Travel to Ylöjärvi – less than 10 miles from Tampere. The town will take you in and surprise you with its diversity. Ylöjärvi is known as the home town of Finnish band Eppu Normaali. It is also renowned for its horses and riding facilities. The Teivo harness racing centre has also served as the venue for Finland's premier harness racing event, the Kuninkuusravit (Finnhorse Trotting Championship).
Ylöjärvi is full of options for holidays alone or with the family. See the Haveri Gold Mine, famous for providing the gold and silver medals for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, or visit Villa Urpo, the home of media magnate Urpo Lahtinen, whose private art collection is one of Finland's largest. Note that Villa Urpo is not open in the summer.
A holiday in Ylöjärvi naturally involves water: Ylöjärvi is on the shore of Lake Näsijärvi and you can travel along the waterways to Tampere, Ruovesi and Virrat. Ylöjärvi is home to a large number of families with small children, and the number of inhabitants is increasing rapidly. The population of Ylöjärvi is currently around 33,000.
The premier destination for outdoor activities and backpacking is Seitseminen National Park, which covers an area of over 17 square miles. The hiking routes lead to Riuttaskorpi forest, with numerous trails and outdoor facilities, as well as to Helvetinjärvi National Park. There are four nature trails, with several sites for bonfires and camping, as well as information points and cooking shelters. The forests and eskers encompass numerous swamps and marshes, and the park's biodiversity also includes rare northern species.
Tree Mountainis a park-like work of art by Agnes Denes. It is located in Pinsiö and consists of 10,600 pine trees planted in accordance with a mathematical formula up the sides of an artificial mountain made of sand. It is designed around an ellipse with diameters of 420 metres and 270 metres. Tree Mountain is circumnavigated by a road that enables visitors to fully appreciate the rows of trees.
If you would like to see old Ylöjärvi, check out Vikelä Windmill in Kulju or the idyllic Inkula vaulted stone bridge in Viljakkala. The oldest building in the courtyard of Ylöjärvi Museum dates back to the 18th century and the best known attraction at Kuru Museum is Ensign Stål's cabin. Länsi-Teisko is home to Pölkkylä Villa, which represents the Finnish national romantic style of architecture.
If you recognise the landscapes to the west of National Road 3 and the Kuruntie road, it may be because the famous Finnish TV series "Tankki täyteen" was filmed at Soppeenmäki service station in this area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, the iconic building was demolished at the end of the 1980s.
If you would like to go cycling, remember three words: Näsijärvi Lake Trail. Take your bike aboard the Tarjanne steam ship and enjoy the views without any stress. And in the summer, you can hone your dancing skills at Ylöjärvi's dance pavilions. After a hectic day, cool off by going for a swim at one of the numerous beaches.
If you are still wondering whether the town could perk you up, book yourself a cheap flight (the nearest international airports are Tampere and Helsinki) and a hotel in Ylöjärvi. You will soon see how to live life to the fullest!
