Places to Visit in Jyvaeskyla, Finland, Europe
Jyvaeskyla is the largest city in the region of Central Finland in Finland geographically placed between 62°14.5′ N latitude and 025°44.5′ E longitude, about 270 km from the national capital, Helsinki. Jyvaeskyla is rich in all the sectors including culture, sport, education and infrastructure as it was called ‘Athens of Finland’ by the compiler of the national epic of Finland (Kalevala), Elias Lonnrot.
Geography of Jyvaeskyla:
Jyvaeskyla is situated on the northern shore of Paijanne Lake in the western side of the Finnish Lakeland, spread over an area of 1,466.34 sq. km. Jyvaeskyla experiences cold winters and warm summers.
History of Jyvaeskyla:
It is believed that, the name of Jyvaeskyla was derived from the two words, juwis (Old Prussian term) and kyla which means village. Jyvaeskyla was originally founded as a town at the site between the Jyvaskyla ridge and Lake Jyvasjarvi and it was upgraded as a city by Czar Nicholas I of Russia on 22 March 1837.
How to reach Jyvaeskyla?
Jyvaskyla has its own airport which operates scheduled flights to Helsinki, catered by Flybe Nordic and other airlines serve Jyvaskyla Airport are FinnComm and Finnair.
There is bus service offered from the airport to downtown Jyvaskyla that costs 5 euro per way and taxis cost about 35 euro.
Jyvaskyla has good connectivity with neighboring cities and towns by trains and buses. By train, it takes around 3 hours from Helsinki to Jyvaskyla and buses are also regular between these two cities.
Tourists can use taxi or bus to move within the city.
Culture, Food and Shopping in Jyvaeskyla:
There are many festivals and events organized in Jyvaskyla throughout the year and list of the major events include:
- Jyväskylä Arts Festival
- Neste Oil Rally Finland
- Arctic and Fabulous Film Festival
- Jyväskylä City’s Birthday Week
For shopping, tourists can refer the following shopping centers:
- Jyväskeskus
- Torikeskus
- Forum
List of the prime restaurants in Jyvaskyla include:
- Restaurant Pöllöwaari
- Hong Kong City
- Katrina Restaurant
- Pizzeria Maria
Things to do in Jyvaeskyla:
- Ice skating
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Swimming
- Tavinsulka Canoe Tours
Tourist Attractions in Jyvaeskyla:
The Alvar Aalto Museum:
Together with the Museum of Central Finland, the Alvar Aalto Museum is situated in the proximity of the University of Jyvaskyla. Functionalist Alvar Aalto was the designer of both museums. The Alvar Aalto Museum displays the great works of renowned Finnish artists’ and the Museum of Central Finland describes the cultural history of Jyvaeskyla.
The Craft Museum of Finland:
The Craft Museum of Finland is a handicraft museum showcases the different traditional handicrafts of entire Finland. Nice collections, must visit.
Jyvaskyla City Theatre:
Located in the right side of the downtown Jyvaeskyla, Jyvaskyla City Theatre was designed by Alvar Aalto who was also the designer of Saynatsalo Town Hall.
Other places of interest in Jyvaeskyla include:
- University of Jyväskylä
- Aviation Museum of Central Finland
- Jyväskylä Airport
- Jyväskylä Art Museum
- Taulumäki Church
- Laajis
- Jyväskylä Workers’ Theatre
- Lake Paijanne Cruises
Ideal time to visit Jyvaeskyla:
From June to August is the ideal time to travel Jyvaeskyla, the month of July is very special while two grand events such as Jyvaskyla Arts Festival and Neste Oil Rally Finland held.
Accommodation options in Jyvaeskyla:
Most of the luxury hotels of Jyvaskyla are located in the city centre and tourists can find budget hotels around railway station and outskirts of the city. Mid range hotels in Jyvaskyla charge around 50 euro per night and list of the prominent hotels in Jyvaskyla is as follows:
- Scandic Jyvaskyla
- Solo Sokos Hotel Paviljonki
- Original Sokos Hotel Jyvashovi
- Rantasipi Laajavuori
- Omena Hotel Jyvaskyla
- Original Sokos Hotel Alexandra
- Alba Hotel
- Cumulus Jyvaskyla Hotel
- Hotelli Milton
- Hotel Yopuu
- Summer Hotel Harju
- Hotel Pension Kampus
- Gasthaus Laajis
- Summer Hotel Rentukka
- Hostel Laajari