← Tampere Marathon·1 night

Mänttä: Two Museums, a Forest Path and a Lakeside Sauna

One night in a paper-mill town that became an art town, with a manor, a factory headquarters museum, a forest path between them and an art sauna.

Duration1 night
TransitAbout 90 km by road; bus, or regional train to Vilppula plus taxi
DepartsTampere railway station or bus station

After the Tampere Marathon: Mänttä

The Route: Tampere → Mänttä → Tampere (or Helsinki Airport) Logistics: About 90 km north of Tampere. A coach takes about 1.5 hours, and a regional train runs to Vilppula, 5 km from the manor. A taxi bridges the last stretch. Marathon Month: September Duration: 1 night

Tampere ──(about 1.5 hrs, coach)──> Mänttä (1 night) ──(coach)──> Tampere ──(train)──> Helsinki Airport (HEL)

The race is on a Sunday, and the Serlachius museums are closed on Mondays from September to May. So the day to travel is Monday, and the day to see the art is Tuesday. This is a one-night trip with a slow first evening and a short second morning, which suits legs that need a day.

September in Mänttä. The museums run on their winter timetable from 1 September: open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 18:00. Summer shuttle buses are seasonal, so check whether any run in your week.

Getting there

Mänttä lies on road 58 between Orivesi and Keuruu, about 90 km from Tampere. The museum's own page gives about 1 hour 30 minutes by bus and 1 hour 15 minutes by car. A seasonal Serlachius shuttle, the Art & Sauna Express, has run from Tampere in summer. Outside its season, check Matkahuolto coaches. A regional train also runs to Vilppula in about an hour on the timetable the museum has published, and from there the manor is about 5 km by taxi. Check VR for your date, and book a taxi ahead in Mänttä, since local taxis are few.

Night one: Mänttä

Mänttä was a paper-mill town, and the Serlachius family's wealth built the art collection. Two sites hold it. Serlachius Manor, at Joenniementie 47, was Gösta Serlachius's home, and holds the permanent fine-art collection. The Headquarters, at R. Erik Serlachiuksen katu 2, was the factory office and now holds the exhibition on the patrons and the mill community. A single ticket covers both and was €16 for adults on the museum's page.

Monday evening is for settling in. A Love Trail of about 2.5 km links the two museums through forest. It is a natural path, not paved, and the museum says it is unsuitable for people with reduced mobility, so judge it by how your legs feel on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning visit the Manor first. The Wine Parlour in the basement has carvings and murals but narrow stairs and no step-free access. Restaurant Gösta is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 in winter. The Serlachius Art Sauna has public days on Tuesdays, but the museum's page gives conflicting start times, so confirm before planning around it.

Where to stay

Three places are named by the museum: Arthotel Honkahovi, which offers a bookable sauna and hot tub, Hotel Alexander and Hotel Mänttä Club. Book early for September, because the town is small. Ask about taxi collection from the bus stop.

Getting home

Return to Tampere on Tuesday afternoon by coach or train, then continue by rail from Tampere to Helsinki and the airport link to Helsinki Airport (HEL). Buy tickets in advance and leave a margin for the last train from Vilppula.