Hatanpää
What do thyme, stevia or borage look like? Have you ever seen Wedding Bells, Cherry Lady or Rosa Francofurtana? The first three are herbs, the latter three are roses, and all these as well as hundreds of other beauties can be admired in the rose garden and arboretum inside Hatanpäänpuisto park. Open to the public, this oasis is located just three kilometres from the city centre and it is a perfect venue for a Sunday picnic or a romantic date. The roses offer their splendour throughout the summer, but the best months are from July to September, while the trees planted in the arboretum look great all year round.
Right beside the park and only two kilometres from the Central Square of Tampere, the relatively new residential area of Hatanpää enables an urban lifestyle with a great view over the lake. You don’t need to have your own car here: the proximity of the city as well as great cycle ways and public transport services mean full mobility. In addition to modern blocks of flats, there is also an old mansion house that can be rented for private parties.
Härmälä
If you continue cycling by the lakeside a bit further away from town, you’ll reach the idyllic residential areas of Rantaperkiö and Härmälä where detached one-family houses form a peaceful neighbourhood with their lovely gardens and classic early-fifties style. There is also a 2 km long nature trail from Rantaperkiö beach. By Lake Pyhäjärvi, just four kilometres from the centre, is the Härmälä camping area where you can rent a cottage, park a trailer or put up a tent. The area also has lakeside saunas, a beach and a mini golf course.
Built on the runway of the former airport just a little south of Härmälä is the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre. Its five exhibition halls host a wide variety of international and national fairs, dog shows, sporting events and concerts. The centre is only six kilometres from town and it is within easy reach by public transport and by car.