://www.posti.fi
The country code for Finland is 358 and the area code for Tampere is 03 (without the zero when calling from abroad).
To call Finland, dial:
The international prefix for the country you are calling from
The code for Finland 358
The area code (without the 0) for Tampere 3
the phone number
An example: To call from Italy, Rome to Tampere to number 123 4567, dial: 00-358-3-123 4567.
To call from Finland, dial:
The international prefix 990 (or 999 or 994)
The code for the country you are calling
The area code(without the general prefix 0)
The phone number
An example: To call from Tampere to United Kingdom, London to number 123 4567, dial: 990-44-20-123 4567.
To call inside Finland from one city to another, dial:
Area code with the general prefix 0
Subscriber’s number
An example: To call from Helsinki to Tampere to number 123 4567, dial: 03-123 4567.
Almost every Finn has a mobile phone. If you do not have a mobile, you can buy a second-hand phone at an affordable price (around 20-100 euros).
There are several nation-wide network operators in Finland, for example DNA, Elisa and TeliaSonera Finland. The price for phone calls and SMS messages depends on the operator and the type of subscription, so comparing prices is advisable.
Nowadays it is almost impossible to find a payphone in Finland. Payphones take 50 cent, 1 euro and 2 euro coins. Many payphones only accept telephone cards that cost about EUR 6-20. Telephone cards are sold, for example, at R-kioski. Please note that you cannot make reverse-charge calls from phone booths.
The Main Library Metso is located in Tampere city centre and most of the suburbs have their own branch libraries. The Main Library offers a broad range of services and extensive collections of books - naturally in foreign languages, too. The branch libraries have smaller collections but offer the same services.
You can use the libraries free of charge, but you need to obtain a library card, which is also free of charge. You can collect a library card, for example, from the Main Library Metso (first floor) or the library in Hervanta. You need to present official ID and your address in Tampere when collecting a library card.
►Metso (the Main Library)
Pirkankatu 2
http://www.tampere.fi/kirjasto/
►Hervanta
Insinöörinkatu 38
http://www.tampere.fi/kirjasto/hervanta
There are three cinemas in Tampere city centre and tickets usually cost around EUR 10. Foreign films are shown in the original language with Finnish or Swedish subtitles. An updated list of the latest films can be found on the Friday issue of the local newspaper and the websites of the cinemas.
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Plevna |
Itäinenkatu 4 |
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Cine Atlas |
Koskikeskus |
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Niagara |
Kehräsaari |
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Tampere is famous for its many theatres. There are two big theatres and several smaller theatre companies in Tampere where plays and musicals are staged throughout the year. Operas and concerts are given at Tampere-talo (Tampere Hall). For more information, go to:
►Tampereen työväen teatteri
Hämeenpuisto 28
http://www.ttt-teatteri.fi
►Tampereen teatteri
Keskustori 2
http://www.tampereenteatteri.fi/
►Tampere-talo
Yliopistonkatu 55
http://www.tampere-talo.fi/en
You can visit museums such as Sara Hildén Art Museum, Moominvalley, Spy Museum and the Museum Centre Vapriikki in Tampere. Most museums give student discounts.
For more information, please visit: http://www.tampere.fi/english/tourism/sights/index.html
There are several national television and radio channels in Finland as well as many cable television channels and local radio stations. Foreign films and programmes are broadcast in the original language with Finnish or Swedish subtitles.
Please note that you are required by law to pay a television fee, if you use a TV or any other device to receive or record TV programmes. When you take a television set into use, you should notify the Television Fee Administration either by phone, via the Internet or by filling in a form available at post offices. So-called television inspectors perform occasional inspections to households that have not paid the fee. If they find out that you have been watching television without paying the fee, you will be liable to pay both the fee and possibly a fine.
Daily TV listings, e.g.: http://www.telkku.com
Information on television fees: http://www.tv-maksu.fi