Tampere

Tampere has a museum for everything from old shoes to modern art. The city was a pioneer of Finland's 19th-century industrial revolution and most of its old factories, which are located along the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids, have been converted into museums. The historic Finlayson factory (www.tampere.fi/matkailu/perinne/english) was once a cotton mill and Finland's largest industrial enterprise. Its buildings have been restored and transformed into a warren of offices housing technology enterprises, cinemas, restaurants and museums such as the steam machine museum and the Central Museum of Labour. The latter displays the history of Finland's working-class heritage. If you have time to visit only one museum in Tampere, head for the Vapriikki Museum Centre (www.tampere.fi/english/vapriikki). Occupying a former engineering workshop, the centre's main exhibition offers a journey through the history of Tampere from the appearance of the first hunter-gatherers through to Finland's membership of the European Union. Also in the centre is the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame, one of five museums in the world specialising in the history of ice hockey. The collection encompasses an impressive 10,000 hockey- related objects. The Vapriikki Shoe Museum is the place to be for footwear fetishists, while the Tampere Art Museum offers exhibitions from around the world.

Located on a narrow strip of land between lakes Nasijarvi and Pyhajarvi, Tampere is also surrounded by verdant pine forests. With more than 200 lakes within the city limits and more than 2,000 within the Tampere region, there are plenty of nature-based activities to choose from. One of the main activities is trout fishing, a popular pastime at the Tammerkoski rapids in the centre of the city. A 24-hour fishing permit costs Euro4.50 ($43). In summer, enjoy a cruise on one of the lakes (www.tampere.fi/matkailu/english/todo.htm) or head off on a hike through one of the many national parks. In winter, skating, skiing and ice-fishing are all the rage.

Set in peaceful natural surroundings on a cape kissed by the calm waters of Lake Nasijarvi, Sarkanniemi Adventure Park comprises an amusement park with stomach-churning rides, an aquarium and a dolphinarium. There's a planetarium with space shows, computerised animations of journeys through space and information from space probes. Children enjoy petting the rabbits, puppies and pot-bellied pigs at the zoo. The Sara Hilden Art Museum displays contemporary art in halls with whitewashed walls and picture windows facing the lake. But the best view in town is from the top of the 168-metre Nasinneula Observation Tower, the area's best-known landmark (www.sarkanniemi.fi).