Practical travel information
Arrival
Arrival by train
Both trains and coaches arrive at and depart from Jyväskylä Travel Centre rail/coach interchange located in the centre of the city (Hannikaisenkatu 20, Jyväskylä). The Travel Centre sells tickets for trains operated by VR/Finnish State Railways and coach services operated by Matkahuolto.
The train journey from Helsinki to Jyväskylä using the Pendolino express service takes 3.5 hours at its fastest while the trip from Tampere to Jyväskylä takes roughly 1.5 hours. Train tickets can be purchased from VR/Finnish State Railways’ net store or in Jyväskylä from the Travel Centre ticket office.
If you are flying into Helsinki-Vantaa, the simplest solution is to take the local train from the airport to Tikkurila and change there to a Jyväskylä-bound train.
Arrival by plane
Jyväskylä airport is situated in Tikkakoski approximately 23 km from Jyväskylä. Finnair operates flights to Jyväskylä from popular Helsinki-Vantaa international airport roughly three times a day. The flight from Helsinki to Jyväskylä takes about 50 minutes. Finavia’s website provides further information on travelling to Jyväskylä by plane as well as further details of flights to Helsinki-Vantaa.
There is no airport transfer between Tikkakoski and the centre of Jyväskylä, so a taxi should be booked in advance by calling +358 (0)100 6900 before boarding the plane in Helsinki. The taxi journey from the airport to the centre of Jyväskylä takes about 15 minutes. For further information please visit JYTAKSI website.
The nearest international airport to Jyväskylä is in Tampere, some two hours away. From there Jyväskylä can be reached handily by train or coach. For further information on flights to/from Tampere please visit Finavia and for timetables of trains between Tampere and Jyväskylä please visit VR and for details of coach services please visit Matkahuolto.
Arrival by bus
Jyväskylä can also be reached easily by bus: tickets can be bought from Matkahuolto’s web store which also provides details of routes, timetables and fares. The journey from Helsinki to Jyväskylä by express bus takes approximately 4.5 hours. Many express busses also call at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, where the bus can be boarded.
A slightly quicker bus connection from the centre of Helsinki to Jyväskylä is operated by Onnibus. This takes about 3.5 hours (but does not call at Helsinki-Vantaa). Tickets can also be purchased online.
Accommodation
An excellent variety of accommodation options can be found in the Jyväskylä Region. The city centre offers approximately 1 400 hotel rooms and 2 500 beds, and within a radius of roughly half an hour’s drive from Jyväskylä there is an abundance of hotel accommodation situated close to nature as well as other options.
During special events and gatherings there is a wide selection of private accommodation on offer in the Jyväskylä Region, varying from studio apartments to detached houses.
- Read more about accommodation possibilities in Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä Hotel Services
Jyväskylä Hotel Services offers three affordable options to stay in Jyväskylä. Hotel Pension Kampus is open year-round and summer hotels Harju and Rentukka from May to the end of August.
- Read more about Hotel Services in Jyväskylä
Other practical information
Visit Jyväskylä -website
A good source for information related to the Jyväskylä region is the Visit Jyväskylä -website, which is the official travel and tourism portal of the Jyväskylä region. You can find information in nine different languages.
Weather
For a weather prognosis see Finnish Meteorological Institute. It is recommended that you bring warm clothes with you. It might also be wise to have a weatherproof jacket with you. The four seasons are the main characteristics of the annual natural cycle in Finland. You will need different kind of clothes depending when you arrive to Finland. Please read more about the four seasons.
Shopping
Shopping centres with several small stores and department stores are all along Kauppakatu (the main street in the city). In the city center you can find grocery stores for example in Sokos and Forum. There are several OTTO ATMs along Kauppakatu.
Student/staff cafeterias on campus
The cafeterias on campus offer ordinary, healthy meals and the prices range between 5.80 € - 10 €. Map and daily menus at Semma and Cafeteria of the Student Union.
Restaurants
There are several ethnic restaurants, pizzerias and hamburger places in the city center. All hotels have several restaurants open to all. The pedestrian area of Kauppakatu is full of outdoor terraces for you just to sit in, enjoy some refreshments and the street life around you. Weekend evenings may be a bit busy and noisy in the city centre.
Smoking is prohibited indoors (also in restaurants, pubs etc.).